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KARARA MINING LTD
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Karara Mining Ltd
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Jane Bordenave talks to Karara Mining Ltd about its Iron Ore Project and what makes it different from other ore projects
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arara Mining Ltd was established as a joint venture in 2007 between the Australian mining company Gindalbie Metals Ltd and Chinese steel manufacturer AnSteel. Its primary function is to develop the AU$2 billion Karara Iron Ore Project, but will also be used as a vehicle to look at other future opportunities. The ore body at Karara offers the potential for a very long mine life, which was attractive to both Gindalbie Metals and AnSteel and the deciding factor in forming the joint venture. However, this ore body is not hematite, the type of ore normally found in Australia; it is magnetite. “Processing magnetite in Australia is something of a challenge for us and the project,� says Peter McBain, general manager of development
new ground
Karara Mining Ltd
is a full induction process, and all people working on site are expected to be accredited by the national framework for skilled workers and operators, showing that they are competent to work in their position. “On top of these qualifications and initial inductions, we also have a strong fitness to work scheme, where we ensure no one is under the influence of alcohol or drugs or is impaired by fatigue. In fact, our rosters are worked out in such a way that we ensure all our workers get enough rest, giving them more home time than some other similar sized projects,” says McBain. “We have regular safety meetings, including a weekly toolbox meeting to discuss issues and outcomes. There are also safety committees, which are comprised of a 50:50 split between workers and management, so that we can keep a balanced focus.” The company runs what McBain calls a ‘front-led safety culture’, focussing on hazards that have been identified and dealt with and what has been done in terms of prevention, rather than accidents that have happened over the year. However, he acknowledges that, of course, this second part is also important. “At the end of the day, that is the final scoreboard, but we want to build on our successes and what we have done right in order to bring those figures down, rather than what went wrong.”
For the future, the company’s immediate focus is on completing site construction and getting the project moving. There are also hematite deposits around the main ore body, which the firm hopes to develop, mine and ship as soon as it can. Once all the infrastructure and equipment is fully in place for the main mine, the next stage will be a process of increasing capacity. “Over the next 10-11 years we will be working to steadily upgrade the mine and production facility, raising our output from the initial eight million tonnes to 30 million tonnes. However, this will be very much a logical and progressive development, rather than trying to rush things all in one go.” Once the Karara Iron Ore Project is well under way, the organisation will also begin to look at the possibility of opening other mines in the territory and engaging in some of the down-stream, value added processes. Karara Mining Ltd is breaking new ground by opening up the mid-west as the new centre of mining, and establishing a foothold for magnetite processing. As the first company in the country to mine and process this mineral, it is building up a knowledge pool that will enable it to expand both the Karara mine and other areas. http://www.gindalbie.com.au/Our+Projects/ Karara+Iron+Ore+Project/default.aspx
KARARA MINING LTD