Overview
Stage | Production |
Mine Type | Open Pit |
Commodities |
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Mining Method |
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Production Start | ... |
Mine Life | 2036 |
Worsley Alumina is an integrated bauxite mining and alumina refining operation. Worsley Alumina has been operating the Boddington Bauxite Mine, an overland bauxite conveyor and the Worsley Alumina refinery. It is recognised as one of the largest alumina refineries in the world.
The Worsley Mine Development is the next phase of bauxite mining, providing access to future reserves and resources.
The project is subject to a comprehensive State and Commonwealth environmental approval. Final approvals is expected during H1 FY25. |
Source:
p. 50
Company | Interest | Ownership | Investor's Info |
Sojitz Alumina Pty Ltd.
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4 %
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Indirect
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Japan Alumina Associates (Australia) Pty Ltd.
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10 %
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Indirect
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South32 Limited
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86 %
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Indirect
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South32 holds an 86 per cent interest in Worsley Alumina operation, while Japan Alumina Associates (Australia) Pty Ltd owns 10 per cent and Sojitz Alumina Pty Ltd owns four per cent.
South32 Worsley Alumina Pty Ltd, as manager of the Worsley Joint Venture, acts as agent for and on behalf of the South32 (South32 Aluminium (RAA) Pty Ltd 56%, South32 Aluminium (Worsley) Pty Ltd 30%), Japan Alumina Associates (Australia) Pty Ltd (10%) and Sojitz Alumina Pty Ltd (4%).
Contractors
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Summary:
The bauxites have developed on the exposed Achaean basement of the Western Gneiss Terrane, which is located on the western edge of the Yilgarn Block. In the project area, the Western Gneiss Terrane is predominantly composed of granitic gneisses and migmatites, as well as the greenstones of the Saddleback Greenstone Belt. The northerly trending greenstone belt is approximately 43 km long and 5 - 12 km wide, and consists of sequences of mafic to felsic volcanics, pyroclastics, and sediments that have undergone greenschist facies metamorphism. The gneisses and greenstones have been intruded by relatively undeformed granites, and subsequently by numerous northerly trending doleritic dykes that range in thickness from 1 to 200 m. The dominant structural feature in the region is the Darling Fault, which forms the western boundary of the Western Gneiss Terrane.
The bauxites are thought to have formed from the lateritisation of the peneplained surface of the Western Gneiss Terrane rocks. Lateritisation is thought to have commenced during the Cretaceous and continued through to the Eocene.
In the project area, bauxite exists as irregular lenses, locally referred to as pods, within the remnant laterite. The pods are generally elongated in the NNW-SSE direction and vary in size from 1 to 200 ha. The majority of the pods contain approximately 2 million tonnes (Mt) of bauxite. The pods are generally confined to slopes where the gradient is between 5° and 10°. In ste ........
Summary:
The mining of bauxite by Worsley at Boddington Bauxite Mine (BBM) is a continuous process of mining and rehabilitation. Bauxite ore mined at BBM is transported to crushing facilities and crushed ore is then transported via conveyors to the Refinery.
BBM mines the bauxite by shallow open pit mining methods from a number of open pits. The bauxite occurs in pods, close to the surface, with an ore thickness of up to 5 m.
There are two mining areas at Boddington Bauxite Mine, the Saddleback Mining Envelope and the Marradong Mining Envelope. The crushed bauxite product, after primary crushing (at Marradong or Saddleback) and secondary crushing at the Saddleback area, is transported to the Worsley Refinery near Collie, via a 2-flight cable belt overland bauxite conveyor with a total length of 51 km. The bauxite is stockpiled at the refinery.
The majority of the open pits at Boddington Bauxite Mine are shallow to very shallow, typically less than 10 to 15 m deep. Mining of around 18 Mtpa of (wet) bauxite feed to the Alumina refinery requires large areas to be mined on an annual basis, given the limited thickness (between 1 m and 10 m thick) of the bauxite mineralisation. Typically, an area of around 200 ha is mined on an annual basis.
Initial overburden is removed by scrapers and secondary overburden is removed by small 30 t backhoe excavators, when it is impractical for the scrapers to remove the remaining overburden.
Drilling ........
Source:
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Flow Sheet:
Summary:
- subscription is required.
Source:
- subscription is required.
Reserves at June 30, 2023:
Cut-off grade
Mineral Resources: Variable ranging from 22-25% A.Al2O3, <3% R.SiO2 for mineralised material and >28% A.Al2O3, <3-5% R.SiO2 for blend material and >1m thickness;
Ore Reserves: Variable ranging from 22.5-29% A.Al2O3, <3-5% R.SiO2 and variable thickness >1-2m.
Mineral Resources are reported inclusive of Mineral Reserves.
Category | OreType | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade |
Proven
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Laterite
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182 Mt
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Al2O3
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28.1 %
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Probable
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Laterite
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35 Mt
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Al2O3
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27.9 %
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Proven & Probable
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Laterite
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217 Mt
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Al2O3
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28.1 %
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Measured
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Laterite
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303 Mt
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Al2O3
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28.5 %
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Indicated
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Laterite
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411 Mt
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Al2O3
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28.9 %
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Inferred
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Laterite
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386 Mt
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Al2O3
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28.3 %
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Total Resource
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Laterite
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1,100 Mt
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Al2O3
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28.6 %
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HME Type | Model | Quantity | Ref. Date | Source |
Dozer
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Mar 1, 2022
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p.1
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Dozer
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Mar 1, 2022
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p.1
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Drill
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Oct 1, 2018
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p.4
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Grader
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Jan 4, 2022
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p.1
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Loader (FEL)
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Mar 1, 2022
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p.1
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Scraper
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Jan 4, 2022
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p.1
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Shovel (hydraulic)
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Jan 4, 2022
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p.1
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Shovel (hydraulic)
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Jan 4, 2022
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p.1
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Shovel (hydraulic)
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Jan 4, 2022
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p.1
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Surface miner
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Mar 1, 2022
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p.1
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Truck (haul)
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Dec 6, 2017
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p.15
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Truck (water)
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Jan 4, 2022
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p.1
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- Subscription is required.
Mine Management:
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Jan 12, 2024
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Jan 12, 2024
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- Subscription is required.
Staff:
Employees | Contractors | Total Workforce | Year |
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2023
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2022
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2021
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2020
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2017
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2016
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2015
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Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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- Subscription is required.