Iron ore mining in Western Australia
The iron ore mining in Western Australia is a significant economic factor for Australia. In Western Australia , the second-largest deposit is of iron ore in the world and 2010/2011 98% were produced all Australian iron ore in Western Australia.
Mining is dominated by the two mining companies Rio Tinto Group and BHP Billiton , which produced more than 90% of all Australian iron ore in the 2008/2009 accounting period. The third largest group active there is the Fortescue Metals Group (FMG).
After China, Australia was the world's second largest iron ore producer in 2010, with the largest share of Australian iron ore exports being shipped to China. With a share of 72%, the Australian Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton and the Brazilian Vale dominate the maritime trade in iron ore.
With this export of mineral resources there is a strong dependency of state revenues on the world economy, because Western Australia realizes AUD 1.7 billion from the sale of the iron ore produced .
Iron ore deposits
About 5% of the earth's crust consists of iron and 95% of all metals that are used economically consist of iron.
The total global iron ore deposits , including Australia, amount to 168 billion tons, of which 26 billion tons are on the Australian continent. In a global comparison that is a share of 16.7%; only Ukraine has a larger deposit with 17.9%, while Russia's share is 14.9%, China's share is 13.1% and that of Brazil is 9.5%.
China is currently mining the largest volume of iron ore, followed by Australia, Brazil and India.
The iron ore deposits in Western Australia consist either of pisoids , which are small, round single grains that are weathered from iron ore strips and were transported to alluvial areas , such as in Pannawonica, or they are iron ore strips weathered by metasomatosis, such as in Newman , in the Chichester Range and Hamersley Range and at Koolyanobbing . There is also oxidized iron at Lake Argyle , which is shaped like hardcaps and is taken from the laterite deposits there.
In the 2008/2009 accounting period, Australian iron ore production increased by 8.5% to 316 million tonnes compared to the previous accounting period, which corresponds to a value of AUD 33.56 billion. China bought 64% of the iron ore exported from Australia for AUD 21 billion, Japan 21%, South Korea 10%, Taiwan 3% and Europe 1%.
Australia produced 169 million tons of iron ore in 2000 and more than doubled its volume in 2009 with 394 million tons.
history
Even the early British explorers of Western Australia reported iron ore deposits in the Hamersley Ranges and described Koolyanobbing in the Yilgarn in the Pilbara as " essentially an iron country " (German: "a possible iron ore country").
Iron ore was first smelted in Australia in 1848 in Mittagong , New South Wales , which was found in a deposit there. The first iron ore mining in Australia took place in Iron Knob in the Middleback Ranges as early as 1833 .
Larger deposits were in 1887 at Savange River in Tasmania , in Constance Ranges and the Mount Biggenden in Queensland , in Nowa Nowa in Victoria and 1956 at Frances Creek, also in 1961 at Mount Bundey in Northern Territory discovered
In 1938 the Commonwealth imposed an embargo on the export of iron ore in order not to support the warring Japan and because of the perception that Australia's iron ore reserves were limited.
In 1957 the prospector Stan Hilditch discovered a large iron ore deposit at Mount Whaleback in Western Australia, which after the end of the embargo in 1960 developed into the largest iron ore mine and is operated in an open pit. The town of Newman and a railway line connecting the mine with Port Hedland , 426 kilometers away, have been built near the mine . The railroad can transport 16,000 tons in one hour.
After 1960 a large export-dependent industry developed, which also resulted from the fact that further Koolanooka deposits in the Yilgarn region were explored in 1961 and in 1962 at Mount Tom Price in the Pilbara region in 1962. In 1966 iron ore cargoes were shipped from the region for the first time, and in the following years other deposits were explored and developed.
Mining company
More than 90% of Australia's iron ore mining takes place in the Pilbara region, the Kimberley region and the Wheatbelt region in Western Australia. The value of Australian iron ore production was equivalent to 47% of the state budget of Western Australia in 2008/2009.
Australia's iron ore mining is dominated by the Rio Tinto Group and BHP Billiton , which are linked to one another and to Chinese and Japanese companies through joint ventures in a network of holdings .
