The Roy Hill 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 ...

mine in the Chichester Range 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 g ...

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 t ...

, located north of

Newman Newman is a surname of English origin and may refer to many people: The surname Newman is widespread in the core Anglosphere. A * Abram Newman (1736–1799), British grocer * Adrian Newman (disambiguation), multiple people *Al Newman (born 196 ...

and south of

Port Hedland A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ha ...

. With indicated and inferred reserves of more than , it is expected to become one of the largest mining projects in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. Mining operations will produce of iron ore per annum with an operating life of more than 20 years. Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting is the majority stakeholder in the project with a 70% interest. The remaining 30% stake is held by a consortium comprising

POSCO POSCO (formerly Pohang Iron and Steel Company) is a South Korean steel-making company headquartered in Pohang, South Korea. It had an output of of crude steel in 2015, making it the world's fourth-largest steelmaker by this measure. In 2010, i ...

(12.5%),

Marubeni (, OSE: 8002, NSE: 8002) is a '' sōgō shōsha'' (general trading company) headquartered in Nihonbashi, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the largest ''sogo shosha'' and has leading market shares in cereal and paper pulp trading as well as a s ...

(15%), and China Steel Corporation (2.5%). As part of the ownership agreement the various consortium partners have also secured their proportionate share of iron ore production from the Roy Hill Project, representing a combined per annum of iron ore at full production.

Mine development

Project work commenced in mid-2011 and so far major dredging work of the harbour at South West Creek, within

's inner harbour has been completed. Dredging will entail the removal of of material to a depth of below the low tide mark, and the construction of two new shipping berths: Stanley 1 and Stanley 2. Construction of the

Ginbata Airport Ginbata Airport is an airport serving the Roy Hill Minesite in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Charter services to the airport commenced on the 13 August 2013. Airlines and destinations See also * List of airports in Western A ...

at the mine site and internal mine roads have also been completed, as has clearing of the centre line for the railway. Ginbata Airport is capable of handling

Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton Factory in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two u ...

aircraft and will be the hub for transporting the

fly-in fly-out Fly-in fly-out is a method of employing people in remote areas by flying them temporarily to the work site instead of relocating employees and their families permanently. It is often abbreviated to FIFO when referring to employment status. This is ...

workforce. First shipment of iron ore from the mine commenced in December 2015.

Transport

A , heavy haul, standard gauge railway from the minesite to Port Hedland has been built. The rail system can deliver five 232-wagon train loads of of ore each per day. Capital costs to develop the project were estimated to be at least A$7 billion, and the first shipments from the mine were expected in 2015. The construction of the railway commenced in 2012 and was completed after 27 month, in 2015, with the first ore train travelling the line in December 2015. The new railway included eight bridges over waterways and three over roads and rails. The project jointly won the 2016 Railway Project Award of the Railway Technical Society of Australasia, alongside the Auckland Electrification Project. The combined construction cost of the mine, port and rail was A$10 billion, with a daily coast of A$10 million and a work force of 3,000 reported in 2014. Roy Hill took delivery of the first of 21 ES44ACIs diesel-electric locomotives in January 2015. Eight other locomotives were delivered between 29 January and 1 February 2015 via the vessel ''Ocean Charger''. A single span rail bridge carrying the Great Northern Highway over the Roy Hill rail line was completed on 15 February 2019. Lumsden Point General Cargo Facility is being built at Port Hedland, and there is also work to repair and upgrade facilities for tugboats.

Indigenous inhabitants

The Indigenous inhabitants of the area are the Nyiyaparli people. The Nyiyaparli language is spoken. The indigenous frequently protest against the exploitation of their land.

References

External links

*
Roy Hill Iron Ore Mine Images and Info

MINEDEX website: Roy Hill Iron Ore
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 The ...

{{Iron ore mining in Western Australia, state=collapsed Iron ore mines in Western Australia Surface mines in Australia Fortescue River Shire of East Pilbara