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The Chichester Hub is an integrated iron ore operation owned by Fortescue in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It comprises the Cloudbreak and Christmas Creek open pit mines, with Christmas Creek located approximately 50 kilometres east of Cloudbreak. The hub has an annual production capacity of approximately 100 million tonnes.

The Chichester Hub has an annual production capacity of approximately 100 Mt. As of June 2020, proved and probable ore reserves were estimated at 1.4 billion tonnes.

Ore from Christmas Creek is transported to Cloudbreak for blending and processing, which includes crushing, screening, scrubbing, and desanding. A Wet High Intensity Magnetic Separators (WHIMS) plant at Christmas Creek recovers an additional 10% of ore. The blended ore is then transported by railway to Port Hedland for export.

The Chichester Hub uses conventional open pit methods, including truck and shovel, surface miners, and strip mining. The haul truck fleet was converted to an autonomous haulage system by October 2020. Liebherr R 9400 E electric excavators began operating at Cloudbreak in December 2023.

Fortescue is implementing decarbonisation projects, including a 60MW solar farm for daytime operations and an additional 190MW solar farm under construction at Cloudbreak. Christmas Creek is also home to Fortescue's Green Energy Hub, which focuses on green hydrogen and green iron initiatives.

BHP's WAIO operations employed or contracted around 23,000 people in 2023. A 2022 report noted that WAIO employed 28.8% females, up from 25.4% in FY21. In FY2021, 10.5% of the workforce was Indigenous.

The Mount Whaleback mine, also known as the Newman West operation, is one of the world's largest single-pit, open-cut iron ore mines. Located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, approximately six kilometres west of Newman, it measures over five kilometres in length and 1.5 kilometres in width. The mine is operated by BHP as part of a joint venture with Mitsui & Co. and ITOCHU Corporation, holding 85 percent, 10 percent, and 5 percent stakes respectively. Operations commenced in 1968, with the nearby town of Newman constructed to support the mine. The pit is planned to eventually reach a depth of 0.5 kilometres.

BHP's Newman Operations, which include Mount Whaleback (Newman West) and Newman East, have a total iron ore production of approximately 78 million tonnes annually.

Ore from the mine is processed at the Newman processing hub, which includes crushing and screening facilities. Lower grade ore undergoes beneficiation. The processed ore is then transported via a more than 1,000-kilometre rail network to port facilities at Port Hedland for export.

A fleet of haul trucks, including Caterpillar 793 models, is used at the site.

As part of the broader Newman operations, there is a focus on replacing production from depleting orebodies, with the Western Ridge Crusher project expected to contribute an average of 25 million tonnes per annum for about 12 years.

High-quality thermal coal producer in Gunnedah Basin. Narrabri is Whitehaven Coal’s long life underground thermal coal mine in north west New South Wales and one of the company’s core producing assets. The mine is operated through Whitehaven group subsidiaries and supplies export thermal coal through established eastern Australian logistics channels. Whitehaven reported 4.3 million tonnes of run of mine coal from Narrabri in FY2025. The operation has received approval for the Stage 3 Extension Project, allowing mining to continue until 2044. That approval underpins Narrabri’s role as a strategic long term asset for Whitehaven while supporting production, regional employment and future reserve development within the approved footprint.

UG longwall mining; coal processing plant

The operation has received approval for the Stage 3 Extension Project, allowing mining to continue until 2044. That approval underpins Narrabri’s role as a strategic long term asset for Whitehaven while supporting production, regional employment and future reserve development within the approved footprint.

The Northern Silica Project is estimated to create 120 construction jobs and 90 operational roles. The Cape Flattery Silica Sands Project is expected to generate 80 construction and 80 operational jobs.

The Cape Flattery Silica Project combines the former Northern Silica Project and Cape Flattery Silica Sands Project, following Diatreme Resources' acquisition of Metallica Minerals in 2024. Located near the Port of Cape Flattery, 220 kilometres north of Cairns, Queensland, the greenfield open pit operation is adjacent to an existing Mitsubishi Corporation mine. Both components have achieved "Coordinated Project" status from the Queensland Government and "Major Project Status" from the Australian Federal Government, and are currently in the development and approvals stage.

The Northern Silica Project is proposed for a 25-year mine life, with production starting at 3 million tonnes per annum and expanding to 5 million tonnes per annum. The Cape Flattery Silica Sands Project component supports a production rate of approximately 3 million tonnes per annum over a 15-year mine life.

Extracted sand will undergo on-site wet concentration, involving screening and washing to reduce impurities like iron oxide and aluminium oxide, before being stockpiled for export.

Mining will utilise conventional open-cut methods, employing front-end loaders, trucks, and potentially a dry bucket wheel system.

The Northern Silica Project component is planned for a phased expansion, starting at 3 million tonnes per annum and increasing to 5 million tonnes per annum.