Author: Chloe Coutinho

Transhipping solution steers Onslow Iron progress When WA’s Onslow Iron achieved first ore on ship ahead of schedule in May 2024, less than a year after breaking ground at the Ken’s Bore mine site, the spotlight quickly turned to the project’s growing fleet of innovative 20,000-tonne transhippers. MinRes (ASX: MIN) is now establishing one of the largest and most sophisticated transhipping operations in Australia, with purpose-built transhippers ferrying iron ore from the Port of Ashburton to ocean going vessels (OGVs) anchored 40km offshore. But in their wake are two...

Rio Tinto’s first renewable diesel trial Renewable diesel has helped fuel Rio Tinto’s (ASX: RIO) Pilbara iron ore operations for the first time, with the completion of a successful trial of biofuel across its network of WA ports, railways and mines. The trial, the first of its kind for Rio Tinto in Australia, was conducted in partnership with leading global renewable diesel producer Neste and Australian fuel supplier Viva Energy (ASX: VEA). Rio Tinto says it has provided the company with a greater understanding of how renewable diesel...

Metso expands its digital portfolio Metso is launching the HPGRSense™ solution for optimising grinding efficiency through accurate monitoring of its HRC™e high-pressure grinding rolls (HPGR). Unique to the market, the HPGRSense™ is a stand-alone system that provides continuous simultaneous monitoring of the rolls, eliminating the need to stop the process for inspections. Metso HRC director Stefan Sakendorf says HPGRSense™ is transforming roll inspection and wear measurement on HPGR rolls while avoiding the limitations of existing laser-based solutions. “HPGRSense™ safely and remotely gives operators full...

Broken Hill’s energy future secured An old Broken Hill mine site will soon be transformed into a first-of-its-kind compressed air energy storage system, delivering energy security, jobs and investment to NSW. The NSW Government has provided planning approval for Hydrostor’s compressed air energy storage system with a capacity of 200MW / 1,600MWh. The Silver City Energy Storage Centre could power about 80,000 homes in peak demand and will maintain a reserve capacity of 250MWh to provide back-up to Broken Hill during times of planned and unplanned outages. The project is the first-of-its-kind...

Black Cat acquires Lakewood mill for $85m Westgold Resources (ASX: WGX) is divesting its non-core 1.2mtpa Lakewood processing facility to Black Cat Syndicate (ASX: BC8) in Kalgoorlie, WA. The transaction is expected to complete on or before March 31, 2025. As part of the transaction, Westgold will also retain optionality and priority access of up to 200ktpa of processing capacity at Lakewood via a toll-treating agreement (for a period of two years). Acquisition of the fully permitted and operating Lakewood processing facility allows Black Cat to produce more gold sooner, with...

Australia pours $1b into green iron The Federal Government has unveiled its $1b Green Iron Fund, designed to boost manufacturing and supply chains by supporting early mover green iron projects and unlocking private investment at scale. Up to $500m has been earmarked for Whyalla steelworks, with the other half of the pot open to applicants around Australia for both existing facilities and greenfield projects that can supercharge Australia’s world-leading iron ore industry. Federal Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen says the energy transition is driving a manufacturing jobs boom. “Australian manufacturing workers today...

Fenix to acquire CZR Fenix Resources (ASX: FEX) will acquire CZR Resources (ASX: CZR), creating a large-scale, diversified iron ore mining and logistics business operating in both of WA’s major iron ore regions — the Mid-West and the Pilbara. The combined entity will benefit from Fenix’s demonstrated operational expertise and profitability across its mining, logistics and port businesses and CZR’s 85% interest in the substantial Robe Mesa iron ore project and plans for securing approvals to construct bulk loading facilities for the export or iron ore at the existing Port of...

Alcoa’s $1.3m bushfire support fund Alcoa’s (ASX: AAI) new Bushfire Ready Fund will provide $1.3m over the next three years to support communities in WA and Victoria to deliver key initiatives that address the risk of bushfires and contributing climate factors. To kick the program off donations of $6500 were made to 23 volunteer fire services in the Peel and South West regions of WA, where Alcoa operates bauxite mines and alumina refineries, and the Glenelg Shire in Victoria, location of Alcoa’s Portland Aluminium...

Atlas achieves first production Image Resources (ASX: IMA) has achieved first heavy mineral concentrate (HMC) production at the company’s 100%-owned Atlas mineral sands project, 170km north of Perth WA. Despite construction delays from site evacuations for the bush fire in late November 2024, accelerated construction in December and January resulted in the completion of all major construction activities, allowing a wind down to the remaining non-process infrastructure items. This is in line with the forecast and associated construction schedule approved by the board in July 2024. Image Resources managing director and chief executive Patrick Mutz says...

Mining jobs and spending in NSW swell Results from the NSW Minerals Council’s latest annual Member Expenditure Survey have confirmed mining’s ongoing strong economic contribution to Cobar. In FY24, participating mining companies supported over 633 local jobs and directly spent $148m in Cobar, according to the survey. This is an increase in spending levels in the Cobar Local Government Area (LGA) of $15m compared to the previous year. It is also the highest level of spending recorded for Cobar since 2018-19 when relevant survey results for Cobar were first recorded. The $148m of direct mining spending in Cobar in FY24...

Fletcher Zone flourishes at Westgold’s Beta Hunt Westgold (ASX: WGX) has reported further results from its inaugural drilling program at the Fletcher Zone and details of planned drilling of the potential southern extension of Fletcher (the Mason Zone target). Additional large, high-grade drilling intervals were returned at Fletcher including 41m at 7.99g/t of gold and 19m at 5.95g/t of gold in hole FF475SP-62AE and 38m at 6.8g/t of gold in hole WF440VD-55AE. Since acquiring the Beta Hunt operation, Westgold has moved quickly to identify and test priority exploration targets. This work...