Pilbara iron ore developer Aurox Resources Ltd has taken a further step in the development of its Balla Balla magnetite project, securing a port access agreement with the Port Hedland Port Authority.
The company has secured an area at the Utah Point Multiuser Facility which is capable of servicing a shipping operation in excess of 10 million tonnes per annum.
Aurox will install and operate its own dewatering, stacking and reclaiming equipment, with the capacity to feed the PHPA out-loading conveyor system at its design rate of 7,500 tonne per hour.
Aurox Managing Director Charles Schaus said the port agreement was a major milestone for Aurox and its shareholders.
"Access to port facilities is clearly a critical element in the development of a project such as this - without a port there is no project," Mr Schaus said.
"The signing of this agreement further de-risks the Balla Balla project, and keeps us on track toward first shipment of magnetite concentrate in the second half of 2010," Mr Schaus said.
Aurox will transport the Balla Balla magnetite concentrate 110 kilometres from the mine site to Utah Point via a buried slurry pipeline, avoiding the traffic, dust and noise associated with a trucking operation. The slurry product will be dewatered at the port with the majority of process water returned to Balla Balla for reuse. However, a small quantity of water will be retained at the port for dust suppression and wash down purposes.
Aurox will prepay a Port Facility Charge which is refunded by the PHPA through a formulated reduction of port utilisation fees against future Balla Balla tonnage shipped over the Utah Point Berth. The term of the Agreement is 15 years.
"Although Aurox will be the biggest user of the Utah Point facility, our operations will have no adverse impact on the Port Hedland Community," Mr Schaus said.
PHPA Chief Executive Officer Andre Bush stated "We would like to welcome Aurox Resources as a cornerstone partner in Utah Point. Securing Port access removes a critical barrier to entry for Auroxand we're pleased to facilitate the provision of this important piece of infrastructure."
Shares in Aurox, which had been in a trading halt, jumped nearly 11 per cent in early trade to $1.05 before settling at 95c.