Rio Tinto Group
The Rio Tinto Group is one of the largest mining groups in the world and is not only active in iron ore mining. Rio Tinto plans to invest AUD 15 billion in its 13 mines in the Pilbara region by 2015 and increase iron ore output to 353 million tons. It will invest in its port facilities in Dampier and Cape Lambert, mines and railroad facilities. The Brockman 4 Mine , Western Turner Syncline Mine , Marandoo Mine and Nammuldi 1 Mine are to be expanded and the exploration of deposits is to be accelerated.
Rio Tinto holds 100% of all shares in Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd , which owns 53% of Robe River Mining Company Pty Ltd and is 50:50 in Rio Tinto Iron Ore and Hope Downs Iron Ore Mine (HDIO) is BHP Billiton involved.
The Hamersley Iron is the owner of six mining sites in Western Australia, the Brockman- , Marandoo- , Mount Tom Price- , Paraburdoo- , Yandicoogina- and Nammuldi mine . Hamersley Iron holds 60% of the Channar Mine with the China Iron & Steel Industry and Trade Group and 54% of the Eastern Range Mine , a joint venture with the Shanghai Baosteel Group Corporation . In 2009, Rio Tinto began construction of two more mines, the Western Turner Syncline and the Brockman 4 .
BHP Billiton
Mining company BHP Billiton is the longest-running iron mining company in Australia. BHP Billiton was from 1899 to 2000 with the Minden Mining Mine fused subsequently by Onesteel Ltd is bought.
BHP Billiton also owns seven iron ore mines, including the largest single open- pit iron ore mine , the Mount Whaleback Mine near Newman . This mine is five kilometers long and nearly 1.5 kilometers wide. Other BHP Billiton iron ore bodies are numbered 18, 23, 25, 29, 30 and 35 and the Jimblebar , Yandi , Area C and Yarrie mines . The Robe River Mine works with the Pannawonica Mine and West Angelas Mine . The Rio Tinto Iron Ore is associated with the Hope Downs Iron Ore Mine in a joint venture.
In the 2010/2011 financial year, BHP Billiton employed 13,000 people in the Pilbara region. From their base in Newman, iron ore transports by rail and shipping from the loading stations in Port Hedland are coordinated.
On February 2, 2012, BHP Billiton announced that it was planning a US $ 917 million investment project in Port Hedland with construction beginning in the fourth quarter of 2012. The internal portion of BHP will amount to US $ 779 million, the other shares are held by the Japanese company Itochu Minerals & Energy of Australia Pty Ltd , Mitsui Itochu Iron Pty Ltd and Mitsui Iron Ore Corporation Pty Ltd provided. The investment project envisages the expansion of the annual ship loading capacity by 100 million tons of iron ore, with completion in the first half of 2016. A new loading port is to be built with a four-kilometer-long landing stage, ship canal, a new railway line and port buildings.
Fortescue
The mining company Fortescue was founded in 2003 and, according to its own statements, is the fourth largest iron ore producer in the world and primarily supplies China and the Asian region.
In 2006 Fortescue designed its shipping facilities in Herb Elliot Port at Port Hedland , railway facilities and iron ore mining. Iron ore began to be sold two years later. The Cloud Break Mine was the first mine it commissioned, followed by the Christmas Creek Mine , and the Solomon Project in the Pilbara region provides for iron ore mining in three additional mines. In 2011 Fortescu sold 40 million tons of iron ore and a volume of 150 million is planned for 2013/2014. By December 2012, the Salomon AUD 8.4 billion investment project is expected to be completed.
Fortescue employs 20 people in Perth , Port Hedland, Roebourne and Tom Price who are in contact with many of the Aboriginal representatives with whom the company works. The company declares that they consider the rights, culture and interests of the Aboriginal people in their projects. Fortescue claims to attach great importance to the employment of Aborigines and in 2011 employed 300 indigenous people.
Fortescue's 88,000 km² of land in the Pilbara region makes the company the owner of a world-class iron ore deposit of 2 billion tons.
