Location | |
---|---|
Location | Shire of Ashburton, Pilbara |
State | Western Australia |
Country | Australia |
Coordinates | 22°07′14″S117°52′38″E / 22.120451°S 117.877102°E Coordinates: 22°07′14″S117°52′38″E / 22.120451°S 117.877102°E |
Production | |
Products | Iron ore |
Production | 40 million tonnes/annum |
History | |
Opened | 2014 |
Owner | |
Company | Fortescue Metals Group |
Website | https://www.fmgl.com.au/about-fortescue/our-operations |
The Kings Valley mine is an iron ore mine operated by the Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) and located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 60 kilometres north of Tom Price. The mine is part of the company's Solomon Hub, one of three of its active mining areas, together with the Chichester Hub and the Western Hub.
The mine is located on the traditional land of the indigenous Yindjibarndi people, with the proposed mining at the Solomon hub leading to a long-standing dispute between the native title holders and the Fortescue Metals Group over compensation. The issue split the local community to a point where the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation rejected FMG's offers, which led to a rival group, the Wirlu-Murra Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation, being formed, which chose to work with the mining company. [1] The dispute was eventually settled in 2020, after 17 years of legal battle, when the High Court of Australia ruled in favour of the traditional owners. [2]
In March 2011, FMG lodged an application with the Environmental Protection Authority of Western Australia for approval of the Solomon iron ore project, consisting of the Kings Valley and Firetail mine, and 127km of new railway line to connect the mines with the existing Fortescue railway. Mine life, at the time, was predicted to be 20 years with a combined production of 80 million tonnes of iron ore per annum. [3]
While the near-by Firetail mine officially opened on 6 May 2013, [4] the Kings Valley mine was opened on 28 March 2014. [5] The mine, the second operation of the Solomon Hub, was scheduled to produce 40 million tonnes of iron ore per annum, while the Firetail mine was planned to produce half this amount for a projected total annual production for the hub of 60 million tonnes. [4] The opening of the Kings Valley mine marked the end of $A9.96 billion expansion plan by Fortescue which had been ongoing since 2010 and expanded the company's production to 155 million tonnes of iron ore per annum. [6]
A proposed three-fold expansion of the Solomon hub mining area was approved by the Environmental Protection Authority of Western Australia in late 2016, despite long-standing opposition by the traditional owners of the land, the Yindjibarndi people, as well as concerns over the effects on the near-by Hammersley Gorge, located in Karijini National Park. The expansion was rejected by the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation but approved of by the rival Wirlu-Murra Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation. [7]
Mining at the Solomon hub was temporarily suspended in late September 2021, after a fatality at one of the mines, when a male employee died in a ground collapse. [8]
Apart from the Solomon Hub, as of 2022, the company also mines the Chichester Hub, consisting of the Christmas Creek and Cloudbreak mines, and the Western Hub, consisting of the Eliwana mine. [9] A third operation within the Solomon hub, the Queens Valley mine, was approved for construction in 2019 at a projected cost of A$417 million. The mine, located 15km west of the Kings Valley mine, is scheduled to open in 2022. [10]
The Pilbara is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a global biodiversity hotspot for subterranean fauna.
Fortescue Metals Group is an Australian iron ore company. As of 2017, Fortescue is the fourth-largest iron ore producer in the world. 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, larger than both BHP and Rio Tinto.
The Hamersley & Robe River railway, majority-owned by Rio Tinto, and operated by its subsidiary Pilbara Iron, 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 total length of its track is about 1,700 km (1,056.33 mi).
The Goldsworthy railway, owned and operated by BHP, is a private rail network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia built to carry iron ore. It is one of two railway lines BHP operates in the Pilbara, the other being the Mount Newman railway.
The Fortescue Railway, owned and operated by Fortescue Metals Group (FMG), is a private rail network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia built to carry iron ore. It opened in 2008. When it was completed it was the heaviest haul railway in the world, designed for 40 tonnes axleloads, 2.5 to 5 tonnes heavier than the other Pilbara iron ore rail systems. On 4 November 2014, FMG Rail commenced trialling 42 tonnes axle loads.
The Cloudbreak mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 89 kilometres west-south-west of Nullagine, in the Chichester Range.
The Christmas Creek mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 61 kilometres south-south-west of Nullagine, in the Chichester Range.
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The Roy Hill mine is an iron ore mining project in the Chichester Range in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, located 115 kilometres (71 mi) north of Newman and 277 kilometres (172 mi) south of Port Hedland. With indicated and inferred reserves of more than 2.4 billion tonnes, it is expected to become one of the largest mining projects in Australia. Mining operations will produce 55 million tonnes of iron ore per annum with an operating life of more than 20 years.
The Yindjibarndi are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. They form the majority of Aboriginal people around Roebourne. Their traditional lands lie around the Fortescue River.
The South Flank mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 156 kilometres northwest of Newman. and approximately 9 km to the south of BHPs Mining Area C operation. Construction at South Flank began in July 2018, the Mine is already producing ore and is partially complete, once opened it will become the largest processing facility in Western Australia.
The Mt Webber mine is an iron ore mine operated by Atlas Iron and located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 230 kilometres (140 mi) from Port Hedland, to where the ore is transported. Mt Webber, opened in 2014, is the company's primary operation.
The Eliwana mine is an iron ore mine operated by the Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) and located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 90 kilometres west of Tom Price. The mine forms the core of the company's Western Hub, one of three of its active mining areas, together with the Chichester Hub and the Solomon Hub.
The Firetail mine is an iron ore mine operated by the Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) and located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 60 kilometres north of Tom Price. The mine is part of the company's Solomon Hub, one of three of its active mining areas, together with the Chichester Hub and the Western Hub.
The Roy Hill railway, officially the Roy Hill Infrastructure railway, owned and operated by Hancock Prospecting, is a private rail network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia built to carry iron ore.