Tom Price Mine

Tom Price Main And Remnants is situated in the West Pilbara Mineral Field, approximately 1,500 km north of Perth within the Hamersley Range, Western Australia. The terrain is characterised by elevated mesa formations, deeply incised gorges, and iron-rich banded formations. Operational altitude and extreme thermal cycling — exceeding 45°C in summer — impose severe mechanical stress on equipment. The pervasive red ferruginous dust (fine hematite particulate) demands continuous deployment of high-grade filtration systems and accelerates abrasive wear across all rotating and sliding components.

Currently classified as Operating, Tom Price Main And Remnants functions as a mature, multi-bench open pit extracting direct-shipping ore (DSO) and remnant ore bodies. Operational continuity depends on FIFO rotational rosters — typically 8/6 or 14/7 cycles — with personnel mobilised through Tom Price Airport. Camp and village support infrastructure is mission-critical, encompassing:

• Catering and accommodation services for rotating workforce
• On-site medical and emergency response facilities
• Telecommunications redundancy (Telstra primary + satellite backup)
• Scheduled charter flight logistics coordination

The operation deploys a conventional drill-blast-load-haul cycle using large-format hydraulic shovels and ultra-class haul trucks. Crushed and screened ore is transferred via an extensive network of overland conveyors to the primary crushing and screening plant. Conveyor belt systems face extreme abrasion from high-silica ore fractions, requiring:

• Heavy-duty ceramic and rubber lining on transfer chutes
• High-frequency belt tracking and tensioning systems
• Dust suppression systems at all transfer points
• Predictive maintenance protocols for idler and pulley assemblies

Rio Tinto enforces a proactive rehabilitation programme aligned with its 2030 ESG commitments. Tailings and waste rock facilities are engineered to AS 4978 standards, with real-time geotechnical monitoring. Key sustainability pillars include:

• Progressive landform rehabilitation concurrent with active mining
• Tailings storage facility (TSF) integrity monitoring via piezometers and satellite InSAR
• Water recycling circuits minimising freshwater draw from local aquifers
• Biodiversity offset programmes aligned with WA EPA requirements
• Scope 1 & 2 emissions tracking per Rio Tinto Climate Change Report