Rio Tinto to invest $180m in Norman Creek to extend Amrun bauxite mine life
Diversified miner Rio Tinto has approved a $180-million investment and begun work on its Norman Creek access project at the Amrun bauxite mine on Queensland’s Cape York Peninsula.
The project will open up the Norman Creek region, which contains about half of Amrun’s declared ore reserves of 978-million tonnes. Construction has started on a 19-km haul road, camp accommodation and a communications tower.
First production is targeted for 2027, with full construction completion in 2028.
“Norman Creek is another important step in securing the long-term future of our Weipa operations, and the benefits that mining brings to communities in the region, Queensland, and the nation,” Rio Tinto Pacific Operations Aluminium MD Armando Torres said.
“It will maintain jobs in the region through to at least the middle of this century, ensuring continuity for our people and the Weipa community.
“The decision to approve Norman Creek reflects the quality of Western Cape York’s world-class bauxite deposits, combined with the strong operational improvements our people are making at Amrun that are bolstering our confidence to invest for the long-term,” Torres said.
Rio Tinto has also begun early works and a final feasibility study for its proposed Kangwinan project, which could lift annual bauxite production capacity from the company’s Weipa Southern operations by up to 20-million tonnes from the current 23-million tonnes.
If approved, Kangwinan would replace output from the Andoom mine in Queensland and the Gove mine in the Northern Territory, which are expected to close toward the end of the decade. First output could come as early as 2029.
The Norman Creek investment will be classified as replacement capital and is included in the group’s capital expenditure guidance.
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