- Fortescue breaks ground at US$50 million green iron plant project
- Plant to produce a high-purity pig iron using green hydrogen
- Important step towards realising a green iron industry in Western Australia
Steel forged using renewable hydrogen is now a step closer at Fortescue's Christmas Creek iron ore mine, as ground breaks for the historic project.
The Christmas Creek Green Iron Metal Project is a key step towards developing a green iron industry in Western Australia and will produce iron using green hydrogen, which will be suitable for use in almost any steel plant globally.
The project aims to produce green iron metal by the end of 2025, to prove the technology and create a catalyst for the next generation of the Australian green iron industry.
The Christmas Creek Renewable Hydrogen Mobility Project is also operational, with a hydrogen refuelling hub located at Fortescue's Green Energy Hub at the Pilbara mine.
The $33.8 million project - supported by a $2 million grant from the Cook Government's Renewable Hydrogen Fund - also includes 10 hydrogen fuel-cell coaches.
The hydrogen-powered coaches replace Fortescue's fleet of diesel coaches for transporting crew at Christmas Creek, and run on renewable hydrogen produced on-site through electrolysis.
It is expected the facility will produce around 195 tonnes of renewable hydrogen each year, as part of a broader effort to decarbonise Fortescue's mining operations by 2030.
As stated by Premier Roger Cook:
"WA is on its way to becoming a global clean energy powerhouse, and a major producer, user and exporter of green iron.
"Hydrogen has an important role to play in remote areas like mine sites, helping to create our State's green iron supply chain, reduce our reliance on diesel and slash emissions on site.
"Congratulations to Fortescue on their work to decarbonise their operations, which is showing the way for the resources industry right around the world."
