Development of West Angelas iron ore deposits to create hundreds of jobs
The Robe River Joint Venture is investing US$733 million (approximately A$1.1 billion) to develop new deposits as part of the West Angelas Sustaining Project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
The joint venture is comprised of Rio Tinto, Mitsui and Nippon Steel. Rio Tinto will be contributing US$389 million towards this project, with its joint venture partners providing the remainder of the total investment.
All necessary State and Federal approvals have already been obtained, enabling construction on the new iron ore deposits at the West Angelas hub to commence immediately.
The new deposits will help sustain the hub’s total annual production capacity of 35 million tonnes, ultimately extending mining activity for years.
“The West Angelas Sustaining Project is built on strong and committed partnerships, both with the joint venture members Mitsui and Nippon Steel, as well as the Yinhawangka and Ngarlawangga Peoples.
“The West Angelas hub has been an integral part of Rio Tinto Iron Ore since 2002. Securing these approvals ensures ongoing investment in the hub as we continue to supply high-quality, reliable iron ore to meet our global customers’ demand now and into the future,” Rio Tinto Iron Ore Chief Executive Matthew Holcz said.
Project map (source: Mitsui & Co.)
Rio Tinto worked closely with the Yinhawangka and Ngarlawangga Peoples to co-design Social Cultural Heritage Management Plans for the West Angelas Sustaining Project, ensuring the ongoing protection and management of cultural heritage and the environment.
This development will leverage existing West Angelas processing infrastructure while also building new non-process infrastructure precincts as well as 22 kilometres of haul roads.
Ore mined from the new deposits will be autonomously trucked to the West Angelas hub. The first ore from the new deposits is scheduled for 2027.
The West Angelas Sustaining Project is anticipated to create about 600 jobs during its construction phase and will sustain a workforce of about 950 full-time equivalent roles once operational.
This project is part of Rio Tinto’s tranche of replacement projects that underpin the company’s ongoing commitment to the Pilbara, and which will have combined total capacity of about 130Mtpa2.
In addition, works are well progressed on the pre-feasibility study for Rhodes Ridge, which is one of the world’s largest and highest quality undeveloped iron ore deposits and has a targeted initial capacity of up to 40Mtpa and first ore by 2030.
Source: Rio Tinto; Mitsui & Co.; Australian Mining; Reuters
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