On December 6, Australian iron ore company Brockman Resources Limited announced that it has been granted a mining lease at Marillana by Australia's Department of Mines and Petroleum. The granting of the mining lease means Brockman has taken a significant leap forward towards realising its objective of becoming the fourth largest iron ore (hematite) producing company in Australia.
The granting of the mining lease paves the way for future mining activities on the Marillana tenement, and concludes two years of field surveys, discussions and negotiations with the traditional land owners, the Martu Idja Banyjima Group and the Nyiyaparli Group.
According to the announcement, the development of the Marillana Iron Ore Project, 100 percent owned by Brockman in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, is progressing well, with all drilling (metallurgical and resource definition) to support the definitive feasibility study (DFS) now completed.
"It's a great kick start to the new year. This coincides with the market forecast for a solid start to 2010 with the implied iron ore FOB spot price now attracting an 80 percent premium to the 2009 contract price. The Brockman team will continue to work in earnest to maintain the scheduled completion date of Q3 2010 for the DFS, with its principal engineering and design manager, Ausenco Limited," Wayne Richards, managing director of Brockman Resources, stated.
Meanwhile the port pre-feasibility study (PFS) associated with the design, construction and operation of a multi-user port facility in the inner harbour of Port Hedland, along with a progress report on the relevant environmental and legislative approvals, is scheduled to be completed early next month. "The Port PFS will provide a vital framework for the port development requirements to accommodate the NWIOA members' projected 50 million metric tons per annum of iron ore exports by 2013. This framework along with the achievement of a rail arrangement will support the end-to-end infrastructure prerequisites for the development of the Marillana Project," Mr. Richards added.