Atlas Iron will get digging on a new iron ore project; the company’s board of directors has given the green-light to a $146 million project in Western Australia.

Atlas says it will immediately start development of its Mt Webber Mine, located about 230km southeast of Port Headland. The mine is expected to produce about three million tonnes of iron ore per year in its initial phase, up to six million tonnes in stage two.

It’s the fifth mine in almost as many years for Atlas, which currently operates the Pardoo, Wodgina and Mount Dove mines and is working on one named Abydos.

The company says it already has the $146 million the new mine is expected to cost, operations are set to start after December this year.