Name of the Project
Eliwana iron-ore mine and rail project.

Location
The project is located 90 km west-north-west of Tom Price, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

Project Owner/s
Fortescue Metals Group.

Project Description
The project entails the construction of a 30-million-tonne-a year iron-ore mine. However, infrastructure will be built to reflect peaks in the yearly production rate of up to 50-million tonnes a year.

Iron-ore mining will involve deposits within the Brockman and Marra Mamba iron formation.

The proposal includes the development of mine pits and associated infrastructure, processing facilities, infrastructure for groundwater abstraction and surplus water disposal, temporary and permanent waste-rock landforms, and tailings storage facilities.

Included in the project is a 143 km rail line.

The estimated mine life is 24 years.

Potential Job Creation
The project will create up to 1 900 jobs during construction and 500 full-time site positions once operational.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Capital Expenditure
The project will require capital expenditure of about $1.28-billion.

Planned Start/End Date
First ore is expected to be delivered in December 2020.

Latest Developments
Downer EDI has secured a A$450-million ($295.70-million) contract from Fortescue Metals Group for early mining and maintenance services at the Eliwana iron-ore mine, the engineering contractor has said.

Downer has said this is the second Eliwana project package it will execute, the first being the bulk earthworks contract that started in late 2019.

Under the new agreement, Downer will complete early mining operations over two years as the mine site is established, and then stay on for a further three years to provide maintenance services as operations transition to Fortescue's autonomous mining fleets.

The contract brings some relief to Downer, which withdrew its fiscal 2020 earnings forecast and deferred payment of an interim dividend in March in the wake of uncertainty surrounding the Covid-19 outbreak.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Fortescue Metals Group, tel +61 8 6218 8888.
Fortescue Metals Group investor relations, Stuart Gale, email investorrelations@fmgl.com.au.