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Alcoa and AGL Energy sign power agreement for Portland aluminium smelter Alcoa (ASX: AAI) and AGL Energy (ASX: AGL) have entered a nine-year agreement to support future operations at the Portland aluminium smelter in Victoria. Effective July 1, 2026, the agreement covers 287MW of power supply and will support smelter operations to mid-2035. Together with a 300MW contract finalised with AGL in 2023, the combined contract will enable the smelter to produce up to 95% of its nameplate capacity of 358ktpa of aluminium. Currently, the smelter production averages at about 80% capacity. Alcoa Australia interim president...

Inaugural Kathleen Valley shipment departs for China The first shipment of concentrate from Liontown Resources (ASX: LTR) Kathleen Valley lithium project in WA has departed from the Port of Geraldton and is enroute to China. The shipment, onboard MV Eckert Oldendorff, comprises of 11,855wmt of spodumene concentrate with a weighted average concentrate grade of 5.2% lithium oxide. Liontown managing director and chief executive Tony Ottaviano commented on the shipment. “Over the past six years, Liontown has focused on developing and constructing a world-class tier-1 lithium operations and now we announce the beginning of generating revenue and cash flow as we see our plans come to fruition,”...

Critical minerals a focus for latest round of Tasmanian drilling exploration grants program Successful applicants under the latest round of Tasmania’s drilling exploration grants program have been announced. Beginning in 2018, the grants program encourages and supports industry and investors to identify new and potentially lucrative greenfield mining opportunities as well as the re-examination of existing mine or mining lease sites. It provides up to $50,000 for direct drilling costs and $20,000 for helicopter support, if required, for successful applicants to undertake mineral exploration. Since 2018, 114 projects have been approved from 33 different companies. Tasmania Business, Industry...

Fortescue-MacLean partnership decarbonises surface mining Fortescue (ASX: FMG) and global leader in battery electric mining vehicles (BEVs), MacLean, are partnering electrify and decarbonise the surface mining industry. The partnership was announced at MINExpo 2024 in Las Vegas, USA, by Fortescue Metals chief executive Dino Otranto, MacLean chief executive Kevin MacLean and MacLean president Stella Holloway. MacLean will deliver a fleet of 30 GR8 EV graders to Fortescue’s WA mining operations, with the EV graders powered by a...

Operations begin at BCI’s Mardie project Operations have begun at BCI Minerals’ (ASX: BCI) Mardie salt and potash project in WA after all necessary approvals were received from the WA and Federal Governments. Evaporation ponds one, two and three are beginning to be filled as BCI works to bring Australia’s largest solar salt project online. Once fully operational, the project is expected to produce 5.3mtpa of industrial salt each year. When the initial three ponds are filled, BCI Minerals will update and resubmit its groundwater monitoring and management plan (GMMP) for further approval...

AI can forecast mining disasters: new study Artificial intelligence can forecast gas-related incidents in coal mines within half an hour, according to a new study exploring how the technology can reduce the risk of disasters. The study of coal mines in China compared 10 machine learning algorithms to see which AI method could make predictions about changes in methane gas levels 30 minutes in advance and notify users of anomalies. Gas explosions or ignitions in underground mines pose significant risks, with almost 60% of coal mine accidents in China caused by methane gas....

BHP revealed as first customer for Caterpillar technology trial BHP (ASX: BHP) is the first customer to trial Caterpillar’s Cat dynamic energy transfer (DET) system on battery electric and diesel electric mining trucks across its sites. Launched at MINExpo INTERNATIONAL®, the technology can transfer energy to both diesel electric and battery electric large mining trucks while they are working on a mine site. It can also charge an electric haul truck’s battery while the machine is operational and the infrastructure is flexible, meaning it can be easily relocated compared to current offerings. These trials are...

Liebherr showcases latest offerings at MINExpo INTERNATIONAL® At this year’s MINExpo INTERNATIONAL® mining exhibition in Las Vegas, Nevada, Liebherr has shared its latest products, services and innovations. T 264 battery haul truck In partnership with Fortescue (ASX: FMG), Liebherr has unveiled the very first autonomous battery-electric T 264 haul truck, representing the culmination of years of work between the two companies. The T 264 haul truck has a 3.2Mwh battery – developed by Fortescue Zero – plus electric shovels and wheel loaders, a 2700hp engine and 4425hp electric wheel motors. A static charging solution was developed alongside the truck and it includes an automated quick charger of...

Historic Victorian mines hold key to critical minerals challenge A recent study of two historic phosphate mines in Victoria’s north and east has found elevated levels of vanadium and rhenium in rocks, along with low levels of rare earth elements – the critical minerals required for renewable energy applications in wind turbines and grid-scale batteries. The report, entitled An evaluation of rare earth elements, phosphorous, vanadium and rhenium hosted in sediment starved stratigraphy in...

“Net zero 2050 is a con” says Forrest, as Fortescue plans for 2030 Fortescue (ASX: FMG) has released its rigorous climate transition plan that lays out how it plans to stop burning fossil fuels across its Australian iron ore operations by the end of the decade. The action plan was released by Fortescue executive chairman Andrew Forrest at a roundtable event hosted by United Nations under-secretary general Melissa Fleming in New York. The detailed timeline shows how Fortescue will eliminate Scope 1 and 2 emissions without voluntary carbon offsets and without carbon capture and storage – which is now...