Rio Tinto, Mitsui and Nippon Steel have committed to investing A$733m ($482.8m) to develop the West Angelas Sustaining Project, with Rio Tinto’s contribution being A$389m.
This project is part of the Robe River joint venture (JV) in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
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The Robe River JV is owned by Rio Tinto (53%), Mitsui Iron Ore (33%) and Nippon Steel (14%).
The West Angelas Sustaining Project aims to develop new iron ore deposits and has received necessary state and federal government approvals.
The deposits will sustain the West Angelas hub’s total annual production capacity of 35 million tonnes, ensuring continued long-term mining operations.
Rio Tinto Iron Ore chief executive Matthew Holcz said: “The West Angelas Sustaining Project is built on strong and committed partnerships, both with the joint venture members Mitsui and Nippon Steel, as well as the Yinhawangka and Ngarlawangga peoples.
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By GlobalData“The West Angelas hub has been an integral part of Rio Tinto Iron Ore since 2002. Securing these approvals ensures ongoing investment in the hub as we continue to supply high-quality, reliable iron ore to meet our global customers’ demand now and into the future.”
Rio Tinto stated that it has collaborated with the Yinhawangka and Ngarlawangga people to develop cultural heritage management plans for the West Angelas Sustaining Project, ensuring the protection and management of cultural heritage and the environment.
The project will make use of the current West Angelas processing facilities and include the development of new infrastructure precincts, along with the construction of 22km of haul roads.
The mined ore will be autonomously trucked to the West Angelas hub, with first ore expected by 2027.
Approximately 600 jobs will be created during construction and the project will sustain around 950 full-time equivalent roles once operational.
The West Angelas Sustaining Project is part of Rio Tinto’s series of replacement projects in the Pilbara region.
Furthermore, work has advanced on the pre-feasibility study for Rhodes Ridge, said to be one of the largest and highest-quality undeveloped iron ore deposits globally.
The project aims for an initial capacity of up to 40 million tonnes per annum, with plans to commence ore production by 2030.
In August, Rio Tinto announced a A$180m investment to commence the Norman Creek access project at the Amrun bauxite mine in Queensland, Australia.
