The Roy Hill iron ore project is located in the Chichester Range, approximately 80km to the south of Port Hedland and 110km to the north of Newman in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
The mine is owned and developed by Roy Hill Holdings, which is jointly owned by Hancock (70%), Marubeni (15%), POSCO (12.5%), and China Steel Corporation (2.5%). It was developed with an estimated investment of £5.9bn ($10bn).
The Roy Hill deposit is a low phosphorous Marra Mamba deposit situated on the southeastern part of the Pilbara Craton. It mainly comprises of Archean granites and metamorphosed volcanic rocks. The iron-rich sedimentary rocks from the Archaean to Proterozoic period overlie the volcanic rocks.
The iron mineralisation at the mine is found in the Marra Mamba Formation known as the Nammuldi Member. Shale, chert, and dolomite of the Jeerinah Formation lie underneath the Marra Mamba Formation.
The first ore from the project was mined in April 2014 and the first ore from the mine was shipped in December 2015. The mine currently produces 55 million tonnes (Mt) of iron ore in a year, which is shipped to major markets including Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan.
Roy Hill isn’t just another iron ore mine in Australia’s Pilbara; it’s a testament to scale and integrated operations! What aspects of this major mine, especially its unique private ownership model, do you find most interesting or impactful? Share your insights!
