Author: Chloe Coutinho

McPhillamys gold project blocked The Federal Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek has made a declaration of protection over part of the approved McPhillamys gold project site owned by Regis Resources (ASX: RRL). Minister Pilbersek says her decision is not to stop the mine and that protecting cultural heritage and development are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, Regis says this decision impacts a critical area of the project, making it non-viable. Regis Resources chief executive Jim Beyer says Regis is extremely surprised and disappointed that, after a nearly four-year, protracted Section 10 assessment process, Minister Plibersek has concluded...

BMA to run on 100% renewable electricity BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) is set to become the first Australian operations at BHP (ASX: BHP) to run under renewable power arrangements for 100% of its electricity needs following the signing of a new power purchase agreement (PPA) for its Queensland operations. The seven-year PPA commencing from FY27 is expected to allow BMA to meet all its forecasted electricity needs from sources such as solar, wind and pumped hydro. The new agreement, when combined with another renewable PPA signed with CleanCo in 2023, is expected to allow BMA’s Queensland assets to have 100%...

WA Mining Club announces new president The WA Mining Club (WAMC) has announced that Dani Tamati, Resources Hub managing director and long-time committee member, has been elected the Club’s new President for FY25. With a career spanning more than 30 years in the mining and resources industry, commencing FIFO then residential in the Pilbara, Ms Tamati is aware of the challenges that FIFO and remote living can bring to the workforce. The WAMC says Ms Tamati works tirelessly with clients and...

Monadelphous lands $340m in contracts Monadelphous (ASX: MND) has been awarded about $340m in new construction contracts for the iron ore and renewable energy sectors. In iron ore, Mondium — Monadelphous’ engineering, procurement and construction joint venture with Lycopodium — has been awarded a design and construct contract by Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO). The contract includes construction of a new sampling facility at a port operation in the Pilbara region of WA. Work is expected to be completed in mid-2026. Monadelphous has also been awarded a multidisciplinary construction contract under BHP’s (ASX: BHP) WA Iron Ore...

Drilling approved for Argent polymetallic project Argent Minerals’ (ASX: ARD) reverse circulation (RC) drilling program at the Kempfield project is set to commence in September 2024 following approval from the NSW Regulator. The program comprises 3,3000m across 51 RC drill holes and will confirm newly discovered Kempfield NW and Sugarloaf Hill prospects across copper, lead, zinc, gold and silver deposits. The Kempfield silver deposit mineral resource estimate for all categories has been upgraded to 63.7mt at 69.75 g/t silver equivalent for 142.8moz of gold equivalent, containing of 65.8moz...

Queensland Government and Rio Tinto partner on Gladstone’s Boyne Smelters The Queensland Government and Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) will work together under a partnership to support investment in renewable energy projects. The agreement represents an important step towards securing a long-term future for Australia's second-largest aluminium smelter, Boyne Smelters Limited (BSL) and thousands of jobs in central Queensland supported by the operations. The partnership supports Queensland's vision to establish Gladstone, Queensland, as a renewable energy hub and strengthens the electricity grid as Australia transitions to a cleaner...

FIRB approves major Australian-Japanese critical minerals collaboration Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) has approved the Ardea Resources (ASX: ARL), Sumitomo Metal Mining and Mitsubishi Corporation joint venture to develop the Kalgoorlie nickel project (KNP) in WA. The KNP and its sub-set the Goongarrie Hub, are a globally significant series of nickel-cobalt and critical mineral deposits which host the largest nickel-cobalt resource in the developed world at 854mt, according to Ardea. In addition to FIRB approval, Ardea has been informed that the Consortium has obtained merger control clearance from the Korea Fair Trade Commission, successfully satisfying two of the four conditions...

Pilbara Minerals to acquire Latin Resources Pilbara Minerals (ASX: PLS) will acquire 100% of the shares in Latin Resources (ASX: LRS) after entering a binding scheme implementation agreement. The Latin Resources board has unanimously recommended the scheme in the absence of a superior proposal. Pilbara Minerals managing director and chief executive Dale Henderson comments on the acquisition. “This acquisition is on-strategy, diversifying the business with what we believe is a counter-cyclical, accretive extension that further builds out Pilbara Minerals’ position as one of the leading lithium materials suppliers globally,” he said. “The acquisition will deliver...

Liquid metals: A new class of shapeshifting catalysts The chemical properties of liquid metals are at the heart of a new research project at Monash Engineering that aims to produce a paradigm shift in catalyst technology for the chemical industry. Liquid metal-based alloys have recently been shown to have great potential as catalysts at low temperatures across