an interesting Article that goes someway to answering the...

an interesting Article that goes someway to answering the question

https://www.miningmonthly.com/plant/news/1368332/bringing-hismelt-back

"Goodman said while siting the plant in the Pilbara would improve access to iron ore and magnetite, the capital costs would be virtually double what they are in Kwinana."

After reading the article it seems the best place is somewhere, where the capital costs of the smelter can be contained, managed as well as the plant looked after also the feed Coal/Hydrogen supply that is required to power it needs to be close . So as close as possible to the Iron resource, but not in the middle of nowhere would be my thoughts.

If the infrastructure was to be created a logical place would be near the Aluminium Smelter that RIO used to have an interest in only 40 miles from the economic capital

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cameroon-aluminium-riotinto-idUSKCN0I31AO20141014

"Rio Tinto Alcan and the government both have a 46.67 percent stake in the project while the AFD, the French Development Agency, has a 5.6 percent stake and employees own 1.1 percent.The smelter employs some 570 people at Edea, 65km (40 miles) from Cameroon’s economic capital Douala."

Really - DYOR