Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Johnston congratulated Fortescue Metals Group at the opening of its Eliwana iron ore mine in the Pilbara yesterday (December 8).
Fortescue also reached a significant milestone celebrating first ore through its processing facility at the Western Hub.
The Eliwana mine, located 90 kilometres west of Tom Price, extends Fortescue’s existing iron ore operations in the Pilbara region.
The operation includes a new dry ore processing facility with capacity of 30 million tonnes per annum and a new 143-kilometre rail line, which is in the final stages of construction.
Contracts valued at $1.83 billion were awarded to Australian businesses during the project’s development, including 290 WA businesses and $150 million worth of contracts to Aboriginal businesses and their joint venture partners.
Western Australia’s iron ore sector is the biggest employer in the State’s mining industry, providing jobs for nearly half of WA’s 107,457 mine workers.
Iron ore sales reached a record $103 billion in the 2019-20 financial year, with Fortescue’s sales, 178.2 metric tonnes, accounting for more than 21 per cent.
As stated by Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Johnston:
“Congratulations to Fortescue and everyone involved on the completion of the Eliwana project.
“This important project created around 2,000 jobs during construction and will create 500 full-time site positions as the team move into operations.
“Fortescue’s Eliwana mine will deliver a significant boost to Western Australia’s economy, during the post-COVID-19 recovery phase, and contribute to the State’s ongoing successful iron ore industry.”
