Murrin Murrin Joint Venture
Encyclopedia
The Murrin Murrin Joint Venture is a major nickel-cobalt mining operation being conducted in the North Eastern Goldfields
, approximately 60 km east of Leonora, Western Australia
. The Project is a joint venture between Murrin Murrin Holdings Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Minara Resources Ltd (whose share is 60%) and Glenmurrin Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Glencore International AG, which has a 40% share but also owns 70% of Minara.
The mine opened in 1999.
formed by deep weathering of a peridotite
ultramafic rock.
The designers, Fluor Daniel eventually had to pay the joint venture partners A$155 million in an out of court settlement. It was their second successful claim against Fluor, Murrin Murrin owners having been awarded $147 million from the first phase of their claim against Fluor, a sum which ultimately was reduced to $39.8 million. The Murrin Murrin project's original cost estimate of $1 billion had blown out $1.6 billion.
Eastern Goldfields
The Eastern Goldfields is a figurative area used in speech to describe a region of Western Australia.-Name:The name is derived in two parts from, Eastern in relation to its location from Perth and Goldfields as the name suggests comes from the mining of Gold in the region...
, approximately 60 km east of Leonora, Western Australia
Leonora, Western Australia
Leonora is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, located northeast of the state capital, Perth, and north of the city of Kalgoorlie. At the 2006 census, Leonora had a population of 401, about a third of whom are of Aboriginal descent. The area is extremely arid, with a...
. The Project is a joint venture between Murrin Murrin Holdings Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Minara Resources Ltd (whose share is 60%) and Glenmurrin Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Glencore International AG, which has a 40% share but also owns 70% of Minara.
The mine opened in 1999.
Geology
Murrin Murrin mines a laterite nickel oreLateritic nickel ore deposits
Lateritic nickel ore deposits are surficial, weathered rinds formed on ultramafic rocks.They comprise 73% of the continental world nickel resources and will be in the future the dominant source for the winning of nickel....
formed by deep weathering of a peridotite
Peridotite
A peridotite is a dense, coarse-grained igneous rock, consisting mostly of the minerals olivine and pyroxene. Peridotite is ultramafic, as the rock contains less than 45% silica. It is high in magnesium, reflecting the high proportions of magnesium-rich olivine, with appreciable iron...
ultramafic rock.
Problems with the Murrin Murrin process plant
Significant problems and delays were encountered in the design, construction and commissioning of the ore process plant at Murrin MurrinThe designers, Fluor Daniel eventually had to pay the joint venture partners A$155 million in an out of court settlement. It was their second successful claim against Fluor, Murrin Murrin owners having been awarded $147 million from the first phase of their claim against Fluor, a sum which ultimately was reduced to $39.8 million. The Murrin Murrin project's original cost estimate of $1 billion had blown out $1.6 billion.
Production
Production of the mine:| Year | Nickel | Cobalt |
| 2000 | 13,027 t | 904 t |
| 2001 | 25,991 t | 1,253 t |
| 2002 | 30,009 t | 1,838 t |
| 2003 | ||
| 2004 | 27,950 t | 1,982 t |
| 2005 | 28,240 t | 1,750 t |
| 2006 | 31,524 t | 2,096 t |
| 2007 | 27,585 t | 1,884 t |
| 2008 | 30,514 t | 2,018 t |
| 2009 |
Sources
- The Australian Mines Handbook: 2003-2004 Edition, Louthean Media Pty Ltd, Editor: Ross Louthean