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View of the Timor Sea from Darwin, Northern Territory.

EDO to pay Santos $9m for halting $5.8b project

The Federal Court has ordered the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) to pay Santos (ASX: STO) more than $9m after it attempted to block the $5.8b Barossa gas project in the Timor Sea in the Northern Territory. The EDO acted as the lawyers for three Tiwi Islanders in the proceedings to stop Santos from installing a 262km underwater gas export pipeline that runs from the Barossa gas field to the existing Bayu-Undan pipeline, citing interference with cultural songlines of the rainbow serpent and the “Crocodile Man”. Two weeks earlier, Regis Resources (ASX: RRL) commenced legal proceedings to overturn the decision made by Federal Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek to veto the $1b McPhillamy’s gold project. Minister Pilbersek said she made…

Q&A with BCI Minerals managing director David Boshoff

Q&A with BCI Minerals managing director David Boshoff

On 10 September, BCI Minerals (ASX: BCI) received Federal Government approval to commence operations at the Mardie salt and potash project in the Pilbara region of WA and to continue construction in the northern envelope of the project. This critical milestone comes as Asian demand for salt is expected to outstrip supply over the coming decades, in part due to new chloralkali and caustic soda plants in China and Indonesia, reduced production in Mexico and India predicted to becoming a net importer. Except for Mardie, no other sizeable salt projects are being commissioned. The project is expected to produce 5.3mtpa of salt and 140ktpa of sulphate of potash (SOP) for over 60 years, making it Australia’s largest salt and potash…

MINExpo - What Happened in Vegas…

MINExpo – What Happened in Vegas…

In the case of MINExpo International 2024, what happened in Vegas should definitely not stay in Vegas. This enormous expo brought together an eclectic mix of equipment, technology, innovation and sheer brute strength at an unprecedented scale. To put that scale into perspective, the exhibition covered over 850,000 square feet. That may not mean a great deal to us in Australia but that equates to 7.8-hectares or over 19.5-acres. Spread across this vast floor area were over 2000 exhibitors representing every facet of the mining industry, from small businesses to huge multinationals. The success of an exhibition is judged by its level of attendance and this did not disappoint either, with over 45,000 people passing through the doors over three…

CSIRO’s Sarb Giddey and Gurpreet Kaur, BlueScope’s Shannon Ballard and Michael Biro, as well as Hadean Energy’s Chris Rowland outside the shipping container housing the electrolyser at BlueScope in Port Kembla, NSW.

BlueScope low-carbon steel with CSIRO electrolyser

CSIRO has successfully trialled its innovative hydrogen production technology at BlueScope’s Port Kembla Steelworks in NSW, proving that affordable and renewable hydrogen can be generated at scale to help decarbonise heavy industry. The trial commenced in October 2024 and features the national science agency’s tubular solid electrolysis (SOE) technology, which has clocked 1000 hours of successful operation turning both waste heat and electricity into hydrogen – with much greater efficiency than traditional methods. Conventional hydrogen electrolysers rely heavily on electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. CSIRO senior principal research scientist and group leader Dr Sarb Giddey says the trial produced hydrogen with an electrical input of less than 36kWh per kilogram of hydrogen, by using the steam produced…

Both the Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA (CME WA) and Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King welcomed the announcement by the WA Government.

CME & King support WA Gov lithium move

Industry leaders have come out in support of the WA Government’s relief package for the State’s lithium producers. This comes as the Federal Government introduced a bill this week to provide up to $17b in production tax incentives for the critical minerals and rare earths industry as part of its Future Made in Australia agenda. Both the Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA (CME WA) and Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King welcomed the announcement, with the peak body’s chief executive Rebecca Tomkinson saying lithium prices are likely to be lower for longer but that the long-term prospects of the commodity remain strong. “Falling lithium prices have forced a growing number of lithium operations to suspend or cease operations over the…

AirSteril Technology Mitigates Air Quality Challenges for Mining Industry

AirSteril Technology Mitigates Air Quality Challenges for Mining Industry

The mining industry, particularly in underground settings, faces severe air quality challenges, which have long posed risks to workers’ health and safety. Underground mining operations continuously generate high levels of airborne contaminants, including dust, gases, and particulate matter, due to activities like drilling, blasting, and material handling. The confined nature of these environments exacerbates the problem, allowing dust and harmful gases to potentially accumulate in hazardous concentrations. Among the most dangerous contaminants are ultra-fine dust particles, such as coal dust and silica, which can easily become respirable and penetrate deep into miners’ lungs. Exposure to these fine and ultra-fine particles can lead to chronic and debilitating lung diseases, such as coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP) and silicosis. Underground mining also suffers…

Zoe and Ruby Stiles exploring the CAT793 at the Premier Coal Family Fun Days.

