Element Zero has secured up to $26 million in funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to advance its electrochemical ironmaking technology and support the development of green iron production in Western Australia.
The funding will support the company’s $53.65 million Green Iron Electroreduction Demonstration Module project through the Future Made in Australia Innovation Fund.
Element Zero currently operates a continuous high-purity iron plant in Perth, producing 10 kilograms per day using renewable energy. The ARENA-backed project will initially scale production to one tonne of high-purity metallic iron per day, with a potential second stage increasing capacity to 10 tonnes per day, subject to a formal stage-gate review and ARENA approval.
The demonstration project aims to generate operational data and validate the technology at progressively larger scales. The findings will also inform the design of repeatable modules that could eventually be deployed at commercial scale.
Element Zero’s longer-term strategy involves establishing multiple modular plants in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, close to the country’s iron ore resources and renewable energy supplies.
The company is developing an electrochemical process as an alternative to conventional carbon-based ironmaking. The technology is designed to produce high-purity iron without the direct carbon emissions associated with conventional ironmaking methods.
Element Zero said its process is being developed to accommodate a range of Australian iron ores, including haematite, which accounts for the majority of the country’s iron ore exports. This capability could broaden the potential application of the technology across Australia’s established iron ore industry.
Element Zero chief executive officer Michael Masterman said the funding would support the development of a new value-adding pathway for Australian iron ore.
Masterman said Australia had spent decades building its iron ore industry and that converting ore into high-purity iron could create opportunities to increase the value of its exports. He added that the company’s existing Perth plant was already operating continuously, with the demonstration project representing the next step towards larger-scale production.
Acting ARENA chief executive officer Chris Faris said the project would help evaluate the technology using different Australian iron ores and generate data to assess its potential for future green iron production.
Element Zero identified the Pilbara as a potential location for future commercial deployment, citing its combination of iron ore resources, industrial capabilities and renewable energy potential.
The demonstration programme will help establish whether the electrochemical process can be scaled reliably and provide a foundation for modular production facilities. Its results could contribute to the development of lower-emissions ironmaking and create opportunities for Australia to process more of its iron ore domestically.