New Zealand-based phosphate company, Chatham Rock Phosphate (CRP), is conducting a feasibility study to build a new railway in Australia's Queensland that could provide an alternative to using the Mount Isa railway operated by Aurizon.
The new railway, to be called RailPhos, will connect CRP's proposed Korella North phosphate rock mine to its planned export facility at the port of Karumba. There is no rail connection to the Karumba port currently. Another phosphate project, the 1mn t/yr PhosOne facility, plans to use a slurry pipeline to transport phosphate rock and concentrate to the same port.
CRP expects to export phosphate rock to China and Vietnam from its projects in Australia. And RailPhos will enable it to export up to 10mn t/yr of phosphate through a common-use facility at the Karumba port, CRP has said.
Phosphate projects in northwestern Queensland have long struggled with transport, specifically issues surrounding the Mount Isa railway.
Australian fertilizer and chemicals company Dyno Nobel's (formerly Incitec Pivot) Phosphate Hill mine is currently under strategic review and Centrex's Ardmore mine could potentially be taken over by phosphate company PRL Group. The Mount Isa railway is a significant challenge, both companies said.
CRP was not available for comment.
