Karara moves on expansion plan

Iron ore miner Karara Mining has taken to the state’s environmental watchdog pushing to expand its mammoth magnetite project in the Mid West and ensure it operates until 2050.

According to documents lodged with the EPA, Chinese-owned Karara is seeking approval to disturb an additional 1,407 hectares within the 13,763-hectare development envelope, expand the tailings storage facility and incorporate more infrastructure.

The revised disturbance area constitutes a 10.2 per cent increase on the proposal previously approved.

According to the company, the new proposal is designed to support the ongoing operation of the magnetite mining and processing operation about 225 kilometres east-southeast of Geraldton.

Last July, Karara awarded Metso Outotec a contract to design of an expansion of its tailings filtration plant, increasing its capacity from 30,000t/d to more than 45,000t/d.

Construction of the expansion is expected to take two years and support the mine to operate until 2050.

The EPA released the plan for seven days of public consultation this morning, with the responses expected to help determine what level of environmental assessment, if any, should be undertaken.

The project was granted environmental approval in 2009, shipping its first direct shipment of ore hematite in 2011 and magnetite concentrate in 2013.

Since then, Karara has spent $4 billion on transforming the multi-billion tonne resource into a fully integrated mining, processing and transport operation, including an 85 kilometre rail line and a 16 million tonne per annum export facility at Geraldton Port.

Karara now exports eight million tonnes of magnetite concentrate annually to China-based offtake partner Ansteel.

It is one of only two magnetite projects in WA.

In July, NRW was named as the front runner to take over MACA as the project's mining contractor as part of a five-year contract worth $702 million.