Author: Chloe Coutinho

Thiess is making good in the communities it operates in, with recent milestones in two major community initiatives. As part of the 2024 16 Days of Activism against Gendered Violence campaign, Thiess’ information and communications technology (ICT) and health teams collaborated to donate 14 unused mobile phones to a Brisbane hospital. Thiess health and wellbeing advisor Leigh Ruch will donate the phones to Logan Hospital social work department. Currently, Ms Ruch works at the hospital part-time, as a nurse and midwife. “I am so pleased that this simple and practical donation, for old phones that would have been previously discarded and no longer used by Thiess, will now support the many vulnerable communities and people across Australia,” Ms Ruch said.…

Whitehaven Coal recently hosted members of the Tamworth Aboriginal Medical Service (TAMS) Board and executive team on visits to its Rocglen rehabilitation site and Vickery operational site in NSW, further strengthening the partnership with the regional health organisation. TAMS is a leading healthcare provider in the Tamworth region, helping to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people via comprehensive and culturally sensitive services. The visits followed a presentation by Whitehaven’s Aboriginal community relations team to the TAMS Board, during which the Board expressed an interest in learning more about mining operations and the rehabilitation processes firsthand. The aim was to provide insight into Whitehaven’s commitment to sustainable mining practices and the rehabilitation of mined land. TAMS chairperson Cath Trindall…

Tivan (ASX: TVN) has been awarded a $7.4m cash grant for the Speewah fluorite project, located in the Kimberley region of WA, under the Federal Government’s International Partnerships in Critical Minerals (“IPCM”) program.  The IPCM program supports early to mid-stage critical minerals projects that contribute to building end-to-end supply chains with Australia’s international partners in the critical minerals sector.   Eligibility criteria include applicants having plans to produce critical minerals listed in Australia’s Critical Minerals List, projects which are in the early to mid-stages of development including those activities undertaken post-exploration and before final investment decision and formal support from an international project partner.  Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King says these new grants will help Australian critical minerals and rare earth projects…

Metso is launching a next-generation Anode Furnace for reducing carbon dioxide emissions, improving impurity removal capabilities and bringing flexibility in treating secondary materials.   The upgraded Anode Furnace features the latest design, advances in process safety, and ease of maintenance. It also presents two exciting methods for reducing carbon dioxide emissions.  Metso anode casting and anode furnace technologies senior sales manager Miikka Marjakoski says this makes the new Anode Furnace unique.   “The process is fully prepared to utilise direct hydrogen reduction in the H2-ready variant,” he said.  “However, if the customer has no opportunity to switch to hydrogen use at present, Metso can also provide the technology to significantly increase the current gaseous hydrocarbon reductant efficiency with a steam-gas reduction system.  …

Mineral Resources‘ (ASX: MIN) Onslow Iron teams have celebrated a significant milestone with first loading of a Newcastlemax ship at the Port of Ashburton in WA.  A Newcastlemax is the next size of bulk carrier after a Capesize vessel and has an intake of about 190,000-210,000wmt with a maximum beam of 50m and a maximum overall length of 300m.  In November, a total of 203,100wmt was successfully loaded onto the MV Mount Aconcagua, representing 22,900wmt more than any previous shipment from Onslow Iron’s anchorage at the Port of Ashburton.  MinRes’ innovative transhippers commenced loading cargo onto the vessel on November 10, with completion achieved on November 13. Despite the larger vessel size, this was the fastest turnaround time for any…

Alcoa Australia (ASX: AAI) will relocate its head office to the Perth, WA, Central Business District (CBD) in the second half of 2025 in a move that will see it situated closer to key stakeholders and more attractive to prospective employees.  The integrated aluminium company has been operating in Australia for 61 years with 40 of those from its head office in Booragoon, 15km south of Perth’s CBD.  It will move to 235 St Georges Terrace, Perth, located at the western end of the CBD.  Alcoa Australia president Elsabe Muller says the business has outgrown the current office and it is the right time to transition to a more centrally located contemporary workspace.  “The CBD location will help us meet…

Thanks to Mineral Resources (ASX: MIN) and Healthy Strides Foundation, WA children with neurological conditions and injuries are the first in Australia to access a cutting-edge rehabilitation robot to improve their mobility. ZeroG 3D, a gravity-defying body weight support system, was this month installed at Healthy Strides’ clinic in Victoria Park, giving paediatric rehabilitation patients full freedom of movement without the fear of falling or injury. The first machine to be installed outside of the United States, it uses a computer-controlled harness to partially remove a patient’s weight and automatically track their movement as they safely practice balancing, walking and functional activities. Since 2022, Healthy Strides has used the original track-based ZeroG system, which was also funded by MinRes via…

Sandvik has completed its acquisition of Universal Field Robots (UFR), a fast-growing Australia-based provider of autonomous interoperable solutions for the surface mining and underground mining markets. UFR’s solution portfolio is built on a common autonomy platform, which is a strong complement to Sandvik’s automation offering and includes original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agnostic robotic and autonomous solutions for trucks, loaders and auxiliary equipment. According to Sandvik, the acquisition will help to increase the addressable market for the company and further strengthens the market position of Sandvik AutoMine. Sandvik president and chief executive Stefan Widing comments on the transaction. “Universal Field Robots is an important strategic addition to Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, which will strengthen our growth potential and provide key…

Tivan Limited (ASX: TVN) has finalised its acquisition of the Speewah project in WA, as the company made its final payment to King River Resources (KRR). Tivan acquired the Speewah project from KRR in Q1 2023. The acquisition included all mining, exploration and miscellaneous titles that comprise the Speewah fluorite project and the Speewah vanadium titanomagnetite project. Tivan agreed to pay KRR $20m, comprised of $10m in cash and $10m equivalent of shares in Tivan. Tivan executive chairman Grant Wilson says the acquisition of Speewah was a transformative event for Tivan, providing the company with the foundation to build a company of strategic importance across northern Australia. “We are pleased to have fully paid down the cash consideration today,” he…

Northern Star Resources (ASX: NST) will acquire 100% of De Grey Mining (ASX: DEG) and its flagship WA project, Hemi, under a binding scheme implementation deed. The Hemi project is one of the largest undeveloped gold projects in a Tier-1 mining jurisdiction globally, with mineral resources of 11.2moz and ore reserves of 6moz and forecast annual gold production of 530kozpa over its first 10 years. The combined Northern Star Group will operate across two Tier-1 jurisdictions and four production centres, with proforma mineral resources of 74.9moz and ore reserves of 26.9moz. Under the scheme arrangement, De Grey shareholders receive 0.119 new Northern Star shares for each De Grey share held. De Grey managing director Glenn Jardine comments on the acquisition.…

Liontown Resources (ASX: LTR) is partnering with Edith Cowan University’s Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Centre on an important research project aimed at enhancing the mental health and wellbeing of FIFO workers. Liontown work health and safety manager Hayden Spencer attended the research showcase alongside government representatives, prominent researchers, industry peers and the academic community to discuss the company’s participation in the initiative. Supported by the WA Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (DEMIRS) and conducted between March and April 2024, the study explored how team belongingness can influence the wellbeing of workers on remote mine sites, including those at Liontown’s Kathleen Valley lithium operation in WA. The researchers collected survey data from 72 Liontown employees and…