Mines, Employment and Production Volume
Active mines
Major iron ore mines in Western Australia with Perth as a reference for guidance |
Since 1966, three iron ore mines, the Goldsworthy Mine , Shay Gap Mine and Nimingarra Mine in Western Australia have been abandoned.
List of active iron ore mining operations in Western Australia:
| Mine | Owner 1 | Place 2 | region | Capacity 3 | opening |
| Area C mine | BHP Billiton | Newman | Pilbara | 42 | 2003 |
| Brockman Mine | Rio Tinto | Tom Price | Pilbara | 8.7 | 1992 |
| Brockman 4 mine | Rio Tinto | Tom Price | Pilbara | 22nd | 2010 |
| Channar mine | Rio Tinto | Paraburdoo | Pilbara | 20th | 1990 |
| Christmas Creek Mine | Fortescue Metals Group | Nullagine | Pilbara | 16 | 2009 |
| Cloud Break Mine | Fortescue | Nullagine | Pilbara | 28 | 2008 |
| Cockatoo Island Mine | Cockatoo Island | Kimberley | |||
| Eastern Range Mine | Rio Tinto | Paraburdoo | Pilbara | 20th | 2004 |
| Hope Downs Mine | Rio Tinto | Newman | Pilbara | 30th | 2007 |
| Jack Hills Mine | Crosslands Resources | Meekatharra | Mid west | 2 | 2006 |
| Jimblebar mine | BHP Billiton | Newman | Pilbara | 14th | 1989 |
| Koolan Island Mine | Mount Gibson Mining | Koolan Island | Kimberley | 4th | 2007 |
| Koolanooka mine | Sinosteel Midwest Corporation | Geraldton | Mid west | 2010 | |
| Koolyanobbing mine | Cliffs Natural Resources | Southern Cross | Wheatbelt | ||
| Marandoo Mine | Rio Tinto | Tom Price | Pilbara | 15th | 1994 |
| Mesa A Mine | Rio Tinto | Pannawonica | Pilbara | 25th | 2010 |
| Mesa J mine | Rio Tinto | Pannawonica | Pilbara | 7th | 1994 |
| Mount Jackson Mine | Mount Jackson | Esperance | 33 | 2010 | |
| Mount Tom Price Mine | Rio Tinto | Tom Price | Pilbara | 28 | 1966 |
| Mount Whaleback Mine | BHP Billiton | Newman | Pilbara | 38 | 1968 |
| Nammuldi mine | Rio Tinto | Tom Price | Pilbara | 6.6 | 2006 |
| Orebodies 18, 23 and 25 mine | BHP Billiton | Newman | Pilbara | 37 | 2005/1989 |
| Pardoo mine | Atlas Iron | Port Hedland | Pilbara | 2.4 | 2008 |
| Paraburdoo mine | Rio Tinto | Paraburdoo | Pilbara | 20th | 1972 |
| Tallering Peak Mine | Mount Gibson Mining | Mulleva | Mid west | 3 | 2004 |
| West Angela's Mine | Rio Tinto | Newman | Pilbara | 29.5 | 2002 |
| Wodgina mine | Atlas Iron | Port Hedland | Pilbara | 4th | 2010 |
| Yandi Mine | BHP Billiton | Newman | Pilbara | 41 | 1992 |
| Yandicoogina mine | Rio Tinto | Newman | Pilbara | 52 | 1998 |
| Yarrie Mine | BHP Billiton | Goldsworthy Mine | Pilbara | 2 | 1994 |
- 1 Only the main owner or the executing company is named.
- 2 The figure shows the closest city, the mine itself is not necessarily in the city.
- 3 The figure shows the production capacity of the mine for 2010 in millions of tons of iron ore and not the current annual production
Funding volume and employees (2000 to 2010)
| designation | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| Annual production (million tons) | 158.87 | 162.25 | 171.77 | 194.75 | 215.85 | 244.64 | 250.40 | 264.45 | 305.72 | 341.64 | |
| Production Value (AUD in Billions) | 4,365 | 5,245 | 5,064 | 5,061 | 6,173 | 11.308 | 14,751 | 16,165 | 31,896 | 28,085 | |
| Employees | 8.604 | 9.103 | 9.289 | 11,184 | 12,585 | 13.727 | 16.203 | 18,387 | 23.185 | 26.051 |
Infrastructure
Since iron ore was extracted for export in 1960, ten new towns, four new railroad lines and five ports have been built in Western Australia, including the port of Dampier with the largest tonnage of any Australian port.
