Channar mine
Encyclopedia
The Channar mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia
, 17 kilometres south-east of Paraburdoo
.
The mine is partly owned and operated by Rio Tinto Iron Ore
and is one of twelve iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara. In the calendar year 2009, the combined Pilbara operations produced 202 million tonnes of iron ore, a 15 percent increase from 2008. The Pilbara operations accounted for almost 13 percent of the world's 2009 iron ore production of 1.59 billion tonnes.
The Hamersley Range
, where the mine is located, contains 80 percent of all identified iron ore reserves in Australia
and is one of the world's major iron ore provinces.
, Eastern Range
and Channar mines is 20 million tonnes of iron ore. The ore is processed both at Channar and at Paraburdoo before being loaded onto rail, being transported from Channar to Paraburdoo by conveyor belt. Ore from the mine is then transported to the coast through the Hamersley & Robe River railway
, where it is loaded onto ships. Ore from Channar, like that from Brockman
, Mount Tom Price
, Paraburdoo
, Eastern Range
, Marandoo
and Yandicoogina
, is transported as lump and fines ore product from the mines to Dampier via rail. Before being loaded onto ships for export, the product is blended and rescreened. The maximum size for the lumps is 31.5 mm, while the fines are at a maximum of 6.3 mm.
The mines has a residential workforce in Paraburdoo. In the calendar year 2009, the combined operations of Paraburdoo, Channar and Eastern Range employed 1,081 people, a decrease in comparison to 2008, when it employed 1,324.
The mine was closed for a time in late 2008, after joint venture partner Sinosteel failed to honor the benchmark contract price for ore from the Channar mine during the global financial crisis. According to Credit Suisse
, at the time, ore from Channar was costing the company 11% more than the equivalent product from Brazil
.
The mine, which reached its full design capacity of 10 million tonnes per year by 1998, is scheduled to provide 200 million tonnes of iron ore to the Chinese
steel industry throughout its life. The Channar mine was the first mineral resources project a Chinese company got involved in outside of China, and was the biggest overall oversees investment at the time. In 2010, Rio Tinto and Sinosteel announced plans to expand production by a further 50Mt/year
The mine is jointly owned by Rio Tinto, which holds 60 percent, and Chinese company Sinosteel Corporation, which owns the remaining 40 percent. Rio Tinto's share of the mine is owned through Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd, a fully owned subsidiary, which ownes six mines in the Pilbara, and partly owns two more in the region, including Channar.
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...
, 17 kilometres south-east of Paraburdoo
Paraburdoo, Western Australia
Paraburdoo is a town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The name of the town comes from the Aboriginal word for 'white cockatoo'. It is located 1,536 kilometres north of Perth and 79 kilometres southwest of Tom Price. Paraburdoo was developed in the early 1970s to support Hamersley...
.
The mine is partly owned and operated by Rio Tinto Iron Ore
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 is one of twelve iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara. In the calendar year 2009, the combined Pilbara operations produced 202 million tonnes of iron ore, a 15 percent increase from 2008. The Pilbara operations accounted for almost 13 percent of the world's 2009 iron ore production of 1.59 billion tonnes.
The Hamersley Range
Hamersley Range
The Hamersley Ranges is a mountainous region of the Pilbara, Western Australia. The range runs from the Fortescue River in the northeast, 460 km south. The range contains Western Australia's highest point, Mount Meharry, which reaches approximately AHD. There are many extensively-eroded...
, where the mine is located, contains 80 percent of all identified iron ore reserves in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and is one of the world's major iron ore provinces.
Overview
Rio Tinto iron ore operations in the Pilbara began in 1966. The mine itself began open-pit operations in January 1990. The combined production capacity of the ParaburdooParaburdoo mine
The Paraburdoo mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, near Paraburdoo.The mine is fully owned and operated by Rio Tinto Iron Ore and is one of twelve iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara. In the calendar year 2009, the combined Pilbara operations...
, Eastern Range
Eastern Range mine
The Eastern Range mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 10 kilometres south-east of Paraburdoo.The mine is partly owned and operated by Rio Tinto Iron Ore and is one of twelve iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara...
and Channar mines is 20 million tonnes of iron ore. The ore is processed both at Channar and at Paraburdoo before being loaded onto rail, being transported from Channar to Paraburdoo by conveyor belt. Ore from the mine is then transported to the coast through the Hamersley & Robe River railway
Hamersley & Robe River railway
The Hamersley & Robe River railway, majority-owned and operated by the Rio Tinto Group, is a private rail network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia for the purpose of carrying iron ore. The network is larger than any other Australian heavy freight rail network in private ownership. The...
, where it is loaded onto ships. Ore from Channar, like that from Brockman
Brockman mine
The Brockman mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 60 kilometres north-west of Tom Price. It is sometimes also referred to as Brockman 2 mine to differentiate between it and Rio Tinto's new Brockman 4 mine project, also in the area.The mine is fully owned and...
, Mount Tom Price
Mount Tom Price mine
The Mount Tom Price mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, near Tom Price.The mine is fully owned and operated by Rio Tinto Iron Ore and is one of twelve iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara. In the calendar year 2009, the combined Pilbara...
, Paraburdoo
Paraburdoo mine
The Paraburdoo mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, near Paraburdoo.The mine is fully owned and operated by Rio Tinto Iron Ore and is one of twelve iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara. In the calendar year 2009, the combined Pilbara operations...
, Eastern Range
Eastern Range mine
The Eastern Range mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 10 kilometres south-east of Paraburdoo.The mine is partly owned and operated by Rio Tinto Iron Ore and is one of twelve iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara...
, Marandoo
Marandoo mine
The Marandoo mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 45 kilometres east of Tom Price.The mine is fully owned and operated by Rio Tinto Iron Ore and is one of twelve iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara. In the calendar year 2009, the combined...
and Yandicoogina
Yandicoogina mine
The Yandicoogina mine, often shortened to Yandi, is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 95 kilometres north-west of Newman. it should not be confused with BHP Billiton's Yandi mine, which is located nearby....
, is transported as lump and fines ore product from the mines to Dampier via rail. Before being loaded onto ships for export, the product is blended and rescreened. The maximum size for the lumps is 31.5 mm, while the fines are at a maximum of 6.3 mm.
The mines has a residential workforce in Paraburdoo. In the calendar year 2009, the combined operations of Paraburdoo, Channar and Eastern Range employed 1,081 people, a decrease in comparison to 2008, when it employed 1,324.
The mine was closed for a time in late 2008, after joint venture partner Sinosteel failed to honor the benchmark contract price for ore from the Channar mine during the global financial crisis. According to Credit Suisse
Credit Suisse
The Credit Suisse Group AG is a Swiss multinational financial services company headquartered in Zurich, with more than 250 branches in Switzerland and operations in more than 50 countries.-History:...
, at the time, ore from Channar was costing the company 11% more than the equivalent product from Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
The mine, which reached its full design capacity of 10 million tonnes per year by 1998, is scheduled to provide 200 million tonnes of iron ore to the Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
steel industry throughout its life. The Channar mine was the first mineral resources project a Chinese company got involved in outside of China, and was the biggest overall oversees investment at the time. In 2010, Rio Tinto and Sinosteel announced plans to expand production by a further 50Mt/year
The mine is jointly owned by Rio Tinto, which holds 60 percent, and Chinese company Sinosteel Corporation, which owns the remaining 40 percent. Rio Tinto's share of the mine is owned through Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd, a fully owned subsidiary, which ownes six mines in the Pilbara, and partly owns two more in the region, including Channar.
External links
- Rio Tinto Iron Ore 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...