Mine Details
Coobina
http://www.consminerals.com.au
chromiumMining Camp, FiFo
Phone:
Address:
, West Perth, WA, 6005
State: , West Perth, WA, 6005
Email:
Ukrainian billionaire Gennadiy Bogolyubov created 120 mining jobs in the Pilbara region of Western Australia when he re-opened the Coobina chromium mine on mid 2010. Coobina the only chromium mine in Australia, had been placed on care and maintenance by its previous owners, Pilbara Chromite, a fully owned subsidiary of Consolidated Minerals Limited. Bogolyubov, who had earlier (in 2007) purchased Consolidated Minerals, said the mine was capable of satisfying 2.5 percent of the world demand for chromium, an important ingredient in the making
of stainless steel.
Coobina Mine Placed on Care and Maintenance in 2008 Before Restarting in 2010
The Coobina mine was placed on care and maintenance in 2008 when the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) was at its greatest and the demand for stainless steel fell dramatically. However 20 personnel had remained on site to maintain the beneficiation and crusher plant.
When the mine re-opened in 2010 it began the process of producing a targeted 450,000 tonnes of chromite annually, 2.5 percent of the world demand of 18 million tonnes. The chromite produced at the Coobina open pit mine is trucked to Port Hedland for export to customers in Europe and Asia.
Price Downturn Causes job Cuts at Coobina Mine in Late 2012
Things were not to go smoothly for the Ukrainian billionaire however as by November 2012 the price for chromium had dropped and Consolidated Minerals decided to cut 20 jobs at the Coobina operations, including some contract workers. Consolidate Minerals had already dumped its mining contractor and was operating the mine itself.
The coobina Mine had produced 110,800 tonnes of chromite ore to the end of the 2011/12 financial year but was reportedly still operating with a thin cash margin.
Mineralisation at Coobina Discovered in 1924
The Coobina chromium mine is located 80 kilometres south east of the Pilbara mining town of Newman, in Western Australia. The ore deposit was discovered in 1924 and was once worked under the names of Jimblebah and Murramunda. It was mined as a series of small open cuts for several decades with most of the pits being less than 70 metres deep.
The Coobina Mine has a World Wide Reputation for Reliability in the Supply of Chromite
The Coobina Mine has become well known in the industry as being a reliable and independent supplier of chromite. The chromite deposit itself is located at the western end of a 10 kilometre stretch of what is known as ultramafics, a meta igneous rock formation that is very low in silica and potassium but high in iron, a common rock that makes up the earth's mantle. Chromite deposits in this rock occurs as massive chromite with up to 150 lenses having been mapped so far. The largest around 340 metres long and 6 metres wide.
Chromite Mined at Coobina via Open Pit Method
These chromite deposits are mined at the Coobina Mine via the open pit method by means of dump trucks and a hydraulic excavator. Several pits are mined at the same time in order to get a blending. The ore is crushed on site before being subjected to screening before being beneficiated by means of a heavy media drum plant.
