Co-funded by the
European Union
Rio Tinto and GravitHy join forces to accelerate the decarbonisation of steelmaking in Europe
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,
– Manage the sales and marketing of ultra-low carbon Hot Briquetted Iron (HBI) GravitHy produces,
leveraging its detailed knowledge of steelmakers’ metallic feeds and their evolution to enhance
GravitHy’s commercial strategy.
Towards a reduction of more than 90% in CO2 emissions from iron production
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.
