PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Junior developer Carpentaria Exploration has secured port access for up to 12-million tonnes a year at Port Pirie for its Hawsons joint venture (JV) iron-ore project, in New South Wales.
Under the agreement, the Hawsons JV would have a first right of refusal for the export of up to 12-million tonnes a year of iron-ore concentrate through the port, using existing berths, conditional upon further study cooperation between the parties.
Flinders ports and the JV have agreed to jointly fund the rail-port-marine study for exporting between 10-million and 12-million tonnes of ore a year to Cape-size vessels through Port Pirie.
Carpentaria MD Quentin Hill said on Tuesday that gaining port access was a significant step in the development of the Hawsons project as the cornerstone of a long-lasting, premium iron business.
“It provides another key element of infrastructure certainty for the project,” Hill added.
“The agreement not only secures access, it will [also] provide for the right option to increase the capacity of the port with great potential benefits for Port Pirie.”
It was expected that the rail-port-marine study would start within the month and would take up to four months to complete.
Carpentaria recently took over management of the Hawsons project from JV partner Pure Metals, after shifting its focus from grassroots exploration to development.
The Hawsons project was currently underpinned by an inferred and indicated resource of 1.8-billion tonnes, containing some 263-million tonnes of concentrate grading 69.7% iron.