Area C mine
Encyclopedia
The Area C mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia
, 92 kilometres west-north-west of Newman
.
The mine is majority-owned (85 percent) and operated by BHP Billiton
, and is one of seven iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara. The company also operates two port facilities at Port Hedland, Nelson Point and Finucane Island, and over 1,000 kilometres of rail in the Pilbara. The Area C mine is part of the Mount Goldsworthy joint venture, together with the Yarrie
and Nimingarra mine, with the later being in care and maintenance since 2007.
BHP Billiton is the second-largest iron ore mining company in the Pilbara, behind Rio Tinto
and ahead of the Fortescue Metals Group
. As of 2010, BHP employs 8,000 people in its Pilbara operations.
, Geoff Gallop
, but ore was railed from the mine to the port already on 16 August. However, bulk samples of the ore had been mined and send to customers since late 2001. The mine was initially scheduled to produce 15 million tonnes of iron ore annually.
Ore from the BHP mines is transported by rail to Port Hedland through two independent railways. The Mount Newman railway
carries ore from Mount Whaleback, Orebodies 18, 23, 25 and 29, Jimblebar
, Yandi
and Area C. The Yarrie mine is serviced by the separate, shorter Goldsworthy railway
.
Ore from the Mount Whaleback and the other Newman mines, as well as the Yandi mine is transported to the port at Nelson Point, while ore from Area C and Yarrie goes to Finucane Island. Ore is transported through an 1.16 kilometre long tunnel from Nelson Point to the port at Finucane Island. The average loading time for a ship is 30 hours and 800 ships are loaded annually at Port Hedland.
Mining operations within BHP throughout the Pilbara were briefly suspended in September 2008 to focus on safety after two fatalities
at the Yandi mine within 10 days of each other.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, 92 kilometres west-north-west of Newman
Newman, Western Australia
Newman, located about 1186 km north of Perth and 9 km north of the Tropic of Capricorn, is a town in the Pilbara region. It can be reached by the Great Northern Highway...
.
The mine is majority-owned (85 percent) and operated by BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
, and is one of seven iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara. The company also operates two port facilities at Port Hedland, Nelson Point and Finucane Island, and over 1,000 kilometres of rail in the Pilbara. The Area C mine is part of the Mount Goldsworthy joint venture, together with the Yarrie
Yarrie mine
The Yarrie mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 90 kilometres north-east of Marble Bar.The mine is majority-owned and operated by BHP Billiton, and is one of seven iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara...
and Nimingarra mine, with the later being in care and maintenance since 2007.
BHP Billiton is the second-largest iron ore mining company in the Pilbara, behind Rio Tinto
Rio Tinto Group
The Rio Tinto Group is a diversified, British-Australian, multinational mining and resources group with headquarters in London and Melbourne. The company was founded in 1873, when a multinational consortium of investors purchased a mine complex on the Rio Tinto river, in Huelva, Spain from the...
and ahead of the Fortescue Metals Group
Fortescue Metals Group
Fortescue Metals Group is an Australian iron ore mining company. The company has holdings of more than 87,000 km² in the Pilbara region of Western Australia making it the largest tenement holder in the state. It is listed as FMG on the Australian Securities Exchange .In 2008, the group loaded...
. As of 2010, BHP employs 8,000 people in its Pilbara operations.
Overview
The Area C mine was officially opened on 30 October 2003 by the then-Premier of Western AustraliaPremier of Western Australia
The Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive government in the Australian State of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions...
, Geoff Gallop
Geoff Gallop
Geoffrey Ian Gallop, AC is an Australian academic and former politician. He was the Premier of Western Australia from 2001 to 2006. He currently resides in Sydney.-Early life and education:...
, but ore was railed from the mine to the port already on 16 August. However, bulk samples of the ore had been mined and send to customers since late 2001. The mine was initially scheduled to produce 15 million tonnes of iron ore annually.
Ore from the BHP mines is transported by rail to Port Hedland through two independent railways. The Mount Newman railway
Mount Newman railway
The Mount Newman railway, owned and operated by BHP Billiton, is a private rail network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia for the purpose of carrying iron ore...
carries ore from Mount Whaleback, Orebodies 18, 23, 25 and 29, Jimblebar
Jimblebar mine
The Jimblebar mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 41 kilometres east of Newman.The mine is fully owned and operated by BHP Billiton, and is one of seven iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara...
, Yandi
Yandi mine
The Yandi mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 90 kilometres north-west of Newman. It should not be confused with Rio Tinto's nearby Yandicoogina mine, which is also sometimes shortened to Yandi....
and Area C. The Yarrie mine is serviced by the separate, shorter Goldsworthy railway
Goldsworthy railway
The Goldsworthy railway, owned and operated by BHP Billiton, is a private rail network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia for the purpose of carrying iron ore. It is one of two railway lines the group operates in the Pilbara, the other being the Mount Newman railway.Additionally to the BHP...
.
Ore from the Mount Whaleback and the other Newman mines, as well as the Yandi mine is transported to the port at Nelson Point, while ore from Area C and Yarrie goes to Finucane Island. Ore is transported through an 1.16 kilometre long tunnel from Nelson Point to the port at Finucane Island. The average loading time for a ship is 30 hours and 800 ships are loaded annually at Port Hedland.
Mining operations within BHP throughout the Pilbara were briefly suspended in September 2008 to focus on safety after two fatalities
Fatality statistics in the Western Australian mining industry
These are Fatality statistics in the Western Australian mining industry which capture the number of people killed in the industry in the Australian state of Western Australia. The Department of Mines and Petroleum, DMP, the governing authority for the industry in the state, has published statistics...
at the Yandi mine within 10 days of each other.
External links
- BHP Billiton website
- MINEDEX website Database of the Department of Mines and PetroleumDepartment of Mines and PetroleumThe Department of Mines and Petroleum is a department of the Government of Western Australia. The department was formed on 1 January 2009, out of the former Department of Industry and Resources and Department of Consumer and Employment Protection, which were split into three new departments, the...