comeet, I wasn't aware of this article in the first place, nor...

comeet, I wasn't aware of this article in the first place, nor any other commentary regarding it, so thanks for the heads up.

IMO, it still looks promising for the Mid West, despite the predictable (and beyond tedious) negativity from the usual ill-informed "experts".

One thing is for sure.
China has a pollution problem, and steel making is a huge part of that problem.

And providing people have the capacity to think long term, this is the crux of it:

So what value does a Government place on breathable air for it's people?

IMO, this issue should not be underestimated, or written off with stupid one-liner forum posts that regurgitate the same old same old, out of pure ignorance, and a lack of long term vision.

People laughed at buying water in bottles not so long ago.
I don't recall anyone buying bottled water when I was a kid, even if it was available.

If things do not turn around, and Chinese Government does not act soon, the day will come, when Chinese are buying bottles of oxygen.

As I've previously stated, I have been to China many times, and because of this will tend to ignore posters here who out of sheer ignorance claim that pollution will not become an increasingly bigger factor in looking more and more at magnetite.

Even after a few days, and mainly indoors, your eyes begin to ache. I would hate to be a permanent resident in any east coast city.

So I maintain the theory that, sooner or later, the Chinese will be forced to import more and more magnetite concentrate. Ensuring magnetite supplies will not come cheaply... which comes back to question; how much is lower pollution worth to it's people?

How that actually works out, who knows. Seemingly high costs might be paid to get the ore on the boats. At the end of the day, none of us should care.

Who knows what the time scale might be.
5 years, 10 years, 20 years.
The wheels are obviously turning in the background now though.

Oakajee certainly won't happen overnight, but articles like Treadgold's all point to the same thing. China remains interested in Oakajee.

The fact also remains that WA Government could have, late last year, redirected the $339 Million dollars set aside for Oakajee development... but it didn't.

If the WA Government didn't believe Oakajee doesn't have a chance (as per some of the rubbish posted on HC), then that $339M would have already gone elsewhere.