By Bridget Murphy

ABC Newcastle

Topic: Steel

Tuesday, 7 July 2026, at 10:36 am

A model of a Greensteel Australia production facility.

In short:

Greensteel Australia will open an electric-powered steel plant in Newcastle by January 2028 if approved.

The company has secured land on the former BHP steelworks site at Mayfield North.

What's next?

Early works will begin by the end of 2026.

Newcastle's steel-making identity will be reborn with a zero-emissions steel mill on the old BHP steelworks.

Greensteel Australia has a 70,000-square-metre site to build the new mill, producing up to 600,000 tonnes of finished steel by January 2028.

The company will invest $500 million in the plant for housing, transport, and energy projects.

The extra local supply will reduce the construction industry's reliance on imported steel and help stabilize steel prices.

The plant will initially produce raw steel on site rather than importing slabs.

The BHP steelworks was a major employer in Newcastle.

The goal is to eventually make steel from start to finish in Newcastle.

The plan is to use a zero-carbon alternative instead of natural gas in the rolling process.

The company will decide between green hydrogen and induction steelmaking.

Industrial identity

Newcastle was dubbed Australia's 'steel city' despite BHP closing its steelworks in 1999.

The steelworks employed over 13,000 people at its peak, leading to mass redundancies after closure.

More than 13,000 people were employed at the BHP steelworks before its closure in 1999.

The new mill will directly employ over 200 staff, including fitters, electricians, and engineers.

The Hunter region's industrial presence remains with coal and aluminium production.

Workers at the nearby Tomago Aluminium smelter face uncertainty around its long-term future.

NSW Premier Chris Minns announced train manufacturing will return to Newcastle with a $12 billion plant.

Early works on the project are expected to begin later this year.

ABC Newcastle — local news in your inbox

Tuesday, 7 July 2026, at 10:36 am

See more ABC coverage in your search results

Promotion

Practice Listening