The Western Australian Government has given final approval to the $4 billion Port Hedland iron project, which will include a pelletizing plant and a hot iron briquetting (HBI) plant near the Port of Port Hedland. The project is supported by the South Korean company POSCO, the Japanese company Marubeni and the Taiwanese China Steel Corporation.
The plant will use MIDREX direct reduction technology, which uses natural gas instead of coal, which can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional blast furnaces.
Integrated production of pellets and HBI
Located in the strategic Budari Industrial Estate, approximately 10 km southwest of Port Hedland, the project will include an iron ore processing complex consuming approximately 3-3.5 million tonnes of iron ore per year. The majority of the pellets produced will be used domestically to produce approximately 2 million tonnes of HBI per year, with approximately 700,000 tonnes of pellets exported directly from Port Hedland.
The project will also include hydrogen production and storage capacity to support process operations, consistent with long-term decarbonization strategies. Construction is expected to take approximately 2.5 years and the project will have a lifespan of 101 years, making it a long-term strategic asset in the global iron and steel supply chain.
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