Atlas Iron
Encyclopedia
Atlas Iron an Australia
n mining
company and an iron ore explorer, developer and producer, predominantley active in the Pilbara region.
The company operates two iron ore mines in Western Australia
, the Pardoo mine
, which opened in 2008, and the Wodgina mine
, which opened in July 2010.
on the 17 December 2004, under the name of Atlas Gold Limited. On 30 March 2006, the company changed its name to Atlas Iron Limited.
Atlas became Australias newest iron ore producer when it commenced production at Pardoo in late 2008.
The company plans to lift production from its Pilbara operations to 12 million tonnes of iron ore by 2012, up from 6.5 million tonnes in late 2010. Of these, 10 million tonnes are scheduled to come from the new Turner River hub, which is to blend and process ore from the company's northern Pilbara projects, located at Wodgina, Abydos and Mt Webber.
Atlas is hopeful to come to terms with BHP Billiton in regards to using the company's rail infrastructure, the Goldsworthy railway
, in the future. BHP, in late 2010, had agreed to a joint feasibility study into how an arrangement might work.
In December 2010, Atlas Iron made a bid to buy Giralia Resources; it may be possible to merge Atlas' Mt Webber mine with Giralia’s nearby Dalton mine.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
company and an iron ore explorer, developer and producer, predominantley active in the Pilbara region.
The company operates two iron ore mines in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, the Pardoo mine
Pardoo mine
The Pardoo mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 75 kilometres east of Port Hedland.The mine is fully owned and operated by Atlas Iron Limited and was, at the time of commencemenet of production, the company's only operational mine...
, which opened in 2008, and the Wodgina mine
Wodgina mine
The Wodgina mine is an iron ore mine located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, 90 kilometres south of Port Hedland.The mine is fully operated by Atlas Iron Limited and is the company's second operational mine, after Pardoo, which opened in 2008...
, which opened in July 2010.
Company history
Atlas was listed on the Australian Securities ExchangeAustralian Securities Exchange
The Australian Securities Exchange was created by the merger of the Australian Stock Exchange and the Sydney Futures Exchange in July 2006. It is the primary stock exchange group in Australia....
on the 17 December 2004, under the name of Atlas Gold Limited. On 30 March 2006, the company changed its name to Atlas Iron Limited.
Atlas became Australias newest iron ore producer when it commenced production at Pardoo in late 2008.
The company plans to lift production from its Pilbara operations to 12 million tonnes of iron ore by 2012, up from 6.5 million tonnes in late 2010. Of these, 10 million tonnes are scheduled to come from the new Turner River hub, which is to blend and process ore from the company's northern Pilbara projects, located at Wodgina, Abydos and Mt Webber.
Atlas is hopeful to come to terms with BHP Billiton in regards to using the company's rail infrastructure, the Goldsworthy railway
Goldsworthy railway
The Goldsworthy railway, owned and operated by BHP Billiton, is a private rail network in the Pilbara region of Western Australia for the purpose of carrying iron ore. It is one of two railway lines the group operates in the Pilbara, the other being the Mount Newman railway.Additionally to the BHP...
, in the future. BHP, in late 2010, had agreed to a joint feasibility study into how an arrangement might work.
In December 2010, Atlas Iron made a bid to buy Giralia Resources; it may be possible to merge Atlas' Mt Webber mine with Giralia’s nearby Dalton mine.