Posted on 09 Jul 2026
A company formed earlier this decade called Greensteel Australia says it has “secured” a 17-acre site in Mayfield North, Australia, and will invest an initial $350 million to build what it calls Australia’s first new steel mill in more than 30 years.
In October 2024, Greensteel announced signing a contract with Italy-based mill equipment provider Danieli & C. S.p.A. for that firm to supply a 600,000 metric tons per year rolling mill that would use hydrogen as an energy source.
Last November, Greensteel placed another order with Danieli, valued at $1.1 billion, to purchase a direct-reduced iron (DRI) plant, two electric arc furnaces (EAFs), a structural steel rolling mill with high-speed rail capability, and a second rolling mill for reinforced steel (rebar).
With land now selected, Greensteel Australia says parts of the mill complex are expected to be operational by January 2028.
Greensteel Australia the site in the state of New South Wales was home to the blast furnace-centric BHP Newcastle Steelworks for most of the 20th century.
“The investment was made possible by the recent policy directions set by the New South Wales and federal governments,” says Greensteel Australia head of government relations Patrick Buchan.
“Australia stopped building steel mills a generation ago [but] thanks to the leadership of the New South Wales and federal governments, we’re building again,” says Greensteel Australia CEO Romany Ibrahim said. “They’ve made it possible to bring manufacturing home to Newcastle, where Australian steelmaking began and where it never should have left.”
Greensteel Australia says it expects the 600,000 metric tons of finished steel made per year to reduce the construction industry’s reliance on imported steel and, over time, help stabilize and bring down steel prices for Australian builders.
The firm says its hydrogen-powered process, which in addition to DRI will include the EAF melting of scrap (according to the Greensteel website) also will lower the embodied carbon of Australian construction.
Greensteel says the use of EAF technology and hydrogen power will produce “no direct CO₂” emissions and offer “complete independence from gas supplies, providing a stable, future-proof energy model.”
The company says site preparation work will begin later this year while EAF components to be supplied by Danieli of are expected to arrive next October 2027.
While rebar is the first product to be made at Greensteel, the company says wire rod and coil production is being planned for future stages.
“Every ton of steel we forge at Mayfield is a ton Australia doesn’t have to import,” says Greensteel Australia board chair Ross Garnaut. “That means more reliable supply and better prices for builders, and because there is no gas anywhere in our process, it also means lower embodied carbon in the homes and infrastructure this country needs.”
Source:Recycling Today
