Nation unveils billion-dollar plan to transform failing factory into next-gen material producer: 'The building blocks of our society'

A struggling metals plant in Whyalla, Australia, is making the shift to becoming greener, thanks to a massive rescue package from the Australian government. 

Tech Xplore reported that the plant will continue producing iron and steel. However, this time around, it will use cleaner, more affordable energy instead of the coal power it did before. The Whyalla plant is set to receive as much as $500 million AUD ($317 million USD) from a government fund to rework its power source.

Additional cash will go toward bailing out the failing plant from unpaid bills and saving jobs. Australia produces the most iron ore in the world, according to Reuters. Keeping its steel plants intact is especially important for maintaining the country's leadership in the industry. 

Without the Whyalla plant, specifically, "we would be beholden to foreign nations for the building blocks of our society," said Paul Farrow, the Australian Workers' Union secretary.

But the reliance on coal for steel production makes it one of the most difficult industries to make cleaner. Steelmaking accounts for about 7% of the world's polluting gases. Air pollution is linked to several diseases, including heart disease, pneumonia, and lung cancer. 

Reduced pollution from the plant's massive makeover will improve local air quality and contribute to a healthier planet overall. Some benefits may happen quickly after the plant gets a green upgrade. After a coal plant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, shut down, the area saw a 42% drop in emergency health visits for heart-related problems. 

"The local abundance of solar energy is likely to be a significant advantage for the plant's future," according to the Conversation. One solar farm in the area is set to supply up to 280 megawatts of energy to the plant.

"Investment in green iron and steel will secure future demand for Australia's iron ore as the world moves toward lower emissions iron and steel," the country's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. 

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