Sierra Leone woos miners to clean energy with $11 billion plan
Most mining firms rely on their own diesel supplies to extract iron ore, diamonds, rutile and bauxite in the resource-rich country.
A Californian company started to export iron ore from the Port of Long Beach for the first time in 40 years, reported the Long Beach Post on Wednesday.
SA Recycling, the largest scrap metal processor in the US, sent its initial shipment of 50,000 tonnes in March.
The firm said the price of iron ore is starting to rise to the point where it can afford to mine and ship it to other countries, like China, South Korea, Malaysia and other Asian markets.
Along with Utah-based CML Metals Corp., SA Recycling is working to obtain the raw material from mines in Utah, California, Arizona and Nevada.
The Long Beach operation is the only iron ore exporter on the West Coast.
SA Recycling estimates it could ship more than 1 million tonnes of the steel-making ingredient this year, if market demand remains strong.
Image: James R. Tourtellotte, via Wikimedia Commons