Fortescue owns an area of 88,000 km², which is twice the size of Switzerland, Rio Tinto over 11,000 km² and BHP Billiton over 7,000 km².
Trains with two locomotives with 240 wagons in a length of 2.5 kilometers, which can be loaded with 30,000 tons of iron ore, which in 2008 were considered to be the longest trains in the world, run on the railway lines from the mines. FMG wanted to use the existing railway lines for transport, but BHP Billiton refused to do so due to the existing legal situation, whereupon it was forced to build its own line to Port Hedland next to an existing 268 km long railway line from BHP Billiton , which was about 100 km parallel to existing runs.
In 2010, BHP Billiton transported iron ore with the Goldsworthy Railway and Mount Newman Railway to Port Hedland, Rio Tinto Hamersley & Robe River Railway to Cape Lambert and Dampier and FMG began its transport in 2008 with its own railway company Fortescue Railway to Port Hedland .
Since the construction of two parallel routes would mean a waste of resources, the Australian Competition Tribunal ordered in June 2010 that Fortescue be given access to the Rio Tinto's Robe River Line and BHP Billiton's Goldsworthy Line and the government passed a law on this. However, the Fortescue was denied access to the faster lines from Hamersley and Mount Newman.
The smaller mines use or intend to use the former state railways for their transport: for example the mine from Koolyanobbing to the port of Esperance , Jack Hills and Karara to the Geraldton port , Karara also to the Oakajee port.
criticism
General
The infrastructure of Western Australia is largely determined by iron ore mining. Critics state: The effects of iron ore mining in Australia are rarely discussed in the local and global public, and the information policy of iron ore mining companies only takes their economic interests into account.
Since non-resident workers commute from home to work by air every two weeks, a structural structure with hotels and hostels was created that does not promote urban development and allows land prices to rise. Most mining companies can hardly meet their specialist staffing needs through the Australian labor market, which is why many workers are hired from abroad, especially in Western Australia's mining sector.
For the extraction of the iron ore and the construction of the operation of the mines, an infrastructure for the transport of the iron ore was necessary, which changed the landscape and is questionable from a tourist point of view.
The Pilbara region is structurally dominated by iron ore mining and is therefore economically completely dependent on the mining companies there and on the world economy as well as on the main buyer of iron ore China. During the financial crisis from 2007 in 2008 , the three large Australian iron mining companies cut their production output temporarily by 10% and also closed individual mines.
The growth in employment does not keep pace with the expansion of iron ore mining, as the degree of mechanization and automation in this industry is high and further processing and thus added value and employment do not take place in Australia but abroad.
Aboriginal
The culture and dream time of the local Aboriginal people is deeply connected to their land and water. Iron ore mining has an impact on the Pilbara's fragile desert-like environment and its ceremonial and traditional places.
Some Aborigines recognize that corporations make high profits in the short term, and that their financial successes and employment opportunities are at odds with the destruction of their habitat. In addition to the change in nature through the mining, there are also major effects on the water balance, as the mines take the scarce water from the environment and the subsoil. It is seen as positive that the iron ore companies have created employment opportunities for local Aborigines in a structurally weak area. There are government-created Aboriginal Workforce Development Centers to promote employment .
Since 1992 Aborigines have claimed and sued traditional land ownership as Native Title . If rights are affected by the mining, the mining companies have to negotiate with the owners. The Yindjibarndi Aborigines hold a native title over an area in which Fortescue plans to build three mines with an annual capacity of 60 million tons of iron ore. The negotiations between Fortescue and Yindhibarbdi Aboriginal Corporation (YAC), which represents 700 members, did not come to a final conclusion in 2010 due to differing financial ideas, so that a court decision may be reached.
