Metso will supply crushing equipment to Fortescue Metals Group in Australia. The delivery will be completed by May 2012. The value of the order is approximately EUR34 million. The order comprises 13 units of MP1000 secondary cone crushers. Three units will be delivered to Fortescue’s Christmas Creek iron ore site, and another ten units will go to the Solomon iron ore mine site. Both sites are located in the Pilbara region in Western Australia. The crushers will be supplied to the sites in pre-assembled, modularised form. Metso will also be providing installation and commissioning assistance of all units.

Mining at Fortescue’s first minesite, Cloudbreak, began in 2008 with more than 28 Mt of iron ore mined in the first full year of production. Since then, mining and processing at Cloudbreak has increased to more than 100,000 t/d of ore. Fortescue has also established its second minesite, Christmas Creek, which is 50 km east of Cloudbreak. Together, the two mines make up the Chichester Hub. Last month Fortescue Metals announced a maiden Reserve Estimate of 716 Mt for the first stage of the Solomon Hub.