Australian miner Fortescue Metals Group has announced that its Firetail iron ore mine, the first stage of the US$3.2 billion Solomon hub, has been officially opened, strengthening the company's position "as one of the world's leading producers of iron ore and a vital supplier for our Asian customers". Firetail is the third mine opened by Fortescue in five years.
Fortescue stated that the 60 million mt per year Solomon mine is a major component of Fortescue's expansion to 155 million mt per year by the end of the current calendar year. Firetail will produce 20 million mt per year of iron ore, while the second stage of the development, the Kings mine, will produce another 40 million mt per year.
As SteelOrbis previously reported, Fortescue began commissioning the Firetail ore processing facility last month and production is expected to ramp up quickly, increasing Fortescue's capacity to 115 million mt per year.