Fortescue Metals unveils concept for new mine, new rail and new port

The project, known as Solomon is expected to cost around US$3,34bn.

Within the next two years Western Australia’s big new iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (ASX: FMG) will decide whether it will open up a new iron ore mining area in the Pilbara of Western Australia.

The project known as Solomon was detailed at the Sydney Mining Club and was said to have a development cost of A$3.6 billion (US$3.34 billion).

Fortescue launched its operations through the Cloudbreak mine in the Chichester Range to export to China through a port developed by the company at Anderson Point in Port Hedland. The company has started development on its second mine, Christmas Creek, also in the Chichester Range.

Solomon is well west of Cloudbreak. It was indicated the company’s capacity out of Port Hedland may cater only for ore from the Chichester hub, so a second port and new rail link would be required to a Pilbara port at Anketell Point – particularly if Fortescue ramps up beyond 155 million tonnes per annum of export ore.

The cost of developing Solomon would take in A$850 million (US$790.8 million) for the mine, a similar amount for the railway, and A$700 million (US$651.3 million) for processing plant

The company claimed that while a lot more drilling was required the Solomon hub had potential to be much larger than the Chichester Ranges operations, currently mining at a rate of 38 Mtpa and gearing to increase to 95 Mtpa.

The Solomon mine could begin at 60 Mtpa, expanding to 100 Mtpa.

While Cloudbreak and Christmas Creek are bedded iron formations, not mined elsewhere in the Pilbara at this stage, Solomon has a mix in its iron ore geology and includes what is known as channel iron deposits.

Sydney Mining Club delegates were told that exploration in the Pilbara in the past five years has yielded reserves and resources for Fortescue of 6.3 billion tonnes, including reserves of 1.6 billion tonnes.  The discovery cost was put at A2cents a tonne.

Fortescue dominates the landholdings for iron ore in the Pilbara with 17,400 square kilometres, compared to Rio Tinto with 11,000 sq km and BHP Billiton 6,500 sq km.

Fortescue’s holdings include a large number of coastal and offshore tenements, assumedly for ironsands shed over the eons. The company also holds coastal and offshore tenements in New Zealand for ironsands.

Source  :  www.mineweb.co.za

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Chopper, cameras to be used in summer shark patrol

DAILY shark patrols will begin next month as part of a $1.1million plan by Surf Lifesaving WA to keep beachgoers safe this summer.

Surf Lifesaving spokesman Chris Peck said $500,000 would be spent keeping the Westpac rescue helicopter in the air for three hours every day from mid-December to the end of February.  This year’s safety plan also included spending $600,000 on 30 emergency response points at secluded beaches and 27 beach surveillance cameras. And 4300 lifesavers will patrol beaches.

It is a significant investment in using technologies to combat coastal incidents, Mr Peck said.  It is the biggest presence we have ever had. Mr Peck said the State Government had agreed to provide thousands of dollars to help operate daily helicopter patrols.  The helicopter will fly for three hours between 6.30am and 2pm.

He said the public wanted more beach patrols in summer, with many people unhappy that aerial shark patrols had operated only on weekends and public holidays.  Mr Peck said ideally aerial patrols would operate five hours a day, but there wasn’t enough money to keep the helicopter in the air longer.

I think the pressure probably came from the public to have a service mid-week, he said.  The fact that something is up there (the helicopter) looking after them gives people a sense of security.  I would have liked another two hours so that we were flying five hours a day.  It would have enabled us to spread our patrol coverage a little more broadly.

Mr Peck said the use of emergency response points and surveillance cameras would help save lives. The response points are like emergency freeway phones.  Beachgoers can push the button and say to an operator I have seen a shark, someone is caught in a rip so we can get a team to that beach quickly he said.  The beach surveillance cameras don’t just take images, they gather data.  Whether it’s looking for sharks or missing people in the water, it has the functionality to assist as a third eye.

Source www.news.com.au

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Mother nature to drizzle on Perth all week

After four dry days, showers are returning to Perth and are likely each day through to the end of next week, bringing 30 to 50 millimetres of  rain.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

The area from Mandurah to Margaret River should be the wettest with more than 50mm for some.

The wettest days are likely to be today, Saturday and Monday as three cold fronts link up with bands of cloud from the Indian Ocean.

These days are also likely to be the windiest with potential severe gusts of 90kmh or stronger in coastal parts, south of about Perth. Winds of this strength can bring down trees. Gusts in excess of 100kmh cannot be ruled out.

July is traditionally the wettest month of the year for southwest Western Australia and this coming wet spell will take most of the region to about two-thirds of the monthly average. So far, less than half the monthly average rainfall has fallen.

Perth has had 52mm, compared to the average of 149mm.

With this rain to come, this July is still unlikely to be wetter than last year when 179mm fell.

Source  :  www.watoday.com.au

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Ocean Reef Marina Concept Plan

The Concept Plan and Structure Plan that details how the Ocean Reef Marina site should be developed and how it should look in the future.

The concept plan has been developed using feedback and input from the Community Reference Group, Ocean Reef Marina Committee (of Council) and the Ocean Reef Marina Steering Committee.

Based on input from the above, the key issues identified in developing the Ocean Reef Marina site were the provision of: 

• An iconic marina development accessible to all residents                                    
• First class boating facilities and infrastructure
• Quality marine recreation facilities
• Best practice environmental conservation and preservation 

The Ocean Reef Marina development has the potential to provide the City’s residents with a world class recreational, residential, boating and tourism marina, development that encapsulates high levels of environmental sustainability, community amenity and delivers economic growth and social benefit. 

Preliminary studies and research in the areas of environmental impact and sustainability, structure planning, coastal engineering and hydrology, and financial and commercial viability have been completed and indicate that the site does have the potential for a development of this nature.

Source   www.joondalup.wa.gov.au

 

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Daylight Saving Result

The votes have been counted and WA has again rejected daylight saving.

For the fourth time in 34 years West Australians gave daylight saving the thumbs down.   West Australians have rejected daylight saving in what will be the final referendum during the Barnett Government’s  power.

Results showing No vote has a lead – 531,786 votes against daylight saving compared to 426,531 for Yes to save  daylight saving. 

Premier Colin Barnett post an early vote  placing a ‘Yes’ on his ballot paper, although he said a ‘Yes’ vote was unlikely to win.

Mr Barnett described the poll as a lifestyle issue and said whatever the outcome it would not really effect people’s lives.

The Yes cause fared best in northern coastal suburbs such as Joondalup, Mindarie, Ocean Reef and Hillarys.

In WA’s agricultural region the no vote had a massive 83.84 per cent of the vote.

Three per cent of WA voters were undecided.

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