Tag Archives: Onslow Iron

MinRes takes delivery of Hitachi EX3600 excavator for Onslow Iron

Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , ,

Mineral Resources Ltd has taken delivery of a Hitachi EX3600 hydraulic excavator at its Ken’s Bore mine site, set to support its Onslow Iron project in Western Australia.

The brand new excavator was transported via four trucks, travelling 1,350 km from Perth, and will be used to construct haul roads, run of mine pad and mining broken stocks.

It made the trip along with a haul truck and drill – just some of the 15 haul trucks, three excavators and four drills that will work on site when the mine is fully operational.

MinRes’ A$3 billion ($2 billion) Onslow Iron project is, MinRes says, set to redefine mining in Western Australia, shipping around 35 Mt/y of iron ore from mid-2024. It is owned through the unincorporated Red Hill Iron Joint Venture, which is 40% held by MinRes, who will manage the project, with the other partners being Baowu, AMCI and POSCO.

Mineral Resources’ achieves energy strategy milestone with Wonmunna solar installation

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Mineral Resources (MinRes) says it has marked an important milestone in its energy strategy with the successful installation of a 2.1 MW solar-battery system at its Wonmunna iron ore project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

Located 80 km northwest of Newman, the Wonmunna mine was purchased as an undeveloped project in the 2021 financial year. First ore was achieved just five months after construction began at the site and during the 2022 financial year, production from Wonmunna ramped up to 5 Mt/y.

Installation of the 5B Maverick solar technology at the Wonmunna site – complete with more than 4,000 solar panels – was completed during the 2023 financial year. Following successful testing and optimisation works, the technology is now providing significant benefits for site operations and reducing dependency on diesel fuel, MinRes says.

The combined solar-battery system will produce more that 30% of the mine’s power requirements and ultimately cut diesel consumption by approximately 760,000 litres each year, while reducing the site’s carbon emissions by around 2,000 t/y of carbon dioxide equivalent.

In addition, the crusher at the site is powered 100% by the system during the middle of the day when renewable output meets peak plant load.

During the warmer summer months, the system can achieve more than 40% displacement on any given day – and, with a 20-year life span, it can be redeployed to other operations once Wonmunna reaches its end-of-life, MinRes says.

Chief Executive Energy, Darren Hardy, said the Wonmunna solar and battery array at Wonmunna was a positive step forward in the company’s renewable energy strategy.

“MinRes is committed to pursuing renewable energy opportunities where we can and our team has been working hard to deliver a solar array and battery solution that delivers optimum output at Wonmunna,” Hardy said. “Together with natural gas, renewables will play an important role in our energy future, and MinRes continues to pursue off-grid solar power and energy storage solutions to support our remote locations.”

Gas and LNG power stations currently supporting MinRes’ lithium operations at Mt Marion in the Goldfields and Wodgina in the Pilbara are delivering significant emissions savings, according to the company. This includes a 64 MW capable power station at Wodgina, which is the largest of its kind on a mine site in the southern hemisphere, the company says.

At the upcoming Onslow Iron project, also in the Pilbara, MinRes will install a range of energy solutions designed to offset diesel with alternative fuels and renewable energy options, energy storage, and electrification of mobile equipment and transport.

MinRes says it recognises the need for meaningful action to address climate change and is committed to investing in activities that reduce the carbon intensity of its operations and maintaining best-practice environmental, social and governance performance.

The company’s Roadmap to Net Zero Emissions outlines MinRes’ pathway towards a transition to gas, renewable energy and other emerging technologies to support its operations and reduce its carbon intensity – including the company’s goal to achieve of net-zero emissions by 2050.

MinRes’ Onslow Iron project welcomes launch of first transhipper

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Mineral Resources says its Onslow Iron project has reached a major milestone with the successful launch of Western Australia’s first shallow draft and fully enclosed transhipper.

Transhippers, designed by MinRes in collaboration with naval architects, as well as local and international engineering firms, are key to this large iron ore project. The vessels significantly reduce the project’s cost and environmental footprint as their shallow draft means millions of tonnes of iron ore can be shipped without the need for a deep-water port, according to MinRes.

Transhippers are also an integral part of MinRes’ dust-free mine-to-ship transport solution as they will be fully enclosed to ensure no dust pollution in Onslow from MinRes operations, it added.

Each transhipper is named after an island off the Pilbara coast, with the first, MinRes Airlie, launched into the water in March, one year after construction started at the COSCO shipyard in Zhoushan, China.

Onslow Iron will see ore transported by fully covered road trains along a dedicated haul road from the Ken’s Bore mine, 150 km east of Onslow, to the Port of Ashburton. At the port, the ore is transferred to a 220,000 t enclosed negative pressure storage facility. From there, it will be moved via covered conveyors into the transhipper’s “hopper” storage area.

At 123-m long and 36-m wide, the transhippers will have a 7-m draft when fully loaded, transporting ore to capesize bulk carriers anchored 40 km off the Pilbara coast.

This design drastically reduced the amount of seabed dredging required for the loading berth at the Port of Ashburton, according to MinRes

“When operating off the Pilbara coast, the five transhippers will be propelled by powerful tugs that provide crew with home-like comforts and high spec finishes,” the company said.

Transhippers are equipped with a loading system that distributes the ore throughout the vessel’s hold. Once ready for discharge, the ore drops onto conveyors that feed a loading boom into capesize bulk carriers.

MinRes Managing Director, Chris Ellison, said: “The successful launch of our first transhipper, MinRes Airlie, is a significant milestone in the development of our Onslow Iron project, which is set to redefine mining in Western Australia. Transhippers are just the latest example of the cutting-edge innovation being designed and developed by MinRes and are crucial to how we will unlock stranded iron ore deposits in the West Pilbara.

“The unique design of these shallow draft vessels means we don’t need to build deep-water berths, drastically reducing both the cost and environmental footprint of this landmark project. The interior fit-out of these vessels demonstrates our commitment to setting a new standard for workplace wellness, whether our people work in our state-of-the-art headquarters in Perth or at sea on a transhipper.”

MinRes’ A$3 billion ($2 billion) Onslow Iron project is, MinRes says, set to redefine mining in Western Australia, shipping around 35 Mt/y of iron ore from mid-2024.

Fitting out of MinRes Airlie will continue throughout 2023 ahead of an expected arrival in Western Australia early next year.

Onslow Iron is owned through the unincorporated Red Hill Iron Joint Venture, which is 40% held by MinRes, who will manage the project, with the other partners being Baowu, AMCI and POSCO.