BHP Billiton Iron Ore
- Ownership: 80 - 100 per cent
- Products: Iron ore
- Location: Western Australia
- Website: Iron Ore
BHP Billiton Iron Ore is one of the world’s leading suppliers of iron ore, with approximately 2,000 employees and 5,000 contractors employed in operations which include seven mine sites, port and processing facilities, nearly 1,000 kilometres of railway track and a rail fleet comprising over 70 locomotives and over 4,000 ore cars.
BHP Billiton Iron Ore is currently embarking on several major growth projects at both our mines and ports, laying the foundations for future growth. These growth projects will increase our capacity in order to meet the demands of our major customers.
Demand for iron ore is strongly correlated to Chinese steel production growth. Since 2002 the Chinese market has well and truly absorbed all related capacity in the global iron ore production system and is expected to continue driving future market growth.
BHP Billiton Iron Ore exports more than 100 million tonnes per annum of iron ore to steel mills in Asia, Europe and Australia. Iron Ore is one of Western Australia's largest export earners.
Employment
Large exploration and expansion projects continue to present us with new challenges. We are continually looking for talented people to lend their ideas and skills to the development of new proprietary ways of selecting and targeting prospective areas, as well as enhancing project designs and technical systems.
In our ongoing efforts to expand our mining capabilities and strengthen BHP Billiton Iron Ore’s position as a world leader, we are looking for professionals to bring their skills and expertise to the following areas:
- Mining Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Geology
- Metallurgy
- External Affairs
- Health & Safety
- Finance
- Supply
- Human Resources
Operations
BHP Billiton Iron Ore has seven mining operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Our operations include the biggest single-pit, open-cut ore mine in the world – the massive Mt Whaleback mine. Port Hedland and Newman are the major Pilbara towns with iron ore operations.
BHP Billiton Iron Ore uses the open-cut method of mining. This involves drilling holes into the pit floor and inserting explosives to break up the solid rock. The ore at Mt Whaleback is an exceptionally high grade, containing up to 68 per cent iron. After blasting, excavators scoop up the iron ore and load it into haul trucks, to be transported to the primary crusher.
The crusher breaks down the boulders of up to 1.5 metres in diameter into lumps about the size of a football. It is then transferred to a secondary crusher, where it is broken down into grapefruit-sized lumps.
From here, it is sent to stockpiles ready for loading onto trains. Waste rock from the mine, which is low in iron content, is retained for use in rehabilitation.
History
In June 2006, BHP Billiton Iron Ore celebrated 40 years since the first shipment of iron ore left the Pilbara from Port Hedland, heralding the beginning of a long and prosperous era for both the Pilbara region and Western Australia.
While the first recorded iron ore deposits in the Pilbara date back to the 1800s, development of the industry did not begin until the 1960s. The chance discovery of the massive Mt Whaleback iron ore deposit (some 400 kilometres south of Port Hedland) by Stan Hilditch in 1957, followed by the removal of a Commonwealth embargo on exporting the mineral in 1960, sparked an iron ore boom.
Contact Us
Newman
HR Administration Assistant
PO Box 655
Newman WA 6753
Phone: (61 8) 9175 3777
Fax: (61 8) 9175 1256
Perth
HR Administrator
225 St Georges Terrace
PO Box 7122, Cloisters Square
Perth WA 6850
Phone: (61 8) 9320 4014
Fax: (61 8) 9320 4274
Port Hedland
HR Administrator
PO Box 231
Port Hedland WA 6721
Phone: (61 8) 9173 6401
Fax: (61 8) 9173 6160