Kwinana

The HIsmelt^® iron making facility at Kwinana in Western Australia is a joint venture between Rio Tinto (60 per cent interest through its subsidiary, HIsmelt^® Corporation), US steelmaker Nucor Corporation (25 per cent), Mitsubishi Corporation (10 per cent), and Chinese steelmaker Shougang Corporation (five per cent).

HIsmelt operates a Smelt Reduction Vessel (SRV) which replaces the use of the traditional blast furnace method of smelting iron ore. The product of the HIsmelt process is hot metal that is free of slag which can be used as direct charge to steelmaking processes or cast as pig iron (96 per cent iron content).

HIsmelt technology produces molten iron from iron ore fines and non-coking coal, resulting in a more efficient alternative to conventional iron making technology, with lower environmental impact. Hence, it is highly flexible in terms of the raw materials it can use, including ores with higher levels of phosphorus and non-coking coals, while still producing a premium quality iron.

The HIsmelt process meets the highest environmental standards in ironmaking as dioxins, furans, tars and phenols are essentially eliminated, and steel plant wasted can be recycled in an efficient manner.

The HIsmelt plant is on a 12-month program of care and maintenance to April 2010.

For more information about HIsmelt technology and the Kwinana operation, please visit the HIsmelt website