Blast Furnace 6 Reline

As a long-time supplier of engineering services to Bluescope Steel we fully support this project.

Steel making is necessary for any developed country. Continuing with the existing facility at Port Kembla, and upgrading to the proposed state of the art facility, is the most sustainable and economic option for Australia.

Steel production is vital for the development of any country. The impacts of climate change are being felt full force of late, discussions regarding investment in renewable energy production are growing - which will need a considerable amount of steel. We best produce that steel here than bolster other countries manufacturing sectors at the detriment of our own. This blast furnace will secure not only employment in the Illawarra for the next 30 years, but our country's transition away from fossil fuel reliance.

I have worked in engineering since 2005. Most of my professional career has been spent working at the Port Kembla Steel Works. I was made redundant from BlueScope in 2011 when No.6 Blast Furnace shut down, which pushed me to move out of the area to find work elsewhere. I was fortunate enough to re-join a team at No.5 Blast Furnace (as a contractor), which allowed me to settle back in to the Illawarra. Relining then re-starting No.6 Blast Furnace represents a lot of local jobs. I am not part of the project, but I would like to think that perhaps I could support No.6 Blast Furnace some time down the track as a contractor or an employee (who knows what the future may hold). I enjoy living and working in this area & this project is significant in its impact on local employment opportunity for people like myself.

Steel in our modern world is essential.
Local jobs are essential
The proposed project will support directly and indirectly thousands of jobs in the Illawarra and surrounding municipalities.
As my children grow and look for employment, I would like the opportunity for them to have options for work in the local area.
As a worker in the metallurgical coal mining industry, having the blast furnace located close by also supports Australian industry.

This will ensure a strategy towards sustainable steel in the future. Bluescope supports the community through many direct and indirect jobs. With mining in the area slowing down it seems like bluescope has a strategy to work into the future towards green energy.

Great project for the future of the steel industry

I'm an engineer working for Bluescope. The Blast Furnace 6 Reline is essential for the Illawarra to bridge the gap to the next evolution in the steel industry. The green steel projects are exciting but we're not quite there. It will be really excellent to see development of green steel in parallel with running the blast furnace. It's going to be very interesting to see the next stage and Bluescope could be at the front.

This a fantastic project for the Illawarra region. Not only does it support local jobs for the project period it will ensure local job security for the future.

Creates jobs.

I pledge my 100% support for the growth of our community and souverain manufacturing capabilities.

I think that this is an excellent project that will look to support the community with work as well as supporting the country with domestic steel supply.

Great for the Illawarra and Australia

This project will provide jobs and continuing employment for thousands of people. Relining 6 Blast Furnace will secure steel supply for Australia for the next twenty years at a time when international unrest threatens trade.

I think the Blast Furnace 6 Reline is a very important project for the Illawarra region and the state as a whole. It is safeguarding the industry and the livelihoods that it represents in the Illawarra and across the whole country into the future supporting up to 10,000 jobs directly and indirectly. There are some really important environmental initiatives that will bridge the gap between blast furnace technology and future commercial mainstream green steel technologies such as DRI. The Top Gas Recovery Turbine, Was Gas Heat Recovery and High Pressure Coke Ovens Gas Injection are all improvements on the environmental impact of the industry from what has existed in the past. BlueScope have been very committed to manufacturing in NSW and this project is pivotal in maintaining a strong industry in the state into the future.

Australia's sovereign manufacturing capability is incredibly important to its geopolitical security, particularly given the emerging challenges arising from the reversal of 'just in time' supply chains and the increasing hostility of China as a key trading partner in the Asia-Pacific region. Steel is a critical input in a range of industries, including building and construction, defence, mining and agriculture. The ability of Australia to manufacture its own flat and structural steel products, via both BlueScope's Port Kembla steelworks and the InfraBuild business based in Sydney and Whyalla, SA, is critical to preserving our security and economic capacity in the decades ahead. Steel has unique properties that cannot be replaced by other materials and despite its carbon-intensity, steel remains the only viable product for a range of critical applications, from structural building products to ship building. The proposed reline of BlueScope's blast furnace at Port Kembla is therefore vital to ensuring that Australia can continue to make these products without relying on other nations. This is a nation-critical project that should be supported.

Bluescope are an important customer of my employer. Without the relining of the blast furnace Bluescope would no longer be able to accept coal from my employer and would put my employment at risk. I contribute to the local economy and without my employment this would not be possible. I see Bluescope as an integral part of the local economy providing employment for a large sector of the population. Domestic Steel making needs to continue to support infrastructure projects and there is currently no viable alternative to metallurgical coal.

The Number 6 Blast Furnace reline project supports 10,000 direct and indirect jobs in the Wollongong region using local contractors and suppliers. There will be upwards of 250 new jobs created during construction and the project is a $1 billion total project investment for BlueScope. The project will be completed in 3 years and BlueScope will spend over $100m in environmental improvement upgrades to prepare the business for green steelmaking in the future. This is an incredible and exciting project for the Illawarra region.

I work within the UG coal mining industry in the southern districts of NSW. The mine which I work at is a supplier of coal to be used in coke making for the subject of the application.
The approval of the project will have benefits for the site at which I work and my own employment, notwithstanding the employment and economic benefits for the Illawarra region, the state of NSW and maintains steel manufacturing capability within the country, which appears increasingly important relative to sovereign risk.

I wholeheartedly support this project. It will secure the future of thousands of people in the region, secure australian manufacturing capability for the future, and ensure the steel products we use domestically are made with world class environmental controls. The alternative would mean sourcing raw materials from other jurisdictions where none of the above can be guaranteed, offshoring our jobs and increasing the environmental impact of production and transport. This project has major positive impacts for the Illawarra and for Australia.