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Did production problems lead to Rio’s Juukan Gorge debacle? – Sydney Morning Herald
Planning failures, a loss of core skills and historical tensions between Rio Tinto’s London head office and its Australian operations might have contributed to the miner’s ill-fated decision to blow up the Aboriginal rock shelters.
When Rio lowered its production forecast by 20 million tonnes last year, it cited mine operational challenges in its Greater Brockman hub in the Pilbara, within which the caves lie.
The problem seemed to relate to the fact that Rio hadn’t invested enough to remove the overburden – clear the site of dirt and rocks lying above the ore – from the mine.
Brockmans rich ore is a key to Rios famed Pilbara Blend, its benchmark 62 per cent FE product and the one which delivers it a price premium. Rio w…
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