HyIron Green Technologies is targeting the first quarter of 2027 to begin construction of the second phase of its flagship green iron project, as the company finalises engineering work for an expansion that will increase production more than tenfold.
Project Engineer Kelvine Amukwaya said the company is completing the front-end engineering and design (FEED) phase after finalising the preliminary design and is now preparing the project’s detailed engineering ahead of construction.
“We are currently finalising the front-end engineering and design (FEED) phase for Phase 2 of the HyIron Green Iron Project. Following completion of the preliminary design, our focus is now on concluding the final design work for the entire phase,” Amukwaya said.
Construction is expected to take approximately 24 months, although HyIron plans to commission sections of the plant progressively rather than waiting for the entire facility to be completed.
“Rather than waiting for the entire facility to be completed, we will adopt a modular approach to development. Sections of the plant will be brought online progressively as construction advances. For example, we may commission and begin operating an individual furnace while work continues on other parts of the facility,” he said.
Once completed, Phase 2 is expected to increase annual production capacity to more than 200,000 tonnes of green iron, up from the approximately 15,000 tonnes currently produced by the first phase at the company’s Oshivela operation.
To support the expansion, HyIron plans to significantly increase its renewable energy capacity by adding 375 megawatt-peak (MWp) of new solar generation, bringing total installed solar capacity to 400 MWp. The project will also include 400 megawatt-hours (MWh) of battery energy storage to provide reliable renewable power for the operation.
Amukwaya said the company is finalising amendments to its existing electricity generation licence to accommodate the expanded renewable energy infrastructure.
Subject to regulatory approvals, implementation is expected to begin early next year, with between 40 MW and 50 MW of additional solar capacity scheduled to be installed every three months.
The revised development plan expands on HyIron’s original Phase 2 concept, which envisaged producing 200,000 tonnes of green direct reduced iron (DRI) annually using 250-260 MW of solar photovoltaic capacity and 150 MWh of battery storage.
The updated design substantially increases both planned solar generation and battery storage while maintaining HyIron’s objective of establishing one of the world’s largest renewable energy-powered green iron production facilities.
