Rapidly deploy green ironmaking capacity and prove economics at 10 kt/yr scale, enabling replication at other sites to scale North American domestic iron supply.
ProtoStage 2 of 5
Under construction in Texas. Start-up targeted 2027–2028.
Updated 2026·Checked 11 Oct·0 updates this week
Milestones
Next · Construction begins in Texas
Hertha Metals founded2023Complete.
Chalyx design completed2024Complete.
Series A closed (\$133.65M incl. DOE grant)2026Complete.
Construction begins in TexasTarget 2026Current milestone.
Chalyx start-up and commissioningTarget Q4 2027Not yet reached.
Full 10 kt/yr capacity rampTarget 2028Not yet reached.
Small-scale economics10 kt/yr is 100–500× smaller than integrated mills. Per-tonne cost must compete; DOE grant bridges gap.
Customer qualificationEV and magnet makers must qualify Chalyx iron for supply chains. Long-term offtake agreements needed.
Hydrogen supply expansionCurrently natural gas hydrogen blend. Pure or higher-hydrogen needs cheaper green hydrogen or pipeline access.
Physics limits
Single-reactor throughput ceilingRotating vessel limits residence time and gas-solid contact. 10 kt/yr at high capacity factor leaves little maintenance or downtime margin.
Natural gas price exposureHydrogen/natural gas blend ties costs to volatile natural gas. Moving to pure hydrogen would reduce exposure but increase costs.
How it works
4 parts
Single-Reactor Design
Rotating vessel reduction
Iron ore fed into rotating reactor reduced by hydrogen/natural gas at high temperature. Simplified design cuts capital vs multi-stage beds.
Hydrogen-Gas Blend
Mixed reducing agent
Hydrogen (30–40%) and natural gas (60–70%) blend as reducing agent. Lowers hydrogen cost while maintaining emissions gains.
High-Purity Output
Refined iron product
Reduced iron refined to remove impurities. Steel-grade for EV structural parts; magnet-grade ≥99.5% for permanent magnets.
Modular Path
Repeatable unit design
10 kt/yr plant designed as replicable module. Multiple units at different sites scale capacity without one massive facility.
Hertha Metals builds Chalyx, a 10 kt/yr direct reduction plant in Texas using hydrogen and natural gas. Backed by a \$133.65M Series A including \$65M from the US Department of Energy IBAS programme.
US startup funded by the Department of Energy to decarbonise ironmaking via hydrogen-based reduction.
Chalyx plant in Texas produces high-purity steel- and magnet-grade iron for EV motors and specialty applications.
Series A \$133.65M includes \$65M from DOE's Industrial Decarbonization Program (IBAS).
