Best of the week — the five most popular stories among readers, May 20 – May 24, 2024

What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to @AuManufacturing were reading.

5) New battery strategy to drive battery manufacturing

The federal government has released Australia’s first National Battery Strategy, supporting a Future Made in Australia as global demand for batteries is set to quadruple by 2030.

According to a joint announcement by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Industry Minister Ed Husic, the Strategy maps a path for Australia to take advantage of this growth to build a thriving battery industry.

It identifies four high-value strategic opportunities in stationary energy storage, processing minerals to produce battery active materials, boosting battery research and developing batteries for heavy vehicles.

4) Quinbrook backs $3.5bn Gladstone green steel project

Investment management company Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners has begun the development phase of a proposed $3.5 billion Green Iron Project in Gladstone, Queensland.

Quinbrook has partnered with Central Queensland Metals which holds the exploration permits for what is the largest known magnetite deposit in Queensland – magnetite is a type of iron ore suited to direct reduction utilising hydrogen.

Quinbrook will sponsor the detailed evaluation and testing of the Eulogie ore deposit, 70km west of Gladstone, estimated to contain 465 million tonnes of ore, to prove its quality and scale.

3) Planning approval awarded for WA’s first steel mill

Green Steel of WA, which aims to have a steel recycling plant at Collie running in 2026, has said it has been granted State Planning Approval.

GSWA officially began its project in July last year and lodged a development application in December last year.

According to an announcement on Linkedin by the company on Tuesday, “WA’s Regional Development Assessment Panel gave its unanimous approval for the project.

2) Nuclear more than 6 times the cost of renewables – report

An independent report by consulting and engineering firm Egis and commissioned by the Clean Energy Council has confirmed that nuclear is the most expensive form of new energy in Australia.

The review analysed the CSIRO and Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO)’s GenCost report against the Lazard Review and the Mineral Council of Australia (MCA)’s research into Small Modular Nuclear Reactors.

The report found that nuclear energy is up to six times more expensive than renewable energy and even on the most favourable reading for nuclear, and that renewables remained the cheapest form of new-build electricity.

1) Whyalla blast furnace back on line on May 25 – Liberty Primary Steel

The operator of the Whyalla steelworks, GFG Alliance’s Liberty Primary Steel now expects to be able to restart the blast furnace on site on May 27, ahead of the June date originally feared.

The blast furnace has been closed since March due to an uncontrolled iron breakout which damaged the furnace’s outer shell.

The furnace went too cold during maintenance with the damage done when the company was attempting to get the blast furnace back up to temperature.

Picture: credit Liberty Primary Steel