Greensteel orders $1.6 billion worth of steelmaking kit, plans to bring new facility online “within two years”

Greensteel Australia announced on Thursday that it has placed an order with steelmaking infrastructure company Danieli Group, “valued in excess of $1.6 billion”, representing stages two and three of a proposed “ultra-low-carbon steel mill”. The order includes a direct reduced iron (DRI) plant, two electric arc furnaces, a structural steel rolling mill, and a second…

Global trade tensions highlight urgency for Australia to invest in sovereign advanced materials capability

Without a concerted effort to develop local refining and manufacturing, Australia will remain dependent on international supply chains for the materials we use, leaving us vulnerable to global disruptions. By Professor Christopher Hutchinson. Australia stands at an important point in its technological and industrial future. While we have abundant raw materials and a wealth of…

New windfarms welcome, but will see local manufacturers sidelined over Chinese imports: Weld Australia

Three newly-approved wind farms for NSW will benefit Australia’s shift to renewable energy, though will help Chinese rather than local manufacturers, industry body Weld Australia has said. Welcoming the farms at Liverpool Range, Spicers Creek, and Hills of Gold, Weld Australia claimed them as “a necessary step forward in Australia’s renewable energy revolution”, yet will…

Federal government commits $750 million to boost metals manufacturing innovation

The Albanese government announced $750 million in funding to support the development of new technologies for Australia’s metals manufacturing sector, according to a joint media release on Friday. The investment aims to help metals manufacturers remain globally competitive while reducing emissions and is part of the $1.7 billion Future Made in Australia Innovation Fund announced…

With Australian steel and aluminium set to incur US tariffs, global uncertainty will be our next challenge

By Lisa Toohey, UNSW Sydney “Unjustified” and “not the way that friends and allies should be treated”. That’s how Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong have described the latest shot in United States President Trump’s trade war. Effective today, there is a 25% tariff on all imports of steel and aluminium into…

Hi-smelt could solve Whyalla’s steel crisis: expert

A pioneering technology could be the answer to the troubled Whyalla steelworks’ future, according to an industry veteran with more than 45 years of experience. Neil Goodman, who helped design, build and operate the world’s first commercial scale Hi-smelt plant in Western Australia, believes the technology offers significant advantages over traditional steelmaking methods and could…

SA government began Whyalla steelworks administration talks last year

The South Australian Government’s Steel Task Force has been meeting secretly with KordaMentha since before Christmas, as a strategy to push the Whyalla steelworks into administration was formulated, according to documents released on Monday. KordaMentha was appointed as administrator of steelworks owner OneSteel Manufacturing – a GFG Alliance subsidiary – on Wednesday last week after…

With Whyalla steelworks forced into administration, Australia has crucial decisions to make on the future of its steel industry

By Geoffrey Brooks, Swinburne University of Technology Whyalla is a proud steel town. The steelworks physically dominates the townscape, and most jobs in the town are either directly at the steelworks or heavily reliant on it. In recent months, however, the steelworks have lurched from one setback to another, from serious technical problems that forced…