POSCO Holdings obtained federal environmental clearance under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) for phase one of its KRW 4 trillion low-carbon iron project in Port Hedland, Western Australia.
Joining Western Australia state approval granted in April, this milestone clears regulatory hurdles for the plant in the Boodarie Strategic Industrial Area.
The facility will process 3 to 3.5 million tons of local iron ore annually to produce 2 million tons of high-quality hot briquetted iron (HBI) and 700,000 tons of export pellets. Aiming for 2031 production, POSCO plans to finalize Indigenous consultations, utility permits, equity structures, and a final investment decision with partners.
The project strengthens low-carbon supply chains for POSCO’s electric arc furnaces in Gwangyang and Louisiana, while expanding local processing partnerships with Roy Hill mine co-investors, including Taiwan’s China Steel Corporation (CSC) and Japan’s Marubeni.