Fortescue (ASX:FMG) said Wednesday it produced its first hot metal at its Green Metal Project at Christmas Creek in Western Australia, marking the first successful operation of its electric smelting process.

The company said in a statement that the pilot project was built to test new technology and develop a pathway for ultimately producing green metal using Pilbara ore, with first hot metal meaning the project has successfully produced molten metal in its electric smelting furnace using a blended feedstock during commissioning.

Commissioning will continue in stages, allowing the team to safely test, refine and optimize the process before progressing to larger-scale production, the company added.

The company's shares rose past 2% in recent Wednesday trade.