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HISTORIC records revealing grades of up to 5324.5 grams per tonne of gold at the Aorangi gold mine in New Zealand’s South Island have been uncovered by Perth-based explorer Strategic Elements. Aorangi, which is part of Strategic Elements’ Golden Blocks Goldfield project, produced about 26,000oz of gold at an average head grade of 46.9g/t before poor pumping equipment failed to prevent mine water issues and stalled further development. It was previously accepted that no attempt had been made to reopen the mine since its closure in 1914. However, archived records discovered by Strategic Elements revealed a little-known effort by local company Golden Block Mines (GBM) to reopen the goldfield in 1932. “It is now clear that No. 3 Level of...

A worldfirst, state-of-the-art facility in Brisbane will examine real time processing data from seven Rio Tinto mines across the globe as part of an effort to optimise operational performance. The Processing Excellence Centre (PEC) was launched in March by Rio Tinto as part of its Mine of the Future technology and innovation program. A mineral processing team based out of the PEC will share technical initiatives and solutions with the Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia and Rio Tinto Kennecott in the US, as well as five coal sites in Australia. With the aid of a giant interactive screen, technical data will be monitored and analysed in real time, allowing processing improvements to be immediately introduced. The trial phase of the...

DEBATE regarding Queensland’s controversial Abbot Point Port expansion has escalated, with the Labor and the Greens jointly acting on claims environmental protection laws were misused during the port’s approvals process. In early March, the Senate passed a non-binding motion calling for Federal Environmental minister Greg Hunt to withdraw his approval for the project. The port expansion project, which would see the addition of a second wharf and ship loader as well as an additional onshore stockyard and machines, requires the dredging of 3 million tonnes of material at the deepwater port, south of Bowen on Queensland’s northern coast. Under the approved plans, the dredged would be dumped 25km off Abbot Point within the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef Marine...

AS nickel prices rise in response to Indonesia’s export ban, BHP Billiton is considering the sale of its WA nickel business. The Indonesian ban came into play in January, in an attempt by the country’s government to induce more value-adding to its mineral exports through the development of onshore processing operations. These restrictions – from the world’s largest nickel exporter and the main supplier of low-grade nickel laterite to China’s nickel pig iron industry – have already caused a surge in commodity prices, which BHP is now reportedly trying to cash in on. BHP’s Nickel West operation, worth $1 billion, comprises the Mt Keith open cut mine and concentrator; two underground mines and a concentrator at Leinster; a nickel concentrator...

MORE than a month after a fire spread from bushland to the Hazelwood coal mine in the Latrobe Valley, the Victorian Government announced that an independent enquiry would be established to investigate the blaze. Headed by former Supreme Court Justice Bernard Teague, who led the Black Saturday Royal Commission, the Board of Inquiry will investigate the suspected arson that led to the fire reaching the mine and the emergency response undertaken for the incident, as well examining the bigger picture issue of whether regulatory requirements for the Hazelwood mine were stringent enough. The investigation would also assess the health and environmental responses to the fire and whether communities had received adequate information. “Our government wants this inquiry to fully and...

WA gold company Silver Lake Resources has tagged its Murchison project in WA for imminent closure, in a move that will cut 127 jobs. Silver Lake referenced a $47 million loss for the half years to 31 December 2013 as the reason for the closure, stating its priority was now the low risk Mount Monger project. After a trading halt in early March, the company issued 65.6 million new shares valued at $0.60 per share in an attempt to garner working capital; the effort was expected to bring in $39 million. In the next two years, about $12 million will reportedly go towards Murchison’s June closure, including redundancy payments and site contract restructuring expenses, with ongoing care and maintenance costs...

WESTERN Australia rocketed up global rankings to secure the world’s top resources investment destination for 2013, nudging out the US state of Nevada for the number one spot.WA burst into the top-ten overall rankings from 15th in 2012, despite the slowdown in mining investment. All ranked jurisdictions in 2013 were top ten in 2012, except for Canada’s Newfoundland and Labrador, and WA. The Fraser Institute Survey of Mining Companies 2013 assessed how mineral endowments and public policy factors – such as taxation and regulatory uncertainty – affected exploration investment. About 700 survey responses providing sufficient data to evaluate 112 jurisdictions around the world. WA ranked second in the world in the Best Practices Mineral Potential index and sixth in the...

FAMILY-owned and operated company Win United manufactures, imports and distributes industrial hoses and hose fittings to a variety of sectors including mining and resources, civil, construction and utilities, as well as government utilities and departments across the country. A specialist in complete hose solutions, Win United manufactures a range of hose assemblies in-house for immediate use – saving companies on downtime and labour, while ensuring all safety requirements are met. Win United provides a wide range of valves and gauges, pipe fittings, hydraulic hoses and fittings and hand-build hoses, and offers services applicable to these components. Beyond manufacturing, the company imports and distributes hoses and hose fittings from sources across the globe, prominently including Italy, Turkey and Malaysia. Imported items...