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Although a certain managed fill in Hunua has been sidetracked, a number of other local Fast-track projects were given the green light by Minister for Infrastructure, Chris Bishop, recently.
In addition to quarry development and expansion in Hunua and Drury, and Drury’s metropolitan centre, construction of National Green Steel’s manufacturing plant in Hampton Downs is now in progress.
Following a groundbreaking ceremony earlier this month, production is expected to commence at the plant from late 2029.
When it’s up and running, it should be able to process approximately 200,000 tonnes of recycled steel annually.
The aim is to lower demand for imported steel and the amount of scrap metal exported.
The project is also expected to create more than 200 skilled jobs in the region.
As previously reported, Bishop believes the plant is the right type of project for the Fast-track scheme.
“New Zealand has a major infrastructure deficit. We need to deliver infrastructure faster, and we need the supply chains to back that up,” he says.
“Green Steel can do both, building local manufacturing capacity and helping provide material for a range of developments.”
Minister of Climate Change, Simon Watts, says the plant will be run as sustainably as possible.
“The project will use electric arc furnace technology to produce high-quality structural steel with a lower carbon footprint compared to current steel production methods used in New Zealand,” he adds.
