Iron Bridge mine
  Iron Bridge Mine Location in Western Australia | |
 Interactive map of Iron Bridge Mine | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Products | Iron ore |
| Production | 22 million tonnes/annum |
| Opened | 2023 |
| Company | Fortescue |
| Website | Fortescue website |
The Iron Bridge mine is an iron ore mine which opened in 2023 in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 145 km (90 mi) south of Port Hedland.[1]
The mine is fully owned and operated by Fortescue and is one of several iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara, the others being Christmas Creek mine, Cloudbreak mine and the Kings Valley mine and Firetail mine at the Solomon Project.[2]
Background
[edit]The geology is banded iron formation with reserves of 716 million tonnes of iron ore.[3]
Construction
[edit]The project suffered from cost explosion, with the latest projection of $4.87 billion being 30 per cent higher than the original estimate.[4][5] The workforce peaked at 4,000 jobs during construction. Around $330 million were awarded directly to local Traditional Custodian Nyamal businesses.[6]
Operation
[edit]The 12 grinding rolls use 93 MW to reduce the ore to 80 microns, and 10 grinding mills use 50 MW to further reduce to 35 microns. The powder at 0.028mm is mixed with water to slurry and sent by pipeline 135 km to Port Hedland.[6][3]
The mine is connected to Fortesque's power grid, and got a 26 MW short-duration battery in 2023,[7] stabilizing the grid.[8] The 100 megawatt North Star Junction solar park opened in 2024 (15 km east of the Great Northern Highway and the Turner River), supplying some of the mine's power.[9] A 50 MW / 250 MWh grid forming battery was ordered in late 2024 for the solar farm,[7] and started operating in January 2026.[10] Fortescue's Pilbara power grid is being expanded with 1.2 GW of solar capacity, 600 MW of wind generation and 4 GWh of storage.[11]
The mine gets 25 billion liters of water per year from the Canning Basin, and also uses return water piped from Port Hedland.[6]
The mine's workforce is around 900 on a fly-in fly-out roster.[6][3] FIFO arrivals and departures take place at the mine's own airport with a 8,300 ft asphalt runway, 15 km west of the mine.[12]
References
[edit]- ↑ Jamasmie, Cecilia (2 May 2023). "Fortescue Metals begins magnetite production at Iron Bridge". MINING.COM.
- ↑ Fortescue Map Fortescue
- 1 2 3 "Iron Bridge Magnetite Project". Mining Technology. 2 November 2020.
- ↑ Ballard, Henry (11 January 2022). "Fortescue considers taking backseat at Iron Bridge". Australian Mining. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
- ↑ "Cost of Fortescue's Iron Bridge project shoots up once again". Mining.Com. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 "Iron Bridge taking FMG in a new mining direction". The Australian Mining Review. 15 December 2023.
- 1 2 "Fortescue presses go on "challenging" five-hour battery project, biggest yet in the Pilbara". RenewEconomy. 22 October 2024.
- ↑ Parkinson, Giles (8 May 2026). ""I thought this was impossible:" Fortescue green grid rides through transmission failure with no fossil fuels". Renew Economy.
- ↑ Heynes, George (29 July 2024). "Fortescue begins operation of 100MW Western Australia solar plant, remains 'steadfast' in commitment to green hydrogen". PV Tech.
- ↑ Parkinson, Giles (22 January 2026). ""It's already saved our bacon:" Fortescue says its big batteries were bought at lowest prices seen in Australia". Renew Economy.
- ↑ "Fortescue fast-tracks delivery of 'world first' off-grid project combining solar, wind, up to 5 GWh of BESS". Energy Storage. 13 April 2026.
- ↑ "YIBO/Japal Camp/Iron Bridge Mine General Airport Information". acukwik.com.
External links
[edit]- MINEDEX website: East Pilbara Iron Ore / FMG Database of the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation & Safety
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