Greensteel Australia picks Mayfield site for first gas-free steel mill, aiming for 2028 production

Greensteel Australia has secured a location for its first gas-free steel mill, choosing the old BHP Newcastle Steelworks site in Mayfield, NSW. The AUD 500 million plant will use electric arc furnaces and hydrogen-based direct reduced iron technology, running entirely on electricity with no direct greenhouse gas emissions. It is expected to produce 600,000 tonnes of finished steel per year and employ 200 full-time staff, with operations starting by early 2028. The project marks the first new steel mill in Australia in three decades and aims to reduce reliance on imports while cutting embodied carbon in construction. Chairman Ross Garnaut said the mill will avoid exposure to volatile gas markets, which should help lower home-building costs. The company credits the Commonwealth's Future Made in Australia strategy and state policies for enabling the investment. The plant will use renewable energy and electric arc furnaces, eliminating the need for gas-fired processes that make steelmaking one of the world's most carbon-intensive industries.