Roy Hill and Atlas projects to unite under Hancock Iron Ore in major Pilbara shake-up

Western Australia’s world-leading iron ore-producing Pilbara region is being reshaped, with mining magnate Gina Rinehart confirming plans to combine the Roy Hill and Atlas projects under a single banner.

The new Pilbara iron ore powerhouse will operate as Hancock Iron Ore from the start of next month.

The Roy Hill operation is the main source of wealth for Mrs Rinehart and her majority-owned Hancock Prospecting.

‘A new chapter’

“It’s the beginning of an exciting new chapter, a future where we are not just a great mining company but the best mining company in Australia,” Ms Rinehart said.

“Today we are not just rebranding, we are building on the exceptional legacy and remarkable achievements of you all at Roy Hill, Atlas Iron and Hancock.”

The merged entity will operate from new headquarters in West Perth, into which it plans to move sometime during 2026.

Export milestones

News of the new combined entity comes shortly after the Hancock mines announced it had loaded and shipped a total of 500 million tonnes of ore to customers around the world.

Roy Hill and Atlas Iron export a combined 74 million tonnes per year of iron ore.

The two companies respectively shipped 1.5Mt and 439,514 tonnes of ore out of Western Australia over the week to 24 May, accounting for 9.4% of the region’s exports.

Major earners

Combined, Roy and Atlas have delivered more than $11.5 billion in royalties and taxes to governments and injected billions more into WA by supporting countless small, medium and large businesses through contracts for goods and services.

The Pilbara mine reported a $3.2b profit in the 2023–24 financial year and delivered a $4.05b dividend, after churning out 64Mt of the steelmaking input.

“As we move forward under our new banner of Hancock Iron Ore, we will carry these proud achievements with us, combining our strengths and positioning us to be more productive and better than ever before,” Mrs Rinehart said.