region Rio Tinto's iron ore operations in the Pilbara began in 1966, The mine has an annual production capacity of 28 million tonnes of iron ore, sourced from open-pit operations. The ore is processed on site before being loaded onto rail. Ore from Mount Tom Price, like
Brockman,
Paraburdoo,
Channar,
Eastern Range,
Marandoo and
Yandicoogina are transported as lump and fines ore product from the mines to
Dampier via rail. Before being loaded onto ships for export, the product is blended and rescreened. The maximum size for the lumps is 31.5 mm, while the fines are at a maximum of 6.3 mm. Ore from the mine is then transported to the coast through the
Hamersley & Robe River railway, where it is loaded onto ships. The mine's workforce is residential and lives in Tom Price. The company is building a 45MW/12MWh
battery as a
virtual synchronous machine to control the mine's electricity grid. ==References==