Onslow Iron completes first ore on ship delivery

First ore was achieved just 11 months after ground was broken at the Ken’s Bore mine site in June 2023 and less than two years after the Red Hill Iron Ore Joint Venture (RHIOJV) made a Final Investment Decision in August 2022.

The Ken’s Bore deposit, located on Robe River Kuruma Country, 150 km east of Onslow in the West Pilbara region of Western Australia, is owned by the joint venture comprised of MinRes and partners Baowu, AMCI and POSCO.

MinRes designed, built and is managing the innovative and fully integrated mine-to-ship mining and transport infrastructure which unlocks stranded iron ore deposits in the West Pilbara that would otherwise remain undeveloped.

The project will ramp up to nameplate capacity of 35 million tpy by June 2025. Practical completion of project infrastructure, including the dedicated haul road, is scheduled for the second half of 2024.

Up to 1600 operational roles are forecast at the peak of the ramp up. Onslow Iron is MinRes’ flagship project in the company’s transition to low-cost, long-life iron ore operations.

MinRes Managing Director Chris Ellison said: “This historic moment for MinRes cements our position as Australia’s leading commodity infrastructure business. We have unlocked a whole new iron ore region for Australia while Onslow Iron is a game-changer for MinRes as we transition to low-cost, long-life operations. This project was stranded for more than a decade. In 2021, MinRes breathed new life into it and in less than three years we have planned, designed and have now delivered first ore on ship ahead of time and on budget. It’s an extraordinary display of the unique capability of MinRes’ infrastructure and mining services, as well as the ingenuity of our unmatched in-house engineering and construction workforce. There is no other company that could have delivered an operation of this size in such little time. The achievement is a testament to the professionalism and can-do attitude of the more than 3,000 people who worked on Onslow Iron. I want to thank everyone who brought our vision to life, including joint venture partners Baowu, AMCI and POSCO, our Traditional Owner partners, the Thalanyji and Robe River Kuruma peoples, and the wider Onslow community.”

Read the article online at: https://www.drybulkmagazine.com/material-handling/31052024/onslow-iron-completes-first-ore-on-ship-delivery/