Wodgina mine
Encyclopedia
The Wodgina mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia
, 90 kilometres south of Port Hedland
.
The mine is fully operated by Atlas Iron Limited and is the company's second operational mine, after Pardoo
, which opened in 2008. Atlas Iron is an iron ore explorer, developer and producer, predominantley active in the Pilbara region.
Atlas Iron is a minor iron ore mining company, especially compare to the three big Pilbara iron ore miners, BHP Billiton
, Rio Tinto
and the Fortescue Metals Group
.
The project was fast tracked by Atlas, going from the first drilling program to production in just over one and a half years. However, the company was greatly helped by the fact that it was able to use the existing but unused processing infrastructure of the tantalum
mine owned by Global Advanced Metals in the area. At the time, the tantalum mine had been placed on care and maintenance by Global Advanced Metals and in January 2011, the company announced that it would restart tantalum production.
In July 2010, Atlas commenced production on its Wodgina mine. The company plans to lift production from its Pilbara operations to 20 million tonnes of iron ore by 2012, up from 6.5 million tonnes in late 2010. Of these, 10 million tonnes are scheduled to come from the new Turner River hub, which is to blend and process ore from the company's northern Pilbara projects, located at Wodgina, Abydos and Mt Webber.
Atlas is hopeful to come to terms with BHP Billiton in regards to using the company's rail infrastructure, the Goldsworthy railway
, in the future. BHP, in late 2010, had agreed to a joint feasibility study into how an arrangement might work.
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...
, 90 kilometres south of Port Hedland
Port Hedland, Western Australia
Port Hedland is the highest tonnage port in Australia and largest town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with a population of approximately 14,000 ....
.
The mine is fully operated by Atlas Iron Limited and is the company's second operational mine, after Pardoo
Pardoo mine
The Pardoo mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 75 kilometres east of Port Hedland.The mine is fully owned and operated by Atlas Iron Limited and was, at the time of commencemenet of production, the company's only operational mine...
, which opened in 2008. Atlas Iron is an iron ore explorer, developer and producer, predominantley active in the Pilbara region.
Atlas Iron is a minor iron ore mining company, especially compare to the three big Pilbara iron ore miners, 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...
, 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 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...
.
Overview
Atlas purchased the mining rights for Wodgina from Talison Minerals Pty Ltd, now known as Global Advanced Metals, in February 2008.The project was fast tracked by Atlas, going from the first drilling program to production in just over one and a half years. However, the company was greatly helped by the fact that it was able to use the existing but unused processing infrastructure of the tantalum
Tantalum
Tantalum is a chemical element with the symbol Ta and atomic number 73. Previously known as tantalium, the name comes from Tantalus, a character in Greek mythology. Tantalum is a rare, hard, blue-gray, lustrous transition metal that is highly corrosion resistant. It is part of the refractory...
mine owned by Global Advanced Metals in the area. At the time, the tantalum mine had been placed on care and maintenance by Global Advanced Metals and in January 2011, the company announced that it would restart tantalum production.
In July 2010, Atlas commenced production on its Wodgina mine. The company plans to lift production from its Pilbara operations to 20 million tonnes of iron ore by 2012, up from 6.5 million tonnes in late 2010. Of these, 10 million tonnes are scheduled to come from the new Turner River hub, which is to blend and process ore from the company's northern Pilbara projects, located at Wodgina, Abydos and Mt Webber.
Atlas is hopeful to come to terms with BHP Billiton in regards to using the company's rail infrastructure, the 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...
, in the future. BHP, in late 2010, had agreed to a joint feasibility study into how an arrangement might work.
External links
- Atlas Iron Limited 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...