MinRes breaks ground on a new 7.5 million t/y iron ore project

Lamb Creek is an open pit mine with a designed annual production capacity of approximately 7.5 million tonnes of iron ore and an estimated mine life of over five years, MinRes introduced.

The project includes the construction of supporting crushing facilities and a 16-kilometre ore haul road, according to the announcement. The mine is expected to yield first iron ore in Q4 FY 2026 (April-June 2026), and the products will be exported through Port Hedland.

As the construction of Lamb Creek progresses, MinRes will simultaneously wind down its Wonmunna project, a 5-million t/y iron ore project also located in its Pilbara Hub, the company announced. Wonmunna mine has been in operation for five years and has produced over 26 million tonnes of ore, it noted.

In addition to Lamb Creek and Wonmunna, MinRes also operates the Iron Valley project in the Pilbara Hub, and the combined annual production capacity of these three projects reaches 10 million tonnes, according to the company's official website.

Map of Pilbara operations

Source: WinRes

The total mineral resources in the Pilbara Hub stand at 161 million tonnes at an average grade of 57% Fe, while the ore reserves are 51 million tonnes at an average grade of 57.5% Fe, according to the Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves statements released by MinRes in August this year.

The production guidance for the Pilbara Hub is set at 9-10 million tonnes/year for FY 26, the company's latest announcement highlighted.

Written by Anthea Shi, shihui@mysteel.com

Edited by Russ McCulloch, russ.mcculloch@mysteel.com