Whyalla steelworks sale draws strong offshore interest, says premier
The sale process for the ailing Whyalla steelworks has drawn interest from 33 parties, says South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas, with 60 per cent of those coming from offshore.
He declined to name them, but said some were global steelmakers well known in the industry. South Korea's POSCO, India's JSW conglomerate and Japan's Nippon Steel, have been named by industry analysts as potential buyers, along with Australia's BlueScope.
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AU Financial Review
16 hours ago
- AU Financial Review
Whyalla steelworks sale draws strong offshore interest, says premier
The sale process for the ailing Whyalla steelworks has drawn interest from 33 parties, says South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas, with 60 per cent of those coming from offshore. He declined to name them, but said some were global steelmakers well known in the industry. South Korea's POSCO, India's JSW conglomerate and Japan's Nippon Steel, have been named by industry analysts as potential buyers, along with Australia's BlueScope.
ABC News
a day ago
- ABC News
More than 30 potential buyers for the Whyalla steelworks, SA Premier says
There are "at least 33 interested parties" to acquire the Whyalla steelworks, with a majority of them based overseas, SA Premier Peter Malinauskas says. Four months after tipping the steelworks into administration and removing GFG Alliance as its owners, the state government on Tuesday announced that a secure data room has been set up for prospective buyers to conduct due diligence on purchasing the steelworks and its associated mines. Steelworks administrators KordaMentha has previously said that there were up to 12 "interested parties" in the steelworks, but the Premier today revised that number up to "at least 33". Mr Malinauskas said more than 60 per cent of the prospective buyers were from overseas, including "very significant global steelmakers with names that are synonymous with serious investment in the industry". "If you had said to me back in February — when we made that major intervention to remove GFG and put the steelworks on the path to new ownership — that we'd be in the position that we are in now, I would have taken it in a second," he said. "We, of course, have got a long way to go before we are able to sell the steelworks to new ownership and set it up for the future. Mr Malinauskas did not name the global companies involved, but said the interest parties were from India, Japan and Korea. Australian company BlueScope Steel had also previously been linked to a potential takeover, with KordaMentha tapping the firm as a steelmaking adviser during the administration. South Korean steel giant POSCO has also been mooted as a potential buyer. The amount of interest in the steelworks has not changed the state government's expectations for when the steelworks will be sold, Mr Malinauskas said. The premier said a sale in the second half of 2026 "probably looks about right". It comes as the state government continues to pour money into the facility to keep it operating during administration. June's state budget revealed another $384 million had been set aside for KordaMentha to keep the steelworks running until it found a buyer — on top of an initial $384 million allocated when it took over the steelworks in February. The new $384 million may not be expended in full, and the state government said it expected it to be split 50-50 between the state and federal governments. Mr Malinauskas said the "run rate of expenditure" during the administration was "going down". The federal government is yet to commit to its half of the $384 million in administration funding earmarked for next financial year. Federal Industry Minister Tim Ayres said the federal government was working "carefully" with the state government and would not make announcements about future investments "on the fly". "Of course, you would expect this is public money we're going through a proper due diligence process working carefully with our partners in the South Australian government," Mr Ayres said. "I would be expecting to make announcements about that shortly." Mr Malinauskas also attended a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday to mark the completion of a $32.4 million upgrade of Whyalla Airport. The upgrade — funded with $16.2 million from the federal government, $13.8 million from the state and $2.4 million from the council — will allow QantasLink's 74-seat Q400 aircraft to service Whyalla. The council-owned airport was previously running on a deficit of $800,000 a year. It also suffered a drop in passenger numbers and the permanent departure of Rex Airlines due to a security screening charge.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
'Strong interest' as steelworks sales process opens
Global steelmakers have shown "strong early interest" in buying the Whyalla Steelworks and its mining operations, as the SA government announced the opening of the sale process. In Whyalla on Tuesday, SA Premier Peter Malinauskas and federal Industry Minister Tim Ayres delivered an update on their governments' $2.4 billion Sovereign Steel package underpinning jobs and economic resilience in the region. In February, the state government rushed through legislation so it could place the steelworks into the hands of administrators KordaMentha because of the mounting debts of OneSteel's owners, GFG Alliance. Earlier in 2025, GFG was laying off workers and dozens of small businesses were doing the same because they weren't being paid, Mr Malinauskas said. "Now, the steelworks is putting on staff, and suppliers and contractors are in a much better position for the future," he said. "There is still a long way to go to secure a new buyer for the steelworks, however the start of the formal sale process ... is a major milestone." As part of the support package, the federal and SA governments have jointly committed $1.9 billion to transform the operations into a commercially viable, low-emissions, "pit to port" iron and steel facility. Selected prospective buyers have been given access to a secure data room, allowing initial due diligence so parties can prepare non-binding indicative offers. A range of global steelmakers and consortia had expressed interest in acquiring and transforming the integrated operations, according to a joint government statement. BlueScope, which was appointed steelworks and mine adviser when GFG Alliance was pushed into administration in February, is considered a frontrunner. KordaMentha continues to stabilise operations, with an extra 75 staff added across core areas, including blast furnace operations, steelmaking and finishing. Senator Ayres said there was an opportunity to set up the industry and the steelworks "for decades to come". "Today's opening of the sales process represents a critical step in securing the sustainable long-term future of the Whyalla steelworks - for Australia's sovereign capability and for good jobs in the Whyalla community," he said. Recruitment is ongoing for further new roles, including in mobile maintenance and diesel mechanics, and 27 new apprentices in 2026. As part of the $100 million assistance package for local businesses, 61 SA businesses owed money by GFG have received $15 million through the Business Creditor Assistance Scheme. Fifty-seven small businesses that had lost revenue because of the steelworks' decline have received $570,000 in grants. The SA state budget in June allocated $650 million towards the overall support package. The state government was forced to scrap its pledge to build a $593 million hydrogen plant at Whyalla to help fund the package. The government also said a $30 million upgrade at Whyalla had been completed to allow larger aircraft in for faster flight times and more passengers.
