• Premier opens Rio Tinto's Silvergrass mine near Tom Price
• Project creates 500 construction jobs, sustains almost 250 ongoing positions 

Premier Mark McGowan has officially opened Rio Tinto's newest Western Australian iron ore mine, the $468 million Silvergrass project, which has created about 500 construction jobs.

The Silvergrass project is located within Rio Tinto's Greater Brockman mining operations about 70 kilometres north-west of Tom Price in the Pilbara region.

Production using the new primary crusher and conveyor will begin later in the year, with the project sustaining about 250 ongoing positions once construction is complete.

Silvergrass plays a role in Rio Tinto's plans to reach a production rate of 330 million tonnes this year, and is also important for maintaining the quality of its 'Pilbara blend' of ore.

Rio Tinto's Pilbara iron ore operations include 16 mines, four shipping terminals located at Dampier and Cape Lambert, a railway spanning 1,700 kilometres and a workforce of more than 11,000 employees.

The Silvergrass project was approved under the Iron Ore (Hamersley Range) Agreement Act 1963.