It’s the iron ore mine that has spent more time under water than in production. The Cockatoo Island mine sits off the remote West Kimberley coast, 2,000km north of Perth.
The mine’s main deposit sits below sea level, behind a seawall.
Constant maintenance and dewatering is needed to prevent more seawater from seeping in, costing about $1 million a month to maintain.
The pit currently resembles a giant swimming pool, after funding from a potential Chinese backer needed for a final sale evaporated.
Former owner Pluton Resources went into administration in 2015, and receiver Pitcher Partners has been trying to sell the mine since.
“It took us eight months to pump the water out, [it] took six weeks to fill back up,” chairman Bryan Hughes sa…
Read the full article at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2018-07-07/new-hope-for-wa-cockatoo-island-iron-ore-mine/9949968
