Diversified miner Rio Tinto has approved early works and final engineering studies for a potential expansion of the Amrun bauxite mine, in Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, aiming to nearly double production capacity from its Weipa Southern operations.

The proposed expansion, named Kangwinan at the request of Traditional Owners, the Wik Waya people, would see the development of a new mine 15 km south-east of the existing Amrun site and the expansion of the Amrun port. The project could deliver first production as early as 2029.

Kangwinan would add up to 20-million tonnes a year to the existing 23-million-tonne capacity, replacing output from Rio’s Andoom mine, in Cape York, and the Gove mine, in the Northern Territory – both expected to wind down later this decade.

“This feasibility study will explore a new bauxite operation at our Weipa Operations and represents a strong vote of confidence in the world-class bauxite deposits on the Western Cape York Peninsula, our bauxite operations, and the local community,” said Rio Tinto Pacific Operations Aluminium MD Armando Torres in a statement on Thursday.

“It is an important step toward securing the long-term future of our operations at Cape York, and the benefits that mining brings to communities in the region, while ensuring security of supply to our Australian refineries and to our customers.”

The company said the early works approved include construction of a 250-room camp at Amrun Village to accommodate the construction workforce, and the development of an initial access road to the Kangwinan site.

Kangwinan is expected to create more than 800 construction jobs and retain the workforce employed at the Weipa mines nearing closure.

A final investment decision is expected in 2026, following completion of cultural heritage consultations with the Wik Waya people, as well as engineering, environmental and regulatory approvals.

Kangwinan is named for the black female crow – a totem of the Wik Waya – and represents a protector of sacred, ceremonial and female protocols.

Rio Tinto operates an integrated aluminium supply chain in Australia and New Zealand, with bauxite from Weipa refined into alumina at Gladstone and smelted into aluminium at facilities in Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania and New Zealand. Bauxite mining in Cape York began in 1963.