PROJECT IRON BOOMERANG GETS SENATE HEARING

Iron Transport in Australia. Image Credit: Wikimedia commons.

Today, the Rural and Regional Affairs Committee is scheduled to hold the first public hearing on Project Iron Boomerang. 

The proposed project would create a 3,300 kilometre rail link between iron ore production areas in the Pilbara and the coal production regions of Queensland to produce steel domestically. 

In a statement, the Citizens Party said the project was one of the largest projects ever proposed in Australia and would create five steel mills near Newman in the Pilbara. 

According to the International Energy Agency, to address climate change, steel production should be decarbonised through measures including replacing coal with hydrogen as a fuel.

East Pilbara Shire President Anthony Middleton said he supports the project, but environmental factors could be a potential barrier. 

“For potentially 12,000 people and workers based in Newman, it would be great,” he said.

“I suppose the only thing that would need to be looked at would be the potential of making green steel, utilising hydrogen from our regions.

“I think everyone’s focusing on green energy so that’ll be the biggest holdback I would think.”