Australia's iron ore production plans

SYDNEY: Iron ore production in Australia, the world's largest exporter of the steelmaking raw material, is rising rapidly to keep pace with projected increases in China-led demand.

Iron ore exports should rise 3 percent to 414 million tonnes this year before climbing to 459 million tonnes in 2012, according to government trade data.

Below is a list of production schedules for the country's major suppliers driving future output.

RIO TINTO:

Rio Tinto is targeting an increase in production to 333 million tonnes a year by the first-half of 2015 from around 230 million tonnes currently.

BHP BILLITON:

BHP mines about 155 million tonnes of iron ore a year and is developing new mines and port facilities to lift output to 240 million tonnes in 2015.

FORTESCUE METALS GROUP:

Production is scheduled to rise to 155 million tonnes a year by June 2013 from 55 million tonnes currently.

CLIFFS NATURAL RESOURCES:

The company's Cockatoo Island project resumed production in the third quarter of 2010 following construction of a seawall and is forecast to produce 700,000 tonnes through 2012.

MOUNT GIBSON:

The company's Tallering Peak mine is operating at a production rate of 3 million tonnes per year. A second deposit, Koolan Island, is ramping up to a rate of 4 million tonnes a year by December 2011 from 3 million tonnes currently.

MURCHISON METALS:

Production of up to 25 million tonnes per year is being targeted from the Jack Hills mine to coincide with the commissioning of a new 560-km rail line to a new port at Oakajee. Development of the port has been delayed by at least three years to 2015.

Murchison is a 50 percent shareholder in Crosslands Resources Ltd, which is the owner of the Jack Hills mine. The remaining 50 percent of Crosslands is held by a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corp.

SINOSTEEL:

The company's Koolanooka/Blue Hills project commenced operations in early 2010 at a production rate of about 1.5 million tonnes a year and is scheduled to run for five years. Sinosteel has suspended development work on its 15 million-tonnes-per-year Weld Range mine pending a definitive time schedule for construction of the Oakajee port and rail project.

ATLAS IRON:

The current production rate of 7 million tonnes per year from Atlas' Wodgina mine is scheduled to rise to 12 million in 2013 and 22 million tonnes in 2015.

GINDALBIE METALS:

The Karara Project is scheduled to yield 3 million tonnes of hematite ore from mid-2011 and 8 million tonnes annually of magnetite concentrates from late 2011.

BC IRON:

The firm's Nullagine deposit is forecast to yield 300,000 tonnes of iron ore in the half-year to June 30 with full-year output estimated at 2.3 million tonnes. Total product shipped for the year ending December 2011 is expected to be approximately 2.3 million tonnes, rising to 3.5 million-3.7 million in 2012.

GRANGE RESOURCES:

The company's Savage River mine project is yielding 2 million tonnes of iron ore annually, with potential to increase output to 2.6 million during its remaining 16-year mine life.

Copyright Reuters, 2011