Commissioning of the first stage of the Chichester Hub expansion is now complete and construction of the next stage, including a second ore processing facility, has already begun.
Synergies will be achieved at Christmas Creek through the sharing of stock yards and the train loader together with brownfield expansion of the water and power facilities.
During the 2011 December quarter significant progress was made on the ore processing facility in the erection of primary steel. Foundation works for the remote crushing hub and overland conveyor system were largely completed and early mining works have commenced in two areas in preparation for mine ramp up.
The contract for the new Christmas Creek airstrip was awarded and construction of the airstrip's earthworks, runway and facilities will start in January 2012. Good progress has also been made with the construction of roads and bulk earthworks for other infrastructure.
These expansions will take the installed capacity of the Chichester Hub to 90 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) by the December Quarter 2012. An additional 5mtpa will be transported through Christmas Creek from the Fortescue/BC Iron Nullagine Joint Venture.