The history behind Lincoln’s involvement in its Green Iron project stems back to 2108 when it inherited the deposit after the wind-up of a steel mill joint venture (JV) between Centrex and Chinese steel giants Baotou Iron & Steel and Wuhan Iron & Steel, who all pulled out because of an iron ore price decline.

Now, with almost $100 million spent on the project – $75 million of that by the now-former Chinese owners – Lincoln has greatly benefited from the previous studies and has built on them to help complete its comprehensive submission to government. The next phase of the process, according to Trewartha, is to engage with regional steel industry participants in a bid to sign up a partner to help develop the project.

SA is rapidly gaining recognition for its green energy potential, fuelled by abundant renewable resources and significant investments in hydrogen production.

The SA Government has a clear vision to position the State as a global leader in decarbonised steelmaking. Central to its strategy is the proposed 2.5 million-tonne per annum green steel plant, which has the potential to contribute up to $3 billion annually to the local economy.

Trewartha believes Lincoln’s proposal dovetails neatly with those goals, offering a solution that is not only locally sourced, but also environmentally sound, positioning it as a frontrunner in the green iron race.

It has been a busy time for the company recently, not only in finalising the magnetite submission, but also working around the clock to deliver a prefeasibility study (PFS) in the next month on its big graphite project just down the road. Targeting a phased approach to initially mine 20,000 tonnes per annum from a 2 million-tonne high-grade core zone at surface at its Kookaburra project (KGP), the company hopes to become the first company to reboot graphite production in Australia.

Backed by extensive geological studies and a dedicated team of experts, Green Iron appears to be standing on solid ground. With its robust resource base, proximity to key infrastructure and strong SA Government backing, Lincoln’s project is on track to potentially play a pivotal role in the State’s – and the world’s – green steel future.

And with a PFS due on the KGP, there is likely to be no shortage of news for punters to muse on.

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