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BY ELIZABETH FABRI THERE was lithium, cobalt and graphite; now, a new technology commodity market is emerging – high purity alumina (HPA). Currently fetching prices as high as $US40,000 per tonne, demand for the aluminium oxide powder is set to explode in the coming years.  We chat with near term producer Altech Chemicals. Australia is well placed to meet global demand for HPA, with a handful of projects at various stages of development. The processed premium non-metallurgical alumina product (with a purity equal to or greater than 99.99 per cent) is characterised by its low friction, non-corrosiveness, and thermal and electrical insulating ability. The product is sought after in an array of technology applications, acting as the separator between the…

BY CAMERON DRUMMOND GLOBAL March quarter copper production decreased 4.8 per cent quarter-on-quarter as only one-third of the top 15 producers reporting an increase in output, according to S&P Global. Production from the top 15 producers in the 2018 March quarter fell by 136,548 tonnes (t), or 4.8 per cent, compared the December 2017 quarter. However, output rose by 14.8 per cent, or 345,725t, on an annual basis in the March quarter. MMG, Grupo México and Vale sustained the bulk of those losses, with Vale recording the biggest fall – down 20.3 per cent – due to unscheduled mine maintenance and lower processed ore grades across some of its operations. MMG reported a loss in production of 31,799t, or 19.9…

The upgraded 486,000oz Mt York deposit remains open in most directions, with potential to add further ounces both along strike and at depth. Image: Kairos Minerals. BY REUBEN ADAMS DRILLING at Kairos Minerals’ Pilbara gold project 100km south of Port Hedland has delivered a massive 290 per cent resource increase for the Mount York deposit resource to 486,000oz – with strong potential for further growth. The updated indicated and inferred resource for Kairos’ Pilbara gold project, including Mt York, Iron Stirrup and Old Faithful, has been boosted by 150 per cent to 14.4 million tonnes at 1.3g/t gold for 643,000oz. Each of the deposits remain open both along strike and at depth, providing outstanding opportunities to further increase the resource…

BY ELIZABETH FABRI ASX-listed Australian Mines has identified large-scale cobalt-in-soil anomalies at its Thackaringa project near Broken Hill, NSW. Recent surface geochemical sampling at Target Area A uncovered three zones of elevated levels of cobalt that are reportedly similar to the Pyrite Hill and Big Hill prospects at Cobalt Blue’s identically named Thackaringa project. Australian Mines said with the anomalous zones partially buried by a shallow alluvial cover, surface expressions of cobalt mineralisation greater than 15ppm (grams per tonne) were considered significant. “This technique, for example, has been successfully used by Alloy Resources on its Ophara CobaltGold project directly to the west of the Australian Mines’ Thackaringa Project, as well as being the documented geochemical signature of the Pyrite Hill…

Image: Jwmcdonald81 BY REUBEN ADAMS THE QLD Supreme Court has taken the extraordinary step of freezing more than $200m of Clive Palmer’s assets, as Queensland Nickel liquidator PPB Advisory looks to recover millions of dollars allegedly owed by the mining magnate from the 2016 collapse of the refinery. On 25 May the Supreme Court granted an application by Queensland Nickel liquidators for freezing orders against Mr Palmer and several of his companies. In Mr Palmer’s case the value specified was $204,943,664.39, but other amounts were specified for the companies concerned. In its Summary of Judgement, the Court based its decision on its belief that Queensland Nickel liquidators had a good arguable case against Mr Palmer and the companies concerned.  Also,…

The undeveloped Cloncurry project – including the proposed Eva copper mine – could give CMMC a global production footprint. Image: Altona Mining. COPPER MOUNTAIN MINING (ASX:C6C) Canada-based Copper Mountain Mining (TSX: CMMC) is now trading on the ASX following a $93m acquisition of QLD-based Altona Mining and its world-class Eva copper project. In the transaction Copper Mountain acquired $30m in cash, the development-ready, permitted 73,000tpa Eva project, and a 379,000 hectare mineral land package in the prolific Mt. Isa area of QLD. JUPITER MINES (ASX:JMS) Jupiter is back in the ASX, with its $240m initial public offering (IPO) reportedly the largest in the Australian metals and mining industry over the last decade. Jupiter’s main asset a 49.9 per cent interest…

BY CAMERON DRUMMOND LITHIUM developer Kidman Resources is the first Australian miner to sign an offtake agreement with Elon Musk’s Tesla. Kidman entered into a binding agreement to supply lithium hydroxide to the electric vehicle maker over an initial three year term on a fixed price, take-or-pay basis. Kidman and Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (SQM), under their Western Australia Lithium (WAL) 50:50 joint venture, are building a lithium hydroxide plant in Kwinana, south of Perth, to process spodumene concentrate from their Mt Holland hard rock lithium project. According to Kidman, the Tesla offtake deal equates to less than 25 per cent of Kidman’s proportion of output from the proposed 44,000tpa refinery. Other commercial terms of the agreement were…