Karara, Western Australia
The Karara mine is a large iron mine located in the Mid West region of Western Australia. Karara has estimated reserves of 2 billion tonnes of ore grading 35.5% iron metal. It is one of the few magnetite producers in Western Australia. It is owned by Ansteel Group (52.16%) and Gindalbie Metals (47.84%). The mine is operated by Karara Mining Limited.
Timeline
- In 2011, steelwork for the Karara project was delayed by major floods in Thailand.
- In 2014, production was increased by over 35% in the June quarter, with more than 2 million tons of iron ore being shipped. Despite the increase the project was still not making a profit.
Transport
The Karara mine is linked to the Arc Infrastructure network by the 79-kilometre (49 mi) long Karara railway. The ore would be initially transported by a narrow gauge railway to the existing port of Geraldton in quantities up to 10 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa). When a standard gauge railway is built to a new port at Oakajee, the tonnage would increase to at least 30 Mtpa. The common part of the narrow gauge and standard gauge routes will be dual gauge.
The Karara branch joins the main line just north of Morawa.
References
- ^ "Karara Iron Ore Mine, Australia". mining-technology.com. 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
- ^ "Home page". Karara Mining. 3 May 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "NRW in line for A$702 million Karara Mining iron ore gig". International Mining. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "Karara Iron Ore Project backers unsure of profit time frame". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
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