Italy-based Tenova, a Techint Group company specialized in innovative solutions for the metals and mining industries, has announced that NeoSmelt, a consortium backed by industry giants BlueScope, BHP, Rio Tinto, Woodside Energy, and Mitsui Iron Ore Development, has selected Tenova to provide direct reduced iron (DRI) technology to the pilot steel plant in Australia.
Australia advances lower carbon emission targets
The pilot plant aims to validate a DRI-electric smelting furnace (DRI-ESF) route using Pilbara iron ore, with the goal of reducing carbon emissions compared to traditional blast furnace-basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) methods. The DRI plant will adopt ENERGIRON DRI technology, jointly developed by Tenova and Italian plantmaker Danieli. Designed to produce up to 50,000 metric tons per year of DRI, the equipment will feature dual operational flexibility, capable of using either natural gas or hydrogen as a reducing agent.
The NeoSmelt initiative supports the global steel industry’s shift toward decarbonization, especially important as the sector contributes roughly 7-9 percent of global CO2 emissions. By utilizing hydrogen and natural gas, and integrating carbon capture, the pilot project represents a scalable model for greener steel.
