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WA govt approves Rio Tinto’s $3bn Pilbara iron-ore expansion

4th February 2013

By: Esmarie Iannucci

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor: Australasia

  

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PERTH (miningweekly.com) - The Western Australian government has given the nod to Rio Tinto’s $3-billion expansion of its iron-ore operations, in the Pilbara.

Premier and State Development Minister Colin Barnett said on Monday that the expansion of Rio’s Nammuldi mine and the construction of a 130 MW power station at Cape Lambert would help to sustain Western Australia’s strong economic performance.

“This major investment by Rio will create almost 1 500 construction jobs and secure ongoing employment for more than 700 people,” he said.

The investment in the Nammuldi mine, which is some 60 km north-west of Tom Price, would include a major investment in mine infrastructure, which would see iron-ore mined below the water table and which would increase the mine’s production limit from 8-million tons a year to 23-million tons a year.

Production of ore from below the water table was expected to begin in the third quarter of 2014.

“Among other uses, surplus water extracted from the mine will be used for hay production, which will provide additional stockfeed for local pastoralists,” Barnett said.

“At Cape Lambert, Rio will build a state-of-the-art, fuel efficient 130 MW power station to feed into its integrated power network. This additional power source will help meet the port’s power needs as annual capacity grows from 85-million tons to 235-million tons by 2015.”

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Edited by Chanel de Bruyn
Creamer Media Online Managing Editor

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