Overview
| Stage | Production |
| Mine Type | Open Pit |
| Commodities |
|
| Mining Method |
|
| Production Start | ...  |
| Mine Life | 2044 |
Mining Area C, part of Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO), is one of five mining hubs in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Mining Area C processing hub comprises three grouped deposits under active mining (namely North Flank, Packsaddle and South Flank) and two exploration stage deposits (namely Jinidi, and Mudlark Well). The Mining Area C – South Flank processing hub has two facilities, one for the Mining Area C mine and the other for the South Flank mine.
Mining Area C consists of 8 open-cut mines, three ore handling plants and one train load-out facility. |
Source:
p. 207
BHP 85%, Mitsui Iron Ore Corporation 7%, ITOCHU Minerals and Energy of Australia 8%.
Contractors
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Deposit Type
- Banded iron formation
- Detrital Iron (DID)
Summary:
The Central Pilbara area extends over an area of 70km E-W by 30km N-S, surrounding the Mining Area C (MAC) processing hub. It comprises three grouped deposits under active mining (namely North Flank, Packsaddle and South Flank) and two exploration stage deposits (namely Jinidi, and Mudlark Well). The North Flank and South Flank deposits are located on MM IF that crops out on the northern and southern limbs of the doubly-plunging Weeli Wolli anticline. The Packsaddle deposit covers BKM IF on the northern limb of the Weeli Wolli anticline, whereas the Jinidi deposit covers BKM IF in the eastern nose of the same anticline. The Mudlark Well deposit is located west of the Weeli Wolli anticline. Mineralisation is hosted by both the BRK IF and the MM IF and is associated with the moderately-dipping limbs and gently W-plunging synclinal keels of a series of regionalscale folds. Mining Area C is located approximately 90km northwest of Newman. BHP’s first MM deposit came into production here in 2003 and the new South Flank mine, immediately to the south, is also developed around a MM resource.
The outcrop pattern is dominated by a series of large-scale, open, upright folds with wavelengths of the order of 20km. These are typically E-W-trending and doubly-plunging, forming a series of domes of which the Weeli Wolli anticline at Mining Area C is a typical example. The cores of domes form low ridges composed of MM IF and shales of the uppermost Jeerinah Formation. The interveni ........
Summary:
Mining Area C is open-cut.
Mining continues through conventional open cut mining methods, including drilling, blasting, and categorisation of blasted material into iron ore or waste rock.
WAIO open-cut mining uses face shovels, front-end loaders or backhoe excavators. The full bench is drilled and blasted for a 12 m height, sampled three times in 4 m increments and three 4 m flitches are then mined.
Ore and Waste haulage is done with both manually operated and autonomous haul trucks. Waste is hauled directly to the adjacent waste storage areas either ex-pit (on surface) or inpit. Waste material is also utilised as fill material for development works and rehabilitating the completed waste dumps.
Ore is hauled to the Run-of-Mine (ROM) pad where it is stockpiled and blended for ore quality before feeding to the crushers using loaders. Some of the ore suitable for blending is also hauled directly to the crushers.
Source:
Flow Sheet:
Summary:
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Production:
South Flank remains on track to ramp up to full production capacity of 80 Mtpa (100 per cent basis) by the end of the 2024 financial year. Current year performance has contributed to record annual production at the Mining Area C hub and record WAIO lump sales.
| Commodity | Units | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
|
Iron Ore
|
kwmt
| ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... | ...... | 60,608 | 57,346 |
All production numbers are expressed as lump & fines.
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Operational Metrics:
| Metrics | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|
Plant annual capacity
| 60 Mt | 60 Mt | 60 Mt | 60 Mt | 60 Mt | 60 Mt |
Reserves at June 30, 2023:
Mineral Resources estimates cut-off criteria were based on deposit types identified in the joint venture. These are BKM and MM 54% Fe; CID 52% Fe and DID 58% Fe and less than 6% Al2O3.
Mineral Reserves estimates applied a cut-off criteria of 58% Fe.
| Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade |
|
Proven
|
965 Mt
|
Iron
|
62.1 %
|
|
Probable
|
1,118 Mt
|
Iron
|
61.2 %
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
2,082 Mt
|
Iron
|
61.6 %
|
|
Measured
|
165 Mt
|
Iron
|
57.2 %
|
|
Indicated
|
600 Mt
|
Iron
|
59 %
|
|
Measured & Indicated
|
764 Mt
|
Iron
|
58.6 %
|
|
Inferred
|
4,588 Mt
|
Iron
|
60 %
|
Source:
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Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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