Mid West miners look for alternative to Oakajee Updated 7 hours 55 minutes ago
PHOTO: Oakajee's backer has slashed jobs and spending on the deep water port project. (OPR) MAP: Geraldton 6530 A mineral exploration company says it has teamed up with Mid West miners to produce a back up plan if the Oakajee Port and Rail project does not go ahead.
Last week, Oakajee's Japanese backer, Mitsubishi, slashed jobs and spending on the $6 billion project because of economic conditions and struggles to secure an equity partner.
Now, Padbury Mining's managing director Gary Stokes says the company is working with Mid West miners to offer an alternative to the OPR project. H He says OPR is dead and Mid West iron ore miners need another option.
"Patience has been long and sometimes it wears a little thin but I think we are getting closer to a realistic solution to the region," he said.
"None of us are going anywhere without any port or rail so it's in all of our interest to work together and make this happen."
Mr Stokes says an official announcement on OPR is months away.
"I think people have been hanging by their fingernails for a very long and after a while people start to get a bit disgruntled so we don't want to see that happen," he said.
"We just want to see clarity and we want to move forward because everyone of us is in the same position - we all need a port."
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