Australian iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group has announced that it received approval to increase the material handling capacity of its Herb Elliott Port facility in Port Headland in Western Australia from an annual 175 million mt to an annual 210 million mt on a staged basis.
According to the company, the revised licence utilizes the capacity of Fortescue’s existing port infrastructure, comprising five berths and three ship loaders, and supports the company’s 2021 iron ore shipments guidance of 175 million mt to 180 million mt. The increase in the capacity is in line with the company’s strategy to deliver growth through investment.
“Fortescue’s port operations are world-leading and we have continually demonstrated our capacity to optimise the efficiency and productivity of our port infrastructure to deliver iron ore to our customers. We will continue to ensure that Fortescue remains a significant long-term contributor to the State and National economies through growth and development of our iron ore assets, job creation and investment,” said Elizabeth Gained, CEO of Fortescue.
Fortescue is taking a cautious approach to management of dust at Port Headland with installation and implementation of additional controls, ensuring no net increase in dust emissions as a result of the progressive increase in throughput capacity at Herb Elliott Port.