Rio Tinto has entered into definitive agreements with GravitHy, an early-stage industrial company, to help accelerate GravitHy’s steel decarbonisation project in France. As part of this collaboration, Rio Tinto will supply high-grade direct reduction iron ore pellets from its Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) operations to GravitHy’s planned operation, as well as manage the sales and marketing of ultra-low carbon Hot Briquetted Iron (HBI) GravitHy produces.
GravitHy’s proposed two million tonnes per year iron production facility at Fos-sur-Mer, France, is planned to be commissioned in 2028. The facility, which is located next to a deep seaport, will feature ultra-low carbon hydrogen production infrastructure, powered by existing grid-connected nuclear power, to process direct reduction pellets into HBI. This process has the potential to reduce ironmaking-related CO2 emissions by more than 90%.
Steel produced with low-carbon emissions is an essential component of the net-zero energy transition. The production of iron and steel contributes around 8% of global carbon emissions and requires new technologies, redesigned processes, and new infrastructure to decarbonise.
GravitHy Chief Executive Officer José Noldin said: “We are developing one of the most advanced ultra-low-carbon iron projects worldwide, designated by the French government as an ‘Industrial Project of Major ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Interest’. By combining our business ambitions, agility, and technological capabilities with Rio Tinto’s global leadership in mining and steel decarbonisation, we are ensuring a solid sourcing and go-to-market strategy to help accelerate the development of this project.”
Rio Tinto Head of Steel Decarbonisation Simon Farry said: “This collaboration is aligned with Rio Tinto’s steel decarbonisation strategy to accelerate the development of low-carbon Electric Arc Furnace steelmaking with high-grade iron as feedstock. This will allow us to both reduce our Scope 3 emissions and create valuable decarbonised pathways for our high-grade iron ore. We are excited to support GravitHy’s project and expand our understanding of the emerging green iron and steel market.”
