Overview
- In July 2026 Greensteel Australia announced it had secured a 70,000 square metre site at Mayfield North on the former BHP works and proposed a new electric steel mill on that site.
- The company has pledged A$500 million and says the plant could produce up to 600,000 tonnes of finished steel per year and directly employ more than 200 full‑time staff.
- Greensteel describes the mill as gas‑free and electric‑powered, with plans that include hydrogen‑fuelled direct reduced iron and electric arc or induction furnace methods but the final technology choice is still to be made.
- The firm says early site works are planned for late 2026 and it is targeting operations by January 2028, however those dates are conditional on regulatory approvals and final engineering decisions.
- The proposal is billed as a way to bring steelmaking back to Newcastle, cut reliance on imported steel, lower embodied carbon in construction and support local supply chains and jobs.