Author: The AMR

First it was copper prices which hit an eight-year high. Now it’s nickel’s turn, with prices on the London Metal Exchange hitting peaks not seen since September 2014,  reaching US$18,612/t this week. The rising trend for metals is largely caused by the green energy drive from global governments, the transition to electric vehicles and the push by the mining industry to lead the ESG movement through decarbonisation and emissions reductions. Nickel is predicted to recover through 2021 as COVID-19 vaccines roll out and stimulus packages materialise. The price spike follows India’s announcement that the country will house a new Tesla manufacturing factory, as foreshadowed by Tesla chief executive officer Elon Musk. Consultants Wood Mackenzie have warned that $1 trillion of…

Employment opportunities for Australia’s geoscientists showed a sharp increase in the final quarter of 2020, according to Australian Institute of Geoscientists survey results. The greatest improvement was WA, where unemployment fell from 8% to 2.6%, while in Queensland the unemployment rate fell from 9.4% to 5.3%. Overall, unemployment amongst professional geologists, geophysicists and allied earth scientists eased after improvement in employment prospects stalled throughout the previous three quarters of the year, the AIG said. AIG president Andrew Waltho said he was pleased to see job prospects for Australian geoscientists ending a tentative 2020 on such a positive note Nationally, between the beginning of October and end of December 2020, geoscientist unemployment fell sharply from 10.6% to 4.5%, the fourth-lowest rate…

Shandong Gold Mining’s takeover of West African goldd-focused exploration and development Company Cardinal Resources is near completion. The offer closed on January 19 and the bidder now has a relevant interest in 95.62% of all Cardinal shares. Shandong intends to compulsorily acquire all remaining Cardinal Shares that it does not hold. Compulsory acquisition notices and related correspondence will be dispatched to all remaining Cardinal shareholders. In accordance with ASX Listing rules, Cardinal’s shares will be suspended five business days after the date of the Notice, being February 3. Once suspended, the ASX will remove Cardinal from the official list at the close of trading on a date to be determined. Cardinal Respources holds interests in tenements within Ghana, West Africa.…

An app to improve the lives of isolated mine workers, turning plastic waste into diesel fuel, a one-handed drone controller and ‘twinning’ physical assets with digital platforms are just a few of the exciting new concepts initiated by female business founders who are learning how to market and grow their companies in the energy and resources sector. The projects are among those carried out by seven participants in the CORE Sprint pre-accelerator program who have benefited from connecting with mentors, investors and advisors to take their business to the next level. The dedicated business growth program is for female founders of resources and energy business who are interested in exploring new opportunities, testing new strategies and creating new pathways to…

Goal Indigenous Services and Stork Technical Services Australia have joined forces to launch their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander NDT (Non-Destructive Testing) Traineeship program in WA. This program is believed to be the first of its kind, leading the way in Indigenous involvement and development for the NDT industry. Goal Indigenous Services will recruit, mentor and support the trainees, with Stork providing the technical expertise and mentoring, along with an environment to grow and develop into qualified NDT professionals. The South Metropolitan TAFE is the assigned training facility providing a bespoke, tailor-made curriculum. Stork Regional Director Tony McAnulty said Stork was delighted to kick off the program. “We look forward to expanding this initiative throughout our operations,” he said. “Delivering…

Queensland is considering the use of remote mining camps to quarantine returning Australians, as it looks to tighten procedures in the wake of emerging new strains of COVID-19. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the state was “looking at all options”, and would take the mining camp proposal to the next meeting of national cabinet on January 22. “With this new strain, we have to put all options on the table and these are sensible, rational options,” she said. “One of those is to look at some of the mining camps we have in Queensland, some of which are four-star and of a very good, quality, high standard. “Most of the ones we’re looking at have balconies, so there’s a lot of…

What started out as a casual conversation about indigenous culture, has turned into a stunning art installation on John Holland’s New Track Construction (NTC) machine. Administration Assistant Marcia McGuire had only previously used her artistic talent to decorate John Holland tender documents before word of her ability spread around the office. She was then asked if she would like to come up with some designs to adorn equipment that was being sent to the Pilbara. The NTC will lay 143km of track at Fortescue Metals Group’s Eliwana iron ore project as part of a $130m dollar contract with John Holland for the construction of rail tracks, signalling and infrastructure. According to Ms McGuire, who has been with John Holland since…