Rio iron seeks Perth operations centre

Rio Tinto Iron Ore Ltd is believed to be close to finalising a deal to create an operational command centre in Perth as part of a shift towards remote-controlled workplaces.

The centre is likely to be built on industrial land at Perth Airport.

Speculation suggests a 7,000 square metre, four-storey building will house a workforce using state-of-the-art equipment to run a 24-hour operation.

The airport, one of the few areas of convenient industrial land remaining in Perth, is proving a popular location for the resources sector at the moment. Sinclair Knight Merz is opening a 1,300sqm safety training centre near the domestic terminal with the objective of providing services to the resources sector.

Rio Tinto chief executive Tom Albanese has previously flagged the prospect of remote-controlled mines, with the Pilbara region seen as a logical place to experiment.

Talk within Rio Tinto is that the group would like to have an automated mine site within five years.

A first step in automation would involve driverless trains and driverless trucks.

Perth-based Rio Tinto Iron Ore already has a big command centre for its rail operations located at Dampier, with dozens of technicians overseeing the massive transport system.

That could be relocated to Perth to be housed in the new command centre.

A spokesman could not confirm the deal or provide details.

“It is no secret we are looking to do more remote operations,” the spokesman told WA Business News.

It is understood that some form of remote-controlled mining has been successfully trialled already in the Pilbara.

However, Rio Tinto sources played down the likelihood of full automation.

“There will always be people up there, you will never have a de-peopled mine,” a source said.

A benefit of the move to locate more operational control to Perth will be to free up much needed accommodation for other workers associated with the expansion of Rio Tinto’s north-west iron ore operations, which has announced plans to grow to 320 million tonnes per annum.

It is believed Rio Tinto sees benefits in bringing all parts of the operational flow together in one place where all parties involved in the handling of ore from the mine to ship can share information more readily.

“This is a logistics business,” said one source. “The more seams, the more costs. The more delay the less profit.

“A bottleneck is where one part doesn’t talk to another.”