The SuSteelAG consortium, led by Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing and supported by partners including HyIron Green Technologies, Fortescue and TS Elino GmbH, has completed the first industrial-scale hydrogen-based reduction of low-grade iron ore in Namibia.
The milestone saw 80 tonnes of Australian iron ore converted into direct-reduced iron (DRI) at the Oshivela plant using an electrically powered hydrogen rotary kiln, marking a significant step toward decarbonised steel production.
The pilot campaign processed ore with an iron content of about 56%, well below the roughly 70% typically required for climate-neutral steelmaking, demonstrating that lower-grade material can be used without the need for costly pelletising or conventional shaft furnace processes.
Operations at the Oshivela site, run by HyIron Green Technologies, achieved a throughput of about five tonnes per hour, with the kiln designed and constructed by TS Elino GmbH based on prior laboratory testing.
The ore was supplied by Fortescue, highlighting the project’s international value chain linking Australia, Namibia, and Germany to produce climate-neutral steel.
The next phase will see the refined iron shipped to Germany, where Salzgitter Mannesmann Forschung GmbH will assess how it can be integrated into existing industrial processes to produce low-carbon steel for sectors such as automotive manufacturing.
At the same time, RWTH Aachen University will work to optimise lower-grade ores for hydrogen-based reduction, further improving the process’s efficiency and scalability.
The wider SuSteelAG consortium also includes research and industrial partners such as the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST, the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS, Heidelberg Manufacturing Deutschland GmbH, and HANSAPORT.
Backed by about €4.5 million in funding under Germany’s 7th Energy Research Programme, the project positions Namibia as a key player in the emerging global green steel value chain, particularly in hydrogen-based iron production.
The successful pilot demonstrates that Namibia can host industrial-scale green processing of raw materials, reinforcing its ambitions to become a hub for green hydrogen and downstream industrialisation.
