Mine Details

South taranki bight

http://www.ttrl.co.nz/

iron-ore,

Phone: 

Address: PO Box 10 571, Wellington, NZ, 6143 

State:  PO Box 10 571, Wellington, NZ, 6143

Email: 

http://www.ttrl.co.nz/

 

The South Taranaki Bight Project is located over 22 kilometres off thecoast of Patea, in New Zealand, in about 42 metres of water. It covers an area of 65.76 square kilometres. The project requires the excavation of up to 50 million tonnes of sand from the seabed each year and separating the iron, that is contained in the sand, into iron ore concentrate.

South Taranki Bight Project Granted Mining Licence in May 2014

In May, 2014, New Zealand's Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment granted the South Taranaki Bight Project, developer, Trans-Tasman Resources, a mining permit to mine ironsand at the project site. The permit was for a period of 20 years but it was only the first step in the regulatory process

South Taranki Bight Project Environmental Protection Authority Approval Denied in June, 2014

The following month, in June 2014, the New Zealand Environmental Protection Authority (NZEPA), refused to give its consent for the project to proceed any further. Trans-Tasman Resources later announced it would not appeal the decision of the NZEPA because of the legal costs involved but would consider lodging a fresh application. It was later announced that a new application could not be heard before 2016, at the earliest.

South Taranaki Bight Project mining Operations Take Place on Board

All South Taranaki Bight Project operations are to take place on a purpose built mining and sand processing vessel. Approximately 10 percent of the extracted sand will be processed into iron ore concentrate. The remaining 45 million tonnes a year of residue will be returned to the seabed, directly below the processing vessel, thereby backfilling voids left by mining of the area.

South Taranaki Bight Project Uses Gravity and Magnetic Technology

Processing activity on board the mining vessel would use gravity and magnetic technology to separate the iron from other material making up the seabed sand. No chemicals, or foreign products of any kind, are used throughout the processing at any stage. The iron concentrate that is produced is sent, in a slurry form, to a transhipment vessel to be de-watered and stored while waiting to be transferred to a bulk carrier for exporting around the world.

South Taranaki Bight Project is Located in NZ Exclusive Economic Zone

The whole seabed mining operation is within the New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). All environmental matters concerning the project are controlled by New Zealand government legislation known as the EEZ Act.

South Taranaki Bight Project to be Developed by Trans-Tasman Resources

The South Taranaki Bight Project is being developed by Trans-Tasman Resources (TTR), a New Zealand resource development company that wasestablished in 2007 to explore and develop New Zealand's North Island offshore deposits of iron sand.Although the South Taranaki Bight Project mining permit only covers a small area it will create long term employment for people belonging to the Taranaki communities as it will require up to 200 personnel to operate the offshore vessels and another 50 support staff in contracting, environmental, administration and engineering roles. A further 170 jobs are expected to be created indirectly.Titano-magnetite iron sand, is a heavy black magnetic iron ore that was formed as crystals in the volcanic rocks in western Taranaki and in the Taupo volcanic zone. The sand was eventually taken to the coast by rivers and then spread along the coast by sea currents finishing up, in many cases, on the beach as sand dune lag ore bodies.Trans-Tasman Resources believe there is a world wide market for iron ore concentrate, for any producer able to supply the product over a long period, as steel plants in Russia and China, as well as New Zealands own Glenbrook steel mill, use this type of product as either a pure feed, or at high concentrations. Other plants blend iron concentrate with other types of iron in an effort to reduce overall production costs.


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