Collie community is Premier Coal’s number one

Car racing enthusiasts in Collie, WA, will be able to hear all the speedway action loud and clear this 2023/2024 season, from October to April, thanks to a $4,900 donation from Premier Coal. This comes a month after the coal miner opened its gates for employees, managed contractors and their families to get an up-close experience of being on the mine as part of its Family Fun Days. New audio system & technical upgrade The $4,900 funding will enable the installation and purchase of a full-range sound solution including microphones, antennas, amplifier and the cabling and wiring of a new electronic PA system for Collie Speedway. Collie Racing Drivers Association president Greg Avins says he is excited about this new…

Two Australian states have announced changes to their government approvals process.

WA & NT announce faster approvals

The WA Government has launched the new Resources Online platform to streamline mining and petroleum environmental lodgements. The portal forms part of the State Government’s Fast Tracking Mining Approvals (FTMA) program to help shorten approval timeframes for some smaller and low-risk projects. Administered by the WA Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DEMIRS), Resources Online will replace the current Environmental Assessment and Regulatory System (EARS). Further initiatives will be introduced in 2025 with the first phase focusing on migrating Programmes of Work (PoW) from EARS to Resources Online. WA Mines and Petroleum David Michael comments on this. “Resources Online represents a major step forward in making Government services easier to access and navigate,” he said. “The …

Fortescue Metals chief executive Dino Otranto, joined XCMG chairman Yang Dongsheng at Bauma China to announce the partnership and recognise the contract award.

Fortescue-XCMG’s $616m contract for zero emissions mining equipment

Fortescue (ASX: FMG) has struck a $616m (US$400m) deal with Chinese heavy equipment manufacturer XCMG to purchase over 100 pieces of zero emissions heavy mobile equipment. This is XCMG’s largest contract outside of China for mining equipment and will see battery electric wheel loaders, wheel dozers, water carts, float prime movers and graders delivered to Fortescue’s Pilbara mining operations in WA by 2030. First pieces of equipment are expected to be deployed from 2026 with Fortescue Metals chief executive Dino Otranto commenting on this. “We’re moving rapidly to decarbonise our Pilbara iron ore operations and eliminate our Scope 1 and 2 terrestrial emissions by 2030,” he said. “To achieve this target, we will need to swap out hundreds of pieces…

Total gross proceeds from transactions announced in 2024 to date are expected to be up to $3.6b. This includes $3.1b from non-core divestitures and $527m from the sale of other investments.

Newmont to sell Éléonore for $1.2b cash

Newmont Corporation (ASX: NEM) will sell its Éléonore operation in Northern Quebec, Canada, to UK-based private mining company Dhilmar Ltd for $1.2b (US$795m) in cash consideration as part of the global miner’s continued divestiture program. The transaction is expected to close in the Q1 CY25, subject to certain conditions being satisfied. Upon closing the announced transactions, Newmont will have delivered up to $3.6b in gross proceeds from non-core asset divestitures and investment sales. Newmont president and chief executive Tom Palmer comments on this. “ is another step forward in Newmont’s journey to create a go-forward portfolio of Tier 1 gold and copper assets, each with the scale and mine life to generate strong free cash flows for several decades,” he…

“We encourage anyone who intends to create a PCF of a lithium product to use this guidance because it will increase the comparability of studies," says Albermarle vice president of sustainability Mark de Boer.

Albermarle supports lithium product carbon footprint guidance

The International Lithium Association (ILiA) has published a guide on product carbon footprint (PCF) assessment, with support from global miner Albermarle. Growth in production and demands from regulators and customers for information on greenhouse gas emissions has meant the release of this information is timely for the industry. The publication covers assessments for key lithium intermediaries and battery-grade lithium carbonate and hydroxide specialty chemicals produced from brine or rock minerals in a standardised way. Albermarle vice president of sustainability Mark de Boer, who also leads the group’s Sustainable Lithium Subcommittee and managed the PCF project, comments on this. “We encourage anyone who intends to create a PCF of a lithium product to use this guidance because it will increase the…