In a process for producing liquid raw iron or steel basic products and iron sponge from charges consisting of iron ore and possible additives, the charges are directly reduced to iron sponge in a fixed-bed reducing region (12), the iron sponge is melted in a melt gasification region (8) with the addition of carbon vehicles and oxygen-containing gas and a reduction gas containing CO and H2 is produced which is taken into the reducing region (12), reacted there and drawn off as the export gas, CO2 is extracted from the export gas drawn off and taken as an at least largely CO2-free reducing gas together with some of the reducing gas formed in the melt gasification region (8) to a further reducing region (21) for the direct reduction of iron ore. In order to reduce the investment costs of a plant for implementing this process and improve productivity, part of the reducing gas generated in the melt gasification region (8) is diverted and taken to the further reduction region (21), by-passing the CO2 elimination stage.