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The Andy Well gold project north of Meekatharra, WA. By Cameron Drummond WITH two commissioned gold mines and its new Deflector project about to hit full production early this year, company value is expected to increase alongside production as the current financial year hits the halfway point. Speaking at Doray Minerals’ annual general meeting in November, managing director Allan Kelly said he believed the company was currently undervalued against most ASX and TSX peers, as both of its WA gold mining operations were currently transitioning through different stages of mine life. The company share price had fallen from the $1 mark at the end of the 2016 financial year down to 50 cents by the end of November. Doray came into existence...

All images: Tianqi Lithium Australia By Elizabeth Fabri WITH construction of the newly approved Kwinana lithium processing plant off to a flying start, discussion surrounding a subsequent expansion at the nearby Greenbushes mine has the WA lithium industry bullish for the future. There is no denying 2016 was a watershed year for lithium. Improved investor sentiment coupled with a hike in prices has seen the commodity climb as interest in battery technology soared. While many projects have sprung up across WA, government approval of Tianqi Lithium Australia’s $400 million Kwinana lithium plant in September was ‘the icing on the cake’, and was expected to generate up to 500 construction jobs and more than 115 full time production positions. Once operational in...

The mouth of the inner harbour at the Port of Port Hedland. By Cameron Drummond THE Pilbara Ports Authority has achieved record throughput across its operations for the second time in as many years, as it looks to begin the replacement and upgrade of vital port infrastructure in the current financial year. Pilbara Ports Authority, the world’s largest bulk export port authority, is set to undertake substantial enhancements to its port operations at the ports of Dampier and Port Hedland, which are located along the coast of the mineral-dense Pilbara region of Western Australia. These upgrades are set to enhance efficiency, increase safety and capacity and allow for more product to be exported. The PPA is responsible for about 70 per...

Resolute Mining announced plans to construct $US95million underground gold mine at its Syama mine in June. Image: Hugh Brown. By Elizabeth Fabri HOME to some of the world’s largest untouched resources, Africa is treasure trove for foreign investment with Australia leading the chase as the region’s largest contributor. As more projects enter production, opportunities for ASX-listed miners and contractors are only expected to grow. Africa's resource wealth is no secret; the continent produces more than 60 metal and mineral products, from high-grade gold to diamonds, platinum, bauxite, manganese, iron ore and copper. However, for many years concerns around regional stability prevented overseas companies from taking that much-needed ‘leap of faith’.. In the early 1990s Africa still only received five per...

The government co-funding initiative has been going since 2009.              Image: Asia Iron. By Cameron Drummond 42 PROJECTS across WA will share up to $4.75 million under State Government’s Exploration Incentives Scheme (EIS) co-funding drilling initiative. The $130 million initiative, initially supported by Royalties for Regions, is being funded from April 2009 to June 2017. The program refunds up to 50 per cent of direct drilling costs with caps of $150,000 for a multi-hole project, $200,000 for a single deep hole, and $30,000 for a prospector application. Refunds are made after completion of drilling and the submission of reports, which are released publically by the Department of Mines and Petroleum after a six-month confidentiality period....

The Tropicana processing plant capacity was now upgraded from 5.8mtpa to 7.5mtpa.   By Elizabeth Fabri   DECEMBER is a big month at Tropicana. On the back of a major expansion and drilling program, the WA project will see the rewards of an upgraded 7.5 million tonnes per annum run rate, and its first reserves review that could extend mine life out to 2030. THE Tropicana joint venture between AngloGold Ashanti (70 per cent) and Independence Group (30 per cent) has been producing gold since September 2013. The project was the first significant Australian greenfields gold discovery to come online in more than 10 years, and has been closely watched by the industry since. Its three gold deposits, Tropicana, Havana and...

The Sierra Rutile acquisition was soon to be finalised. Image: Sierra Rutile.   By Elizabeth Fabri   WHEN new Iluka Resources managing director and chief executive Tom O'Leary stepped into the role in September, the company was grappling with a $20.9 million net loss from the first half of the year. Three months in, and Mr O’Leary is steering the company out of a financial slump and towards a prosperous 2017. It's been a year of change for mineral sands company Iluka. A leadership shakeup, weak US dollar, lower income from its Mining Area C iron ore royalty, higher non production cash costs, and depressed zircon price have all played a part in company performance. In the first half of 2016,...

Mining at Kinsevere in the Democratic Republic of Congo. By Cameron Drummond AFTER the record breaking purchase of the Las Bambas copper project in Peru, MMG has had a reasonably quiet 18 months consolidating and improving existing projects. MMG Limited is a Chinese-owned (China Minmetals 74 per cent) mining consortium listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and ASX with copper, zinc and other base metal projects across four continents. MMG aims to become one of the top mid-tier miners by 2020 by investing in significant exploration and development projects such as the Las Bambas copper operation in Peru, aquired from Swiss-based miner Glencore for $US5.85 billion in 2014. The company also owns the Sepon and Kinsevere copper mines in Southern...