According to Miningnews.net, Rio Tinto officially announced on Thursday that its $1.8 billion Brockman Syncline 1 (BS1) iron ore project will commence production in 2027, a year earlier than originally planned.
The company has obtained all necessary approvals from federal, state, and traditional landowners.
Construction will begin this year, including:
A new primary crusher
Overland conveyor systems
A non-processing infrastructure area
A temporary camp for approximately 1,000 construction workers
Once operational, BS1 will require 600 full-time staff for daily operations.
Simon Trot, Rio Tinto’s Head of Iron Ore, stated that the project “benefits our business, Western Australia, and the Australian economy.”
The BS1 project will extend three existing iron ore mines—Nammuldi-Silvergrass, Brockman 2, and Brockman 4—by integrating them into BS1’s surrounding mining pits.
This expansion will sustain an annual production capacity of 34 million tonnes.
The Brockman mine, located 60 km from Tom Price, was developed in 2010 with a 15 billion AUD investment and has an annual output of 43 million tonnes.
BS1 is part of a broader expansion plan, maintaining a total annual production capacity of 130 million tonnes.
Other Pilbara Iron Ore Developments
The Western Range iron ore project is 90% complete and will commence production in H1 2024.
Hope Downs 1 and West Angelas are awaiting approval.
The Rhodes Ridge project, with a planned annual production of 40 million tonnes, is in pre-feasibility study.
Earlier this week, Rio Tinto announced that operations at East Intercourse Island in Dampier Port had resumed after being disrupted by Cyclone Sean in January.
For 2025, Rio Tinto’s Pilbara iron ore shipment target remains 323-338 million tonnes, although the company warned that four cyclones had caused an estimated 13 million tonnes in losses.
Mitigation efforts are in place, aiming to recover half of the losses within this year.
[Source – 上海有色网] 力拓公司投资布罗克曼铁矿扩产项目 https://news.smm.cn/news/103214496
