Steel Products

Electra commissions clean ironmaking pilot plant

April 1, 2024

Electra has commissioned a first-of-its kind, clean ironmaking pilot plant in Boulder, Colo.

To aid in the green production of steel, the Boulder-based startup has been developing its iron refining technology, which uses an electrochemical process with low temperatures and renewable energy. It is the first of its kind “to produce metallic iron from already mined, high-impurity, commercially stranded ores to accelerate decarbonization, sustainability, and circularity across the ore-to-steel value chain,” Electra said in a statement.

Iron ore supplier BHP, also an investor in Electra, is supplying the iron ore for the pilot plant.

“Clean iron produced from a wide variety of ore types is the key constraint to decarbonizing the steel industry sustainably. With support from our partners across the value chain, the pilot brings us closer to our goal of producing millions of tonnes of clean iron by the end of the decade,” stated Electra CEO and co-founder Sandeep Nijhawan.

In addition to BHP Ventures, those partners include Nucor, which invested in Electra in 2022, Amazon, the Bill Gates-founded Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and others.

Commenting on the pilot plant, Noah Hanners, Nucor’s EVP of raw materials, said it “is a significant step towards a cleaner, more sustainable, and circular industry.”

“Electra’s pure iron metal is uniquely positioned to allow the upcycling of a broader range of steel scrap into higher-value sustainable steel products, improving the circularity and sustainability of the steel industry,” Hanners added.

Laura Miller

Laura Miller is a reporter and editor for Steel Market Update. She has held a variety of positions within the steel industry since 2007, including reporting and editing for Steel Business Briefing/Platts, the Association for Iron and Steel Technology, and Kallanish Commodities, as well as marketing for what was then known as ThyssenKrupp Steel USA (now AM/NS Calvert). After a five-year hiatus working across other industries, she returned to steel in 2021 and has covered the flat rolled, tubular, and trade areas of the industry. She is a member of the Association of Women in the Metal Industries and a past-president of the AWMI Pittsburgh Chapter. She holds a BA in Latin American Studies from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She can be reached at laura@steelmarketupdate.com or 724-759-7869.