Generation Steel signs Stride Reinforcement deal ahead of 2028 start
Generation Steel has added a $40 million cut and bend facility to its Collie steel mill project and signed a supply partnership to send site-ready reinforced steel from Western Australia to Victorian construction customers.
On 23 July 2026, the company confirmed a deal with fabricator Stride Reinforcement for east coast supply. Meanwhile, its new in-house WA facility will deliver 100,000 tonnes of project-ready rebar each year to local construction customers.
That expansion lifts the Collie project’s estimated value to $850 million. Operations are scheduled to start in 2028.
Once open, the Collie site will be WA’s first steel mill. It will also be the first steel mill built in Australia in 35 years.
The plant is set to produce 450,000 tonnes of ultra-low emissions steel each year. As a result, Australia’s domestic rebar capacity would rise by about one-third.
During construction, the project is expected to support 500 jobs. After start-up, it is expected to support 250 ongoing local jobs in the Collie coal community.
Don Johnston on east coast supply
Don Johnston, Generation Steel co-founder and executive director, called the Stride Reinforcement deal the first of more east coast agreements. He said the partnership and the new WA facility marked a turning point for the sector.
“Right now the majority of reinforcing steel used in Australia is imported, and even Australian-made rebar is foreign owned and suffers from a lack of any competition,” Johnston said.
Generation Steel has also signed national MOUs with Lendlease and Laing O’Rourke. Newly appointed chairman Enzo Gullotti linked those agreements to builder confidence in the Collie mill’s potential.
Generation Steel plans to run the mill on 100% renewable energy and use 100% Australian recycled scrap steel. Because of that model, the company describes Collie as the country’s most advanced green steel mill project.
Following the 2028 start, the plant is intended to supply Australian-made rebar to both WA and Victoria. The company says Australian-owned partners such as Stride will help it supply local, low-emission steel to projects across the country.
