Gina Rinehart’s family company Hancock Prospecting plans to develop a 20 million tonnes per year iron ore mine on Mulga Downs, the cattle station where the heiress with an estimated worth of $31 billion grew up.
Hancock Prospecting, which reaped a profit of $7.3 billion last financial year, first wants to start developing “imminently” a smaller mine that would operate for up to five years.
In documents lodged with the WA Environmental Protection Authority on Friday Hancock Prospecting said the Murray’s Hill mine would only need approvals for clearing vegetation as the EPA decided in 2013 that it did not require detailed assessment.
The development of the mine was delayed when iron ore prices tumbled. About 900 hectares of land would be cleared to mine up to five million tonnes of iron ore annually.
Trucks travel on Great Northern Highway to Port Hedland to export the ore as the area is not yet connected to rail.
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Separately Roy Hill plans to build a rail spur from its existing line to service Hancock Prospecting’s proposed 20 million tonnes a year Mulga Downs mine and other mines in the region.
The longer-term Mulga Downs mine will straddle an area about 75 kilometres long from east to west in the Fortescue River floodplain, about 15 kilometres north of Karijini National Park.
Almost a quarter of the 40,000 hectare area would be cleared of native vegetation.
Gina Rinehart’s family company Hancock Prospecting plans to develop a 20 million tonnes per year iron ore mine on Mulga Downs, the cattle station where the heiress with an estimated worth of $31 billion grew up.
Hancock Prospecting, which reaped a profit of $7.3 billion last financial year, first wants to start developing “imminently” a smaller mine that would operate for up to five years.
In documents lodged with the WA Environmental Protection Authority on Friday Hancock Prospecting said the Murray’s Hill mine would only need approvals for clearing vegetation as the EPA decided in 2013 that it did not require detailed assessment.
The development of the mine was delayed when iron ore prices tumbled. About 900 hectares of land would be cleared to mine up to five million tonnes of iron ore annually.
Trucks travel on Great Northern Highway to Port Hedland to export the ore as the area is not yet connected to rail.
Loading
Separately Roy Hill plans to build a rail spur from its existing line to service Hancock Prospecting’s proposed 20 million tonnes a year Mulga Downs mine and other mines in the region.
The longer-term Mulga Downs mine will straddle an area about 75 kilometres long from east to west in the Fortescue River floodplain, about 15 kilometres north of Karijini National Park.
Almost a quarter of the 40,000 hectare area would be cleared of native vegetation.