Green Hydrogen: 1.4 GW Electrolysis to Fuel Mid-West Green Iron Project

Picture this: ironmaking with almost no carbon footprint. And here’s the twist—Australia’s Mid-West Green Iron project just locked in a 1.4 GW deal for scalum® alkaline water electrolysis from thyssenkrupp nucera. The plan? Pump out boatloads of green hydrogen and shake up the iron industry for good. This could be the spark that finally propels heavy industry into a cleaner era.

The Spark Behind Cleaner Iron

Let’s be real: steel and iron production are among the planet’s biggest CO₂ troublemakers. Traditional blast furnaces, fed by coal and coke, spew greenhouse gases like there’s no tomorrow—ironmaking alone racks up roughly 8% of global emissions. But on 20 August 2025, Progressive Green Solutions (PGS) tapped German electrolysis whizzes thyssenkrupp nucera to supply 70 modular units totaling 1.4 GW. These plug-and-play workhorses split water into hydrogen and oxygen using pure renewables. No fossils. No fuss.

And get this: the International Energy Agency says decarbonizing steel is non-negotiable if we want to stay on track for 1.5 °C. With PGS and nucera leading the charge, green hydrogen could leapfrog coal as the top reductant in steelmaking.

From Coal to Sunlight: Reimagining Ironmaking

Here’s the sticking point: blast furnaces burn iron ore at around 1,500 °C with coke, belching CO₂ at every step. Swap in green hydrogen for coke in a direct reduction iron (DRI) setup, and you can cut emissions by up to 90%. It’s not a pipe dream—it’s exactly what the Mid-West Green Iron project is built to prove. By using local magnetite ore and power from wind and solar, they’ll turn iron oxide into metal without a single lump of coal.

If steelmakers drag their feet, they risk stranded assets while investors and regulators clamor for greener alternatives. This venture shows green iron pellets can be both technically robust and commercially savvy.

The Magic Ingredient: scalum® Alkaline Water Electrolysis

So what’s the secret sauce? It’s scalum®—thyssenkrupp nucera’s flagship alkaline water electrolysis system. Imagine stacks of electrodes dunked in an alkaline bath: power from wind farms or solar parks splits H₂O into high-purity hydrogen at the cathode and oxygen at the anode. Each 20 MW module is a mini hydrogen factory. Link up dozens in parallel and you’re talking gigawatts on tap. With more than 600 projects and 10 GW installed worldwide, nucera’s track record is ironclad.

These modern electrolyzers aren’t just cost-competitive; they can act like giant batteries, ramping up when renewables flood the grid and dialing down when demand spikes.

Plug-and-Play Scale

Here’s the real-world brilliance: modularity. You snap on or swap out 20 MW units like building blocks. In Geraldton, those 70 modules equal 1.4 GW—enough to churn out around 700,000 tonnes of green hydrogen every year. That hydrogen fuels DRI plants, producing about 7 million tonnes of green iron pellets, with roughly 2.5 million tonnes going on to become hot briquetted iron (HBI). It’s industrial-scale decarbonized ironmaking with proven, rollout-ready tech!

Real-World Impact: Mid-West Australia

Why Geraldton? This slice of Western Australia sits on rich magnetite deposits and has ports and rail lines already in place. With around 40,000 locals and a history in mining and farming, it’s primed for a green pivot. Think hundreds of construction and operations jobs, plus brand-new TAFE courses focused on electrolyzer maintenance and hydrogen safety.

But it doesn’t stop there. The project will spur partnerships with universities, host international green steel conferences, and even kickstart spin-off industries—like hydrogen fueling stations for transport—fueling a whole ecosystem of renewable energy iron.

Strategic Angle: Partners and Policy

This isn’t a solo act. PGS steers the ship, while thyssenkrupp nucera brings six decades of electrolysis R&D experience dating back to 1960. Their global deals with the likes of Cepsa, H2 Green Steel, and Air Products prove they mean business. On the policy side, Australia’s net-zero goals and state renewable incentives lay down a clear runway. Power purchase agreements lock in green electricity prices, taking the risk out of the hydrogen supply chain.

Across the globe, Europe’s carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) is rewarding low-carbon imports—Australia’s clean iron could command a premium. Major automakers and construction firms are already circling for low-embedded-carbon steel. Plus, local manufacturing of electrolyzer parts could give SMEs a boost and strengthen supply chains, making the whole ecosystem more resilient.

Beyond the Horizon

Once the final investment decision lands—slated for fiscal 2026–27—the project kicks into high gear, with first exports on the books for 2029. And that’s just the warm-up. PGS aims to ramp up to 30 million tonnes of pellets and 10 million tonnes of HBI per year. This blueprint isn’t a one-off; it can be copied in Brazil, South Africa, Canada, you name it. Investors are watching—green steel is set to become a $200 billion market by 2030, and Australia wants in.

With global policy frameworks catching up, other big steel players—China, India, the U.S.—could follow suit, speeding up the move away from coal in key regions.

A New Era Dawns

This isn’t just another project—it’s proof that heavy industry can decarbonize at scale using green hydrogen and renewables-driven power. Australia’s staking its claim as a green steel exporter, and Geraldton could soon be the heartbeat of a low-carbon economy. Ready for the revolution? The green iron era is just getting started!