WA dominates global iron ore production

Western Australia is home to eight of the top ten iron ore mines in the world, according to IntelligenceMine data.

The top 10 iron ore mining centres, ranked by ore mined in the 2014 calendar year, features the Rio Tinto’s Hamersley Mines at the number one.

The centre, incorporates nine mines in WA managed and maintained by Pilbara Iron, produced a total of 163 million tonnes of iron ore and is also the lowest-cost operation in the world.

Fortescue Metals’ Chichester Hub made the list at number three, with 90Mt produced. The company’s Solomon Hub also made the list at 58Mt.

BHP Billiton features on the list three times, with it’s Yandi, Mount Whaleback and Area C centres.

1. HAMERSLEY, Rio Tinto, Western Australia – 163Mt
2. CARAJAS,  Vale, Para (Brazil) – 120Mt
3. CHICHESTER HUB (Christmas Creek and Cloudbreak Mines), Fortescue Metals, WA – 90Mt
4. YANDI, BHP Billiton, WA – 79Mt
5. MOUNT WHALEBACK, BHP Billiton, WA – 77Mt
6. SOLOMON HUB (Firetail and Kings mines), Fortescue Metals, WA – 58Mt
7. AREA C, BHP Billiton, WA – 57Mt
8. HOPE DOWNS, Rio Tinto/Hancock, WA, 43Mt
9. MARIANA HUB, Vale, Minas Gerais (Brazil) – 39Mt
10. SISHEN, Anglo American, Northern Cape (South Africa) – 36Mt