Australia-based miner Hancock Iron Ore has announced that its McPhee Creek mine in Western Australia has produced first ore, marking the transition of the $840 million Pilbara project from construction to operations after around 19 months of development.
Located approximately 100 km north of the Roy Hill mine, McPhee Creek is operated by Hancock Prospecting subsidiary HanRoy Iron Ore Projects Pty Ltd and has a designed annual capacity of 8-9.7 million mt. The project reached first ore on schedule in the 2025-26 financial year, becoming Hancock Iron Ore’s newest producing mine in the Pilbara region.
The development of the project included one million cubic meters of earthworks, the construction of key mine infrastructure, workshops and a 220-room accommodation camp, as well as around 100 km of upgraded sealed roads delivered in partnership with the Western Australian government to improve access to the site and support regional infrastructure.
Ore from McPhee Creek will be transported to Roy Hill for processing and blending, helping to improve the product mix and sustain production volumes across Hancock Iron Ore’s broader Pilbara operations.