Rio Tinto said on Wednesday that it intended to bolster production capacity at its newest iron ore mine, Gudai-Darri, to 50 million tonnes annually, which would cost about $70 million (AUD 130 million).
Located in the Pilbara, Western Australia, the Gudai-Darri mine initiated production in 2022 and achieved its planned annual capacity of 43 million tonnes in less than 12 months from first ore.
The planned increase of capacity is expected to be achieved via upgrades within the facility, including chutes and conveyor belts.
To carry out such an operation, Rio Tinto will require additional mining fleet, including haul trucks and diggers, and a small expansion of the product stockyards, it said.
“What we have learnt during the rapid ramp-up of Gudai-Darri has given us the confidence to find better ways to increase capacity at our newest and most technologically advanced mine,” Matthew Holcz, Rio Tinto’s Iron Ore Managing Director of Pilbara Mines, said in a press release.
“Rather than taking a capital-intensive approach to replicate existing infrastructure, we have now identified a low-capital pathway to creep capacity to 50 million tonnes a year,” Holcz added.
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