Investor and Media Tours see early production of West Pilbara Fines

Fortescue Metals Group Chief Executive Officer, Elizabeth Gaines, together with the Company’s Core Leadership Team, will host Investor and Media Tours in the Pilbara this week.

The tour will showcase the production of Fortescue’s new 60.1% iron content product West Pilbara Fines. Production of West Pilbara Fines has commenced with higher iron, low alumina ore from the western pits at Cloudbreak transported via Fortescue’s innovative relocatable conveyor, to be blended with ore from the Firetail mine at Fortescue’s Port.

“Innovation in process and design is a key component of Fortescue’s strategy to efficiently and effectively deliver products from mine to market and the introduction of West Pilbara Fines will further enhance the range of ores available for our customers,” Ms Gaines said.

 “Fortescue’s wholly owned, integrated mining operations and infrastructure, together with our innovative processing and blending strategy, provides us the flexibility to deliver West Pilbara Fines before full scale production begins on completion of the Eliwana development.”

Visitors will also have the opportunity to see firsthand Fortescue’s pioneering roll out of autonomous haulage technology. In a global first, Cat Command for hauling, part of Caterpillar’s MineStar technology offering which was first used on a commercial scale at Fortescue’s Solomon Hub, has been retrofitted on a CAT 789D and a Komatsu 930E haul truck. 

“Fortescue has led the way globally in embracing automation at our operations. The 789D is the 35th manned truck to be converted to autonomous at Christmas Creek, demonstrating our progress to becoming the only iron ore operation in the world to have a fully autonomous haulage fleet,” Ms Gaines said.

“The tours will also provide us the opportunity to discuss Fortescue’s new energy agenda with our investors and media representatives, including the integration of renewable energy and our recently announced landmark partnership with CSIRO to commercialise hydrogen technology.”

The tours will highlight Fortescue’s operations as well as the Company’s use of technology to enhance its competitive advantage and will demonstrate Fortescue’s:

• Alignment of operations and marketing strategies
• Long pipeline of improvement projects to C1 costs of US$12-13/wmt through FY19
• Innovative, relocatable conveyor at Cloudbreak
• New tug facilities at Port Hedland, due to commence operation early next year