Posco has teamed up with Australian mining giant BHP to test iron ore for its HyREX hydrogen-based steelmaking technology, moving the low-carbon process closer to commercialization.
The companies signed a HyREX collaboration agreement Thursday, Posco said.
Posco will test BHP iron ore under different operating conditions to determine how variations in feedstock quality and characteristics affect HyREX performance. The trials will help identify the most suitable raw materials for commercial production.
HyREX is Posco’s proprietary ironmaking process that replaces coal with hydrogen as the reducing agent used to produce molten iron, potentially cutting carbon emissions from steel production.
BHP will assess whether its Australian iron ore is suitable for next-generation ironmaking. The companies will also exchange technical expertise and explore ways to reduce Scope 3 emissions across the raw material supply chain.
BHP Vice President Ben Ellis said the project builds on the companies’ long partnership in steelmaking innovation and could expand the use of Australian iron ore in emerging low-carbon production processes.
BHP has long supplied Posco with iron ore, metallurgical coal and nickel.
The agreement follows a memorandum of understanding signed in October in the presence of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Posco Holdings CEO Chang In-hwa. That pact expanded the relationship beyond raw material trade into joint research and development.
The project also advances Posco’s open collaboration strategy for HyREX. The steelmaker signed a technology cooperation agreement with engineering company Primetals Technologies in 2024 and is now extending the network to raw material suppliers.
“This partnership is significant because a steelmaker and a global raw material supplier are jointly preparing for the future of low-carbon steelmaking,” said Um Kyung-keun, head of Posco Research Labs.
Um said Posco would expand cooperation with global suppliers and accelerate the development of low-carbon steelmaking technologies.
yejinlim@heraldcorp.com
