Mines and Petroleum Minister Norman Moore officially opened Fortescue Metals Group’s (FMG) new iron ore berth in Port Hedland last week.
Berth AP3 is the first of two new berths to be constructed at the town’s Herb Elliott Port, which plans to achieve a 120 million tonne capacity by early 2013.
“It’s projects like this that help support the current growth of the resources industry in Western Australia, where there is around $138billion worth of resource projects under construction or committed at present,” Mr Moore said.
“It will also help solidify this State as a major player on the world stage.
“This new berth is a welcome addition to the State, which relies on operators like FMG to help drive growth.”
The Minister said iron ore accounted for record sales of $62.8billion in 2011, a 29 per cent increase on the previous year, representing 59 per cent of WA’s total resources sales in 2011.
“WA’s mining sector continues to be the engine room of the nation and the backbone of the State and national economy,” he said.
“The development of infrastructure such as this port extension is crucial in supporting the growth of our mining sector.
“We all know that WA’s international standing as a destination of choice for investment in the mining industry is high, you only have to look at the 2011-12 Fraser Institute survey results to work that out. We are rated among the top 20 mining jurisdictions in the world.
“I congratulate FMG for reaching this key milestone and also Twiggy Forrest for his contribution to the iron ore industry and the State economy.”
