Element Zero wins A$26M ARENA grant to scale green iron in the Pilbara
What's the deal? Element Zero has secured up to A$26 million from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → to scale its electrochemical ironmaking technology in Western Australia. The grant supports the company's A$53.65 million Green Iron Electroreduction Demonstration Module project, funded through the Future Made in Australia Innovation FundDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
What's the endgame? Element Zero runs a continuous high-purity iron plant in Perth that produces 10kg per day using renewable energy. The ARENA-backed project will scale that to one tonne of high-purity iron per day, with a potential second stage reaching 10 tonnes per day, subject to a formal stage-gate review and ARENA approval.
The company's electrochemical process is designed as an alternative to conventional carbon-based ironmaking, producing high-purity iron without the direct carbon emissions of traditional methods. Element Zero said the technology works with a range of Australian ores, including haematite, which makes up most of the country's iron ore exports.
Why now? Element Zero wants to build multiple modular plants in the Pilbara, close to Australia's iron ore and renewable energy resources. Chief executive officer Michael Masterman framed the opportunity in value terms.
"Australia has spent decades building a world-leading iron ore industry. The opportunity now is to capture the 5-6 times the export value by converting iron ore to high-purity iron," Masterman said. "This project is about taking the next major step — scaling first to one tonne per day and then 10 tonnes per day."
What could go wrong? The technology remains unproven at scale. The full A$26 million and the second production stage both hinge on validation data and ARENA approval at each stage-gate.
The signal: At A$26 million, this ranks among the largest grants of its kind — roughly the 98th percentile for engineering and manufacturing equipment grants in Australia. It reflects a national push to move up the value chain, processing ore into higher-value green iron at home rather than exporting the raw material.
Read more: australianmining.com.au
Image credit: Phil Schubert
