P&D Stephen transport Pty Ltd

METRO Mining has completed the Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) for the Stage 2 expansion of its Bauxite Hills Mine in north Queensland with estimated reserves of 109.5Mt and a mine life out to 2037. Once completed, the expansion will reduce unit operating costs and increase production capacity to 6M Wet Metric Tonnes (WMT) pa from 2021 onwards. Metro managing director and chief executive officer Simon Finnis said the completion of the feasibility study and selection of the preferred design for the FT was a key step to allow execution of the expansion at Bauxite Hills. “It builds on the outstanding production performance and operating experience gained since the mine commenced production in April 2018,” Mr Finnis said. “It is pleasing…

LOCAL opposition to Barrick Gold’s massive Pascua-Lama gold and silver mine in Chile has prompted the Copiapo appeals court to suspend construction on the project while complaints are addressed. The project, on the Chile-Argentina border in the Andes Mountains, has attracted complaints of “environmental irregularities” from the country’s Diaguita indigenous communities and various environmental groups, who claim it is destroying glaciers and harming the local water supply. Barrick reported it would suspend activities while it worked to “address environmental and regulatory requirements to the satisfaction of Chilean authorities”. The company stated that construction activities in Argentina, where the majority of the project’s critical infrastructure is located – including the process plant and tailings storage facility – would not be affected.…

Mineral Resources (ASX: MIN) is taking steps to minimise impacts on marine fauna at its Onslow iron project in the West Pilbara, WA. While appropriate lighting is important for working safely at night, artificial light can sometimes disrupt the natural behaviours and activity patterns of native fauna – potentially leading to adverse impacts. For marine turtles in particular, artificial light can cause disorientation among hatchlings. To minimise, monitor and manage artificial light spill and its potential environmental impacts, Mineral Resources prepared an Artificial Light Management Plan (ALMP). The plan includes regular monitoring of turtle and shorebird populations, as well as monitoring programs to identify light spill levels and associated triggers for additional management measures, such as adjusted light intensity and…

GLOBAL iron ore prices topped the US$100/t level for the first time in 10 months last week on concerns over supplies from Brazil, as the COVID-19 pandemic grows in the iron ore producing regions in the north and south of the country. The price of 62pc Fe fines delivered to northern China rose 5.4pc to US$102.39, the highest price since last August. Reuters reports that Brazilian giant Vale managed to reverse a court decision closing mines in the south (where the January 2019 mine wall tragedy happened) because of rising numbers of COVID-19 infections, and in the north where infections are also rising. Sources also claim there were hundreds of COVID-19 infections at Vale’s mines in Itabira, in the southern…