Yandicoogina junction

The Yandicoogina iron ore mine in the Western Australia Pilbara Region, 95 kilometres north west of the mining centre of Newman, has been granted expansion approval by the Western Australian Government that will allow mining to continue at the site well into the next decade. Yandicoogina is Australia's largest iron ore mine and an integral part of Rio Tinto's ability to sustain its massive iron ore operations in the region into the future. The expansion approval that was granted in 2012 will substantially extend the life of the Yandicoogina-Junction South East deposit that is now being mined in a totally autonomous manner. The approval will also allow the development of the Yandicoogina-Junction South West deposit.

Yandicoogina-Junction is Rio Tinto's Most Successful Iron Ore Operation
Yandicoogina has become Rio Tinto's Pilbara iron ore operations most successful development since it commenced production in the mid 1990's. It is not only Rio Tinto's largest mine in the region but the largest among all the other iron ore mines operating in the Pilbara, particularly in the mineral rich region of the Hamersley Range.

Rio Tinto's Automated ìMine of the Futureî
The Yandicoogina-Junction open cut mine is also Rio-Tinto's first ìMine of the Futureî as it is being operated by a fully remote controlled method with 10 haulage trucks operating 24 hours a day without drivers. The expansion and the automation is helping the company to realise its ambition of lifting its annual production in the Pilbara to 353 million tonnes of iron ore a year. The company is already on track to increase production to 283 million tonnes a year by 2013.

Y andicoogins-Junction is one of 14 Rio Tinto Mines Operating in the Pilbara
Rio Tinto currently have a total of 14 iron ore mines operating in the Pilbara Region. It also has the biggest privately owned heavy railway network in Australia and three major shipping terminals. The Yandicoogina-Junction Mine is one of eight other mines in the Hamersley Range area actually owned by Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd, a fully owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto Iron Ore, which in turn is a fully owned subsidiary of the global miner Rio Tinto that has its headquarters in Great Britain.

Iron ore From the Yandicoogina-Junction Mine is Blended With Other ores Before Being Exported
Iron ore mined at the Yandicoogina-Junction mine, is taken by rail, on the Hamersley and Robe River Railway, to the port at Dampier for exporting overseas. Before the ore is loaded onto the ships it is blended and screened with other ores sourced from other company mines operating in the same area. Lumps are no more than 31.5 mm and fines are screened to no more than 6.3 mm.

Workers Employed on a Fly-in Fly-out Basis
The around 1,000 strong workforce at the Yandicoogina-Junction Mine is in a fly-in-fly-out roster, that from September 2010 included flights from Derby to accommodate Aboriginal workers living in Derby, Broome, Carnarvon, Nullagine and Meekatharra.

Automation Plans Being Expanded
The Yandicoogina-Junction mine is well on the way to becoming a fully autonomous operation as it has successfully trialled remote controlled haulage trucks working in the Yandicoogina-Junction South East pit. The company has since ordered a further 150 AHS (Autonomous Haulage System) haul trucks to be utilised within its Pilbara mines. It is also working towards driver assist systems on its trains and vacuum moorings in its ports. From 2014 an AutoHaul system of driver-less trains will be introduced into it railway network.