On his second tour through South Australia, near the end of a three-month round-Australia trip, Hotspotting on Safari correspondent Bob Wilson reports on Iron Road’s proposed $2.5 billion magnetite mine, near Wudinna. Wudinna, a small town near the Gawler Ranges on the Eyre Peninsula, is known for quality wheat, barley and other grains - and for the imposing 8m high granite statue, ‘The Australian Farmer’. Perth listed company Iron Road achieved Major Project status from the SA Government for its plans to develop the mine near Wudinna and also a rail link to a new port at Cape Hardy. The company lodged a DA with the Government in June. It seeks permission for a deep sea port and export facility at Cape Hardy and a village to house mine near Wudinna, current population 1,000. The project also needs an infrastructure corridor for a rail line, power transmission line (from Port Augusta), water pipeline and bore field. The open-cut mine will produce 12.4 million tonnes of ore a year. Iron Road says the mine could employ 700 to 1,000 people during construction and create 600 permanent jobs. Construction could start in early 2015 and the mine life would extend up to 30 years. Despite the lure of employment, locals are in two minds about mine plans, as some of the mining tenements cover prime farmland.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 11:48:09 +0000
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