The Mt Webber mine is an

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...

mine operated by Atlas Iron and located in the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a glo ...

region of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, from Port Hedland, to where the ore is transported. Mt Webber, opened in 2014, is the company's primary operation.

Overview

The mine officially opened in July 2014 and was, at the time, the company’s fifth operation, initially contributing of iron ore per annum to the company's production. At the time of opening, the iron ore price was at a two year low but, at the same time, labour costs had also been lower, allowing for reduced construction costs. A joint venture of Atlas Iron Limited and Altura Mining Limited at the time, construction cost of Mt Webber was A$210 million. Less than a year after opening Mt Webber, Atlas Iron suspended all operations because of declining iron ore prices. The mine reopened two month later, in July 2015, after Atlas had reached a A$12 million mining royalties relief deal with the

Government of Western Australia The Government of Western Australia, formally referred to as His Majesty's Government of Western Australia, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of Western Australia. It is also commonly referred to as the WA Government o ...

and reduced its production cost to below A$50, at an iron ore market price of A$61.50 at the time. Expected production figures at the time were per annum for the next eight years. Atlas Iron was acquired by Redstone Resources, a fully owned subsidiary of

Hancock Prospecting Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd is a leading Australian owned mining and agricultural business run by Executive Chairman Gina Rinehart and CEO Garry Korte. At stages of its trading, the company has been known as Hancock Prospecting Ltd, Hancock Reso ...

in October 2018. Having exhausted the Pardoo,

Wodgina The Wodgina mine is an exhausted iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 90 kilometres south of Port Hedland. The mine was operated by Atlas Iron Limited. The facilities and tenements are shared, by contract, with Glo ...

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and Mt Dove mines by 2021, Atlas was operating just two mines at this point, Mt Webber and Sanjiv Ridge (formerly Corunna Downs). A third mine, Miralga Creek, commenced operations in late February 2022.

References

External links

Atlas Iron Limited website

MINEDEX website: Mt Webber
Database of the

Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety The Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety is a department of the Government of Western Australia. The department was formed on 1 July 2017, out of the former Department of Mines and Petroleum and Department of Commerce. A restr ...

{{Iron ore mining in Western Australia, state=collapsed Atlas Iron Iron ore mines in Western Australia Surface mines in Australia Shire of East Pilbara 2014 establishments in Australia