A 300-employee Aboriginal company, the Ngarda Civil Mining Company , signed a 2007 five-year contract with BHP Billington to mine the Yarrie Iron Ore Mine , 200 km northeast of Port Headland, for a total of AUD 300 million .
In 2007, the Aboriginal unemployment rate in Western Australia was 14%, while the overall unemployment rate there was 3.3%.
In 2009, BHP Billiton employed 700 Aborigines among its 12,000 people in the Pilbara area and announced that it had the largest number of Aboriginal people involved in iron ore production in Western Australia. Rio Tinto stated that 700 (6%) workers there are also indigenous.
Web links
- ame.com.au : List of information about Australian mines
- ga.gov.au : Location map of Australian deposits and mines
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Iron Ore on ga.gov.au , in English, accessed February 7, 2012
- ↑ Javier Blas et al: Iron ore Pricing War on ft.com , March 30, 2010, in English, accessed February 8, 2012
- ^ A b Matt Chambers: Australian miners cut iron output as China slows at theaustralian.com.au , November 11, 2008, accessed February 10, 2012
- ↑ Western Australian Mineral and Petroleum, Statistics Digest 2008-2009, Iron Ore on dmp.wa.gov.au (PDF; 4.5 MB), p. 13, in English, accessed on February 8, 2012
- ↑ a b Australian Government: Summary of Australia on adl.brs.gov.au ( Memento of the original from February 28, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , in English, accessed February 8, 2012
- ↑ David Lee: Reluctant relaxation. The end of the iron ore export embargo and the origins of Australia's mining boom, 1960-1966 . In: History Australia . tape 10 , no. 3 , December 2013, p. 149-170 ( PDF ).
- ^ Newman Large and modern mining town in the Pilbara on smh.com , February 8, 2004, in English, accessed February 8, 2012
- ↑ Growing in Pilbara on riotintoironore.com ( Memento of the original from March 19, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , in English, in English
- ↑ Assets on bhpbilliton.com , in English, accessed February 8, 2012
- ↑ Initial work approved for Port Hedland on bhpbilliton.com , in English, accessed on February 10, 2012
- ↑ a b Company Overview on fmlg.com.au ( Memento of the original from February 5, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , in English, accessed February 9, 2012
- ↑ Heritage on fmgl.com.au ( Memento of the original from January 30, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , in English, accessed February 9, 2012
- ↑ a b c Iron Ore on istp.murdoch.edu.au , in English, accessed February 8, 2012
- ^ A b John Kirk: Fortescue opens the world's heaviest haul railway on railwaygazette.com , July 14, 2008, in English, accessed February 9, 2012
- ↑ Nick Kingsley Fortescue goes its own way on railwaygazette.com , March 1, 2007, in English, accessed February 9, 2012
- ↑ Infrastructure Rail on fmgl.com.au ( Memento of the original from November 23, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , in English, accessed February 8, 2012
- ↑ Junior miners win limited access to Pilbara rail network on lloydslistdcn.au ( Memento of the original from March 14, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , July 1, 2010, in English, accessed February 8, 2012
- ↑ Watchdog 'can demand Pilbara rail expansion on theaustralian.com.au The Australian , May 13, 2010, in English, accessed February 8, 2012
- ↑ a b c d New Australia Mining Boom Taking Toll on Outback Life on nationalgeographic.com , September 26, 2007, in English, accessed February 8, 2012
- ↑ How do I find a job in Australian mining? , dated February 4, 2013, accessed March 24, 2013
- ↑ Aboriginal Workforce Development Center on trainingwa.wa.gov.au ( Memento of the original from January 31, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , in English, accessed February 8, 2012
- ↑ FMG is still waiting on a Federal Court decision over native claims at its Solomon project. from perthnow.com.au , in English, accessed on February 9, 2012
- ↑ About us on ngarda.com.au ( Memento of the original from February 3, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , in English, accessed February 8, 2012
- ↑ Indigenous firm wins $ 300m BHP deal on theaustralian.com.au , September 5, 2007, in English, accessed February 8, 2012
- ↑ Looking for Indigenous employment opportunities on abc.net.au , February 16, 2010, in English, accessed February 8, 2012
