Rio Tinto: pilot project to decarbonize iron and steel

(CercleFinance.com) - Rio Tinto, together with its partners BlueScope and BHP, has announced that it has selected the Kwinana industrial area, south of Perth (Australia), to develop Australia's "largest electric smelting furnace" (ESF) pilot plant, as part of the NeoSmelt project.


The project aims to test a technology that will enable iron to be produced from Pilbara iron ore without the need for traditional blast furnaces, thereby contributing to the decarbonization of steel production.

The pilot plant is expected to produce between 30,000 and 40,000 tonnes of molten iron per year.

This project could create a future for the steel industry with near-zero emissions, while ensuring the sustainability of Australia's iron ore industry.

The project is scheduled to begin feasibility studies in the second quarter of 2025, with an investment decision expected in 2026 and operational start-up in 2028.

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