In a significant development for Western Australia's burgeoning green energy sector, Element Zero has officially launched its pilot-scale green iron plant in Malaga, just one day after settling a bitter and highly publicised legal dispute with mining giant Fortescue.
From Courtroom to Green Iron Plant
The Malaga facility was officially opened on Wednesday by Premier Roger Cook and three other State ministers, marking a pivotal moment for the start-up. The event was overshadowed, however, by the recent conclusion of a fierce Federal Court battle in which Fortescue accused the Element Zero founders of stealing its proprietary green iron technology.
The legal stoush took a dramatic turn when it was revealed that Fortescue had hired private investigators to surveil the founders, which included rummaging through their home bins and following their families in public shopping centres. This vicious dispute was abruptly settled out of court on Wednesday, the eve of the plant's opening.
A Superior Technology?
Element Zero's core mission is to use machinery powered entirely by renewable energy to transform various grades of Western Australian iron ore into commercial quantities of iron, a key component for steelmaking. The company is led by former Fortescue insiders: Chief Technology Officer Dr. Bart Kolodziejczyk, co-founder Dr. Bjorn Winther-Jensen, and CEO Michael Masterman, who was once a key lieutenant to Andrew Forrest.
Speaking after the plant's opening, Dr. Kolodziejczyk was bullish about his company's progress. "We were really first to produce sizable amounts of iron," he stated. "I was with Fortescue, and we produced, you know, certain amounts, but nowhere close to what we do here." He went further, claiming, "I would say that no one actually produced more green iron than we did in WA, possibly in Australia."
In a clear extension of an olive branch, Dr. Kolodziejczyk also revealed that while Element Zero's plant is currently being fed with iron ore from "all of WA's majors" except Fortescue due to the legal proceedings, he would now be "very happy" to accept ore from his former employer.
The Race for Green Iron in WA Heats Up
The opening of the Malaga plant intensifies the race to commercialise green iron production in Western Australia. Fortescue is not standing still, with its own ambitions clearly laid out. The iron ore giant is spending more than $75 million to construct a green iron plant at its Christmas Creek mine in the Pilbara. That facility aims to produce 1500 tonnes of iron per year, with first production anticipated by the end of 2025.
Element Zero, meanwhile, has ambitious plans of its own. The company aims to produce 10 tonnes of iron per day at its current pilot scale. It then plans to expand to a site in Canning Vale, with the goal of ramping up to 3650 tonnes of iron per year by 2028. A future, larger-scale production facility is planned for Port Hedland.
Element Zero CEO Michael Masterman was more reserved than his colleague when discussing Fortescue. He declined to comment on whether he would like to work with FMG again and was reticent to mention his former employer. "We think it's very important that multiple technologies are being pursued and pursued in different ways," he said diplomatically.
The start-up, which raised $10 million last year, is now firmly positioned as a key player in Australia's quest to decarbonise its critical minerals and resources sector.
