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    Rhodes Ridge feasibility study: design and integration notes for mine planners

    December 16, 2025|

    Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

    Rhodes Ridge feasibility study: design and integration notes for mine planners

    First reported on International Mining – News

    30 Second Briefing

    Rhodes Ridge Joint Venture partners have approved a US$191 million feasibility study (Rio Tinto share US$96 million) for the first phase of the Rhodes Ridge iron ore project in Western Australia’s Pilbara. The study will define an initial production hub, including mine, crushing and screening facilities, overland conveying and rail connection into Rio Tinto’s existing Pilbara network. Outcomes will shape pit design, geotechnical slope parameters, materials handling capacity and integration with current 220+ Mt/y system infrastructure.

    Technical Brief

    • Feasibility scope includes defining initial annual production rate for the Rhodes Ridge operation.
    • Geotechnical work will focus on slope stability, pit wall angles and haul ramp geometries in banded iron formation.
    • Materials handling design will size crushing, screening and conveying to match both ore quality and blend requirements.
    • Hydrogeological assessment is expected to address dewatering requirements and potential impacts on regional groundwater regimes.
    • Environmental and heritage constraints in the Pilbara will drive waste dump siting, haul road alignments and pit expansion options.
    • Outcomes will inform staged capital deployment, enabling modular expansion of the Rhodes Ridge hub beyond the initial phase.

    Our Take

    Within our 327 Mining stories, Pilbara iron ore pieces linked to Rio Tinto tend to focus on sustaining existing hubs, so a high-ticket feasibility spend at Rhodes Ridge signals a pivot towards long-life replacement tonnes rather than incremental debottlenecking.

    The related coverage describing Rhodes Ridge as “one of the world’s best undeveloped iron ore deposits” suggests this US$191 million study is likely to underpin a Tier 1-style development case, which can influence benchmark expectations for future Pilbara blend quality and mine life in Western Australia.

    In our database, iron ore project studies of this scale are typically associated with complex infrastructure integration, implying that the Rhodes Ridge Joint Venture will need to address rail and port capacity alignment with Rio Tinto’s existing Pilbara system early in the feasibility work.

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    Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.

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