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All Images: Shark Bay Salt. Shark Bay Salt (SBS) has been in operation for more than 40 years and wholly owns its two major salt field subsidiaries, Shark Bay Resources and Onslow Salt. Emma Davies spoke with Marketing and Shipping general manager Ben Knight about potential expansion opportunities and the future of the salt market. What is the main factor that has led to Shark Bay Salt’s success over the last 40 years? Situated in the best location for salt production and surrounded by pristine sea water, we have been expanding our production and sales to provide good quality salt to our customers and the constantly growing demand in Asia. To achieve consistent production of great quality salt, it has…

AVL managing director Vincent Algar. Image: Australian Vanadium.  AUSTRALIAN Vanadium (AVL) has confirmed the economic viability of its Gabanintha project near Meekatharra in WA as one of the world’s most significant new vanadium operations. Emma Davies spoke with Australian Vanadium managing director Vincent Algar about the growing demand for vanadium batteries, the complimentary market in steel and where it fits in. What is the next step for the company now Gabanintha’sPre-Feasibility Study has been completed? The results of the PFS have provided a confidence in the economic viability of the project, which enables us to push forwards towards development.  We are starting the year with a diamond drilling program to extract material to scale up the test work to a pilot…

All images: Mineral Resources. BY ELIZABETH FABRI MINERAL Resources’ acquisition spree continues – this time a farm-in deal with Brockman Mining, the owner of the Marillana iron ore project in the Pilbara. The increasingly diversified Mineral Resources (MinRes) has been striking deal after deal in recent months. Rewind the clock back to June, and there was the landmark purchase of Cliff’s closing Koolyanobbing iron ore operations following its unsuccessful takeover bid for Atlas Iron. In October, its next deal: an acquisition of BCI Minerals’ Kumina iron ore project in the Pilbara. A month later a $1.58 billion agreement to sell half its share in its Wodgina lithium project to Albemarle followed, along with a separate JV deal to acquire a…

All images: FMG. BY ELIZABETH FABRI IT’S all systems go for Fortescue Metals Group (FMG). After launching its higher grade West Pilbara Fines iron ore in December, the miner is now gearing up to begin construction at Eliwana – the third new iron ore project green lit for WA’s Pilbara region. The shipment of a higher grade West Pilbara Fines (WPF) product in December was the beginning of a new chapter for iron ore giant FMG. Up until now, FMG was best known for its 58 per cent iron ore mined from its Chichester and Solomon Hubs. But, over the last 12 months FMG grappled with wide discounts for this lower grade product, as Chinese steel mills appetite for higher…

All Images: Galaxy Resources BY EMMA DAVIES GROWTH in the lithium battery market is driving Galaxy Resources to ramp up production at its flagship Mt Cattlin mine in Ravensthorpe, WA and increase greenfields and brownfields exploration to meet future demand. Galaxy Resources’ Mt Cattlin mine has been operational for two years and is now aiming to ramp up spodumene production to more than 210,000 dry metric tonnes per annum (dmtpa). In the December quarter, the company produced only 33,780 dmt of spodumene concentrate at a lower than average reserve grade and recovery rate due to the majority of ore mined coming from a lower grade 2SW pit. Galaxy also reported lower margins than the previous quarter, completing three shipments of lithium…

Image: Pilgangoora Minerals BY AMY BLOM AS mining takes off again in WA’s Pilbara region, communities are bracing for another boom and working to ensure locally-based service providers have a share in the sector. With three new major iron ore mines on the cards and the increasing prominence of lithium, gold and copper in the area, the Pilbara could be set for another mining boom. But in the hopes of mitigating the highs and lows of the past, community leaders are encouraging a greater focus on awarding contracts to local service providers within existing hubs and a strategy of diversification. Most of the services necessary for new developments were already in place in the Pilbara, thanks to the region’s rich…

Image: City of  Greater Bendigo BY EMMA DAVIES THE next big gold discovery in Victoria could belong to anyone. Considering historical operations, Bendigo and Ballarat are set to benefit with a hive of exploration activity currently underway by juniors, like Chalice Gold. Chalice Gold holds exploration licences over an area of more than 3000sqkm and is one of the largest junior players in the highly prospective north Bendigo zone – which hosts Kirkland Lake Gold’s Fosterville operation. The company commenced drilling at its Pyramid Hill gold project in November 2018 and is focussed on testing the top 30m of basement rock on 3km spaced drill lines, looking for gold and pathfinder elements, which even at low levels can indicate proximity…

Image: Australasian Railway Association. BY AMY BLOM RAIL is set to boom in mining, with several rail-reliant iron ore and coal mines schedules for development in WA and QLD, and a renewed focus on innovation. However, the industry continues to be challenged by a skills shortage. Rail has entered a golden age, particularly within the mining industry, but it is still struggling to attract young talent, according to Australasian Railway Association (ARA) chief executive Danny Broad. Mr Broad, who has previously warned of a skills shortage, said there had been a huge increase in rail investment, which was good for the country, but presented challenges if the industry was not prepared. “It’s the golden era of rail at the moment, there…

BY AMY BLOM HAVING wrapped up a successful year that saw a number of milestones including the celebration of 50 years since operations began at Savage River in Tasmania and record pellet premiums, Grange Resources’ sights were now set on increased production and extending mine life. This is the year that could decide the future of the Savage River mine, according to Grange Resources general manager of operations Ben Maynard. The Savage River magnetite iron ore mine in Tasmania’s northwest, is a long-life mining asset, and is Grange’s principal operation. At Port Latta, on the northwest coast of Tasmania, Grange owns a downstream pellet plant and port facility producing more than 2 million tonnes of premium quality iron ore pellets annually.…

Image: Photography: Nathan Sixsmith Photography. BY EMMA DAVIES IMAGE Resources’ $235 million Boonanarring mineral sands project is a hive of activity; first shipment of 10,000 tonnes of heavy mineral concentrate (HMC) was achieved in January, with the company now well-placed to capitalise on rising zircon prices. The 100 per cent owned zircon-rich Boonanarring project is considered one of the highest-grade mineral sands projects in Australia. It has been an interesting project to watch over the last few years, in part due to its fast timeline to production brought on by a series of transactions with Murray Zircon in 2016, including the acquisition of key plant infrastructure. In April/May 2018, project funding was finalised and construction began in earnest. Following a…

BY AMY BLOM BRAZILIAN miner Vale is facing increasing criticism as the death toll continues to rise from the Brumadinho dam failure. At least 99 people had been confirmed dead six days after a tailings dam burst at the Feijão mine in Brumadinho on 25 January, sending a torrent of sludge into the miner’s administrative area and the surrounding Vila Ferteco community. The toll was expected to continue rising, with more than 250 people still unaccounted for, and little hope they would be found alive, according to local officials. In the days after the dam collapse, Brazilian authorities arrested five people and issued seven search warrants, on suspicion of murder, falsification of documents and environmental crimes. Among those arrested were…