Cloud Break mine
Encyclopedia
The Cloudbreak mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia
, 89 kilometres west-south-west of Nullagine
, in the Chichester Range
.
The mine is fully owned and operated by the Fortescue Metals Group
, FMG, and is one of three iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara, the other two being Christmas Creek mine
(located 50 kilometres east of Cloudbreak.) and the Solomon Project respectively.
Fortescue is the third-largest iron ore mining company in the Pilbara, behind Rio Tinto
and BHP Billiton
.
Fortescue began mining at Cloudbreak in October 2007. Iron ore production at the mine began in 2008 and, in its first full year of operation, the mine produced 28 million tonnes of iron ore.
The ore from the mine is processed on site before being loaded onto rail. The product is then transported to the coast at Port Hedland through the Fortescue railway
, where it is loaded onto ships. Construction on the 280 kilometre long line from Cloudbreak to the Herb Elliott Port at Port Hedland was begun in November 2006. The line was scheduled to be fully operational within 18 month. A cyclone in March 2007 killed two workers at the project and lead to delays. The first train from the mine to the port travelled on 5 April 2008.
The mines workforce is on a Fly-in fly-out
roster.
The mines annual production rate, as of 2010, stands at 39 million tonnes of iron ore. Plans to increase this to 55 million tonnes through a US$220 million upgrade of the Cloudbreak plant had to be abandoned in October 2009 because of funding difficulties through its Chinese
investors. Instead, Fortescue decided to develop its Christmas Creek deposit, at a cost of US$360 million, by building a mine and process plant there and linking it to its existing rail network. Christmas Creek is scheduled to produce 16 million tonnes of iron ore in its first year of operation. Fortescue plans to reach an annual production of 95 million tonnes of iron ore by 2012, downgraded from an earlier target of 120 million.
Mining at Cloudbreak was temporarily suspended on 24 December 2010 after a fatality
as a sign of respect and to ensure the safety of the workers.
, was criticised because of a number of endangered species in the area of the future mine, among them the incredibly rare Night Parrot
. Continuation of the mining project was endangered and, in order to gain EPA approval, the mine had to implement a management plan to ensure that mining activities would not have a negative effect on the species survival in the area. The occurrence of the Night Parrot in the future mining area was discovered during a 2005 survey, at Minga Well on 12 April 2005, commissioned by FMG, which was carried out by two contract biologist who sighted a small group of the birds. Unconfirmed sightings of the bird had been made previously in a near-by area in 2004.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, 89 kilometres west-south-west of Nullagine
Nullagine, Western Australia
Nullagine is an old goldrush town in Western Australia's Pilbara region. It is located on the Nullagine River 296 km south-east of Port Hedland and 1,364 km north-north-east of Perth on the old Great Northern Highway....
, in the Chichester Range
Chichester Range
The Chichester Range is a range in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.The range rises abruptly from the coastal plain and is composed of rolling hills, escarpments, jagged peaks, gorges and winding tree-lined watercourses....
.
The mine is fully owned and operated by the Fortescue Metals Group
Fortescue Metals Group
Fortescue Metals Group is an Australian iron ore mining company. The company has holdings of more than 87,000 km² in the Pilbara region of Western Australia making it the largest tenement holder in the state. It is listed as FMG on the Australian Securities Exchange .In 2008, the group loaded...
, FMG, and is one of three iron ore mines the company operates in the Pilbara, the other two being Christmas Creek mine
Christmas Creek mine
The Christmas Creek mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 61 kilometres south-south-west of Nullagine, in the Chichester Range....
(located 50 kilometres east of Cloudbreak.) and the Solomon Project respectively.
Fortescue is the third-largest iron ore mining company in the Pilbara, behind Rio Tinto
Rio Tinto Group
The Rio Tinto Group is a diversified, British-Australian, multinational mining and resources group with headquarters in London and Melbourne. The company was founded in 1873, when a multinational consortium of investors purchased a mine complex on the Rio Tinto river, in Huelva, Spain from the...
and BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton
BHP Billiton is a global mining, oil and gas company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and with a major management office in London, United Kingdom...
.
Overview
Fortescue acquired the Cloudbreak and Christmas Creek tenements during 2003. The company begun constructing port facilities at Port Hedland in February 2006, followed by a A$3.2 billion capital raising in August 2006 to finance its projects. Construction on the mine itself began in October 2006.Fortescue began mining at Cloudbreak in October 2007. Iron ore production at the mine began in 2008 and, in its first full year of operation, the mine produced 28 million tonnes of iron ore.
The ore from the mine is processed on site before being loaded onto rail. The product is then transported to the coast at Port Hedland through the Fortescue railway
Fortescue railway
The Fortescue Railway, owned and operated by the Fortescue Metals Group , is a private rail network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia for the purpose of carrying iron ore. It is the only railway line the group operates in the Pilbara, having opened in 2008...
, where it is loaded onto ships. Construction on the 280 kilometre long line from Cloudbreak to the Herb Elliott Port at Port Hedland was begun in November 2006. The line was scheduled to be fully operational within 18 month. A cyclone in March 2007 killed two workers at the project and lead to delays. The first train from the mine to the port travelled on 5 April 2008.
The mines workforce is on a Fly-in fly-out
Fly-in fly-out
Fly-in fly-out is a method of employing people in remote areas. It is often abbreviated to FIFO when referring to employment status. This is common in large mining states in Australia...
roster.
The mines annual production rate, as of 2010, stands at 39 million tonnes of iron ore. Plans to increase this to 55 million tonnes through a US$220 million upgrade of the Cloudbreak plant had to be abandoned in October 2009 because of funding difficulties through its Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
investors. Instead, Fortescue decided to develop its Christmas Creek deposit, at a cost of US$360 million, by building a mine and process plant there and linking it to its existing rail network. Christmas Creek is scheduled to produce 16 million tonnes of iron ore in its first year of operation. Fortescue plans to reach an annual production of 95 million tonnes of iron ore by 2012, downgraded from an earlier target of 120 million.
Mining at Cloudbreak was temporarily suspended on 24 December 2010 after a fatality
Fatality statistics in the Western Australian mining industry
These are Fatality statistics in the Western Australian mining industry which capture the number of people killed in the industry in the Australian state of Western Australia. The Department of Mines and Petroleum, DMP, the governing authority for the industry in the state, has published statistics...
as a sign of respect and to ensure the safety of the workers.
Environmental approval
The approval of the A$2 billion project through the then-Minister for the Environment, Ian CampbellIan Campbell (Australian politician)
Ian Gordon Campbell , Australian politician, was a Liberal member of the Australian Senate representing Western Australia between 1990 and 2007.-Early life:...
, was criticised because of a number of endangered species in the area of the future mine, among them the incredibly rare Night Parrot
Night Parrot
The Night Parrot is a small broad-tailed parrot endemic to the continent of Australia. The species was originally placed within its own genus , but most authors now prefer to place it within the genus Pezoporus together with the two ground parrots.No known sightings of the bird were made between...
. Continuation of the mining project was endangered and, in order to gain EPA approval, the mine had to implement a management plan to ensure that mining activities would not have a negative effect on the species survival in the area. The occurrence of the Night Parrot in the future mining area was discovered during a 2005 survey, at Minga Well on 12 April 2005, commissioned by FMG, which was carried out by two contract biologist who sighted a small group of the birds. Unconfirmed sightings of the bird had been made previously in a near-by area in 2004.