Rio Tinto has approved a $US180 million ($276.9 million) investment and commenced work on the Norman Creek access project at the Amrun bauxite mine, located on Queensland’s Cape York Peninsula. The Norman Creek access project will facilitate mining in the Norman Creek region, which contains over half of the declared Amrun Ore Reserves, estimated at 978 million tonnes. Rio Tinto is a leading global mining group that focuses on finding, mining, and processing the Earth’s mineral resources. The company supplies materials essential to human progress.
Construction is underway on crucial infrastructure, including a 19-kilometre haul road, camp accommodation, and a communications tower. First production from the Norman Creek site is targeted for 2027, with full construction anticipated to be completed in 2028. This project represents a significant step in expanding Rio Tinto’s bauxite mining operations in the region.
Armando Torres, Rio Tinto Pacific operations aluminium managing director, stated that the Norman Creek project is a crucial step in securing the long-term future of Rio Tinto’s Weipa operations. He further emphasised that the approval of the Norman Creek project reflects the quality of the Western Cape York’s bauxite deposits and the operational improvements being made at Amrun.
In addition to the Norman Creek project, Rio Tinto recently announced the commencement of early works and a final feasibility study on the Kangwinan project. This includes early works and final engineering studies aimed at increasing production capacity at the Amrun bauxite mine. Shares in Rio Tinto were down 0.5 per cent.
