Author: admin

AUSTRALIA’S resources and energy exports are expected to reach $299b in 2019–20, before easing back in subsequent years as some of the surprising price gains of recent quarters unwind. However, the possibility remains for new records to be set if prices continue to surprise on the upside. The recent Resources and Energy Quarterly, which published an extended five-year commodity outlook, indicated a bigger picture outlook showing vast potential and a host of new opportunities as development progresses over the longer term in Asia, Africa and South America. It said Australia’s prospects as a resource and energy commodity exporter continue to remain strong, with the country tipped to become the world’s biggest producer of gold. The forecast looked beyond immediate issues...

LITHIUM Australia is assessing the use of recycled battery components as fertiliser micro-nutrients. Glasshouse testing of mixed metal dust recovered from recycled alkaline batteries were completed under the direction of the company’s consulting agronomist. Nine tests were conducted on a quadruplicate basis to statistically assess mixed metal dust (MMD) performance as a fertiliser against control samples. The alkaline MMD is produced by the company’s wholly-owned subsidiary Envirostream Australia at its spent-battery recycling facility in Victoria. Envirostream collects the spent alkaline batteries from pick-up points at numerous locations, including Bunnings, Officeworks and Cleanaway, which are then mechanically shredded, with the cathode and anode active compounds (collectively referred to as MMD) separated. That material contains the high levels of zinc and manganese...

LATEST export figures have confirmed the resilience of some of Australia’s key resources exports as the COVID-19 pandemic grips the world. Total resources and energy exports increased by nearly 34pc in March compared to the previous month. Resources Minister Keith Pitt said exports were also up by 2c in the first quarter over the same period last year, and were valued at $68.9b. “Iron ore remains the star performer of the sector following a 36pc monthly increase during March worth $8.9b for the month, a 47pc increase on last year,” he said. “While coal exports increased in March by 15.3pc, it is down by a similar amount on last year, which is an indication of some of the challenges the...

PLATINUM is shining bright for WA-based Impact Minerals, with promising new discoveries made amid prevailing record prices for the commodity. High grades of the rare platinum group elements (PGE) rhodium, iridium, osmium and ruthenium have been returned from new assays from seven previously drilled diamond drill holes at the Red Hill prospect within Impact’s 100pc-owned Broken Hill Project in NSW. The drill holes had previously only been assayed for palladium and platinum, with a total of 12 out of the 13 drill holes completed returning robust widths and grades of these two PGEs, together with significant gold, copper, nickel, cobalt and silver credits. In the current exploration, the seven holes with high grades of palladium and platinum were selected for...

THE WA resources sector will provide half a million dollars to fund a COVID-19 population study which will undertake wide-scale asymptomatic testing of FIFO workers. The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia (CME) and its members have been working with the WA Government on the DETECT (Defining and Monitoring the Prevalence of SARS CoV2 (COVID-19) in the Community) program, which is focusing on testing targeted cohorts such as students, teachers, health care workers and police. Chief Executive Paul Everingham said CME had established a COVID-19 Resources Research Fund to financially support the FIFO DETECT project, which members had contributed more than $500,000 towards. “The resources sector is one of the state’s largest employers, employing about 120,000 people, and...