Finland-based Metso Outotec Corporation, a global leader in engineering and technology, has announced that it has supplied the core process design and technology for Australian iron ore miner Fortescue’s Christmas Creek green metal project in the Pilbara region of the Western Australia.
The project integrates Metso’s Circored™ hydrogen-based fluidized bed direct reduction technology, which enables 100 percent green hydrogen use, and electric direct reduced iron (DRI) smelting furnace technology, which replaces the traditional blast furnace route. This route is expected to pioneer low-emission steelmaking pathways.
Together, these technologies aim to produce high-purity green metal using renewable electricity and hydrogen, eliminating the need for fossil reductants.
A demonstration plant built for scale-up
The Christmas Creek green metal plant will initially produce more than 1,500 mt per year, serving as a platform for future commercial-scale development. Fortescue is already conducting studies to determine the optimal configuration and scale for larger facilities that could follow. The installation is progressing steadily, with foundations laid and the first Metso equipment installed in September 2025.
The Circored™ process is specifically designed to use fine iron ores without pelletization, a major advantage for Pilbara ore streams. It produces highly metalized DRI suitable as direct feed for the electric smelting furnace.
