Atlas to increase production capacity at Wodgina by 75 percent

On May 9, the Australian iron ore miner Atlas Iron Limited said that it has signed an agreement to expand capacity at its Wodgina iron ore mine in Western Australia's iron-ore rich Pilbara region by 75 percent to seven million mt per year. The company aims to reach an iron ore production capacity of 12 million mt by December 2012.
 
Accordingly, Atlas has entered into a six-year infrastructure agreement with Global Advanced Metals (GAM), which owns infrastructure at the Wodgina tantalum mine site, giving Atlas access to a range of infrastructure including the crushing and screening plant.
 
Atlas said in its statement that it will pay AU$35 million towards the building of alternate screening and crushing capacity on the site by the end of the first quarter of 2012 for GAM's exclusive use.