NZ’s hydrogen steel-making pioneers ready for private capital push

Scientist Chris Bumby with the hydrogen-fuelled iron sands reactor. (Image: BusinessDesk)

Thu, 07 Aug 2025

A $6.5 million public research project into low-emission steel production is preparing to go commercial and tap into private funding for expansion.A materials science team led by Paihau-Robinson Research has spent years working out how to use hydrogen to make iron and steel from New Zealand’s iron sands, the backbone of the country’s existing steel industry.The project was awarded a $6.5m Endeavour fund grant in 2019 to research and develop the technology. Now the scientists are planning to break out of the laboratory and progressiv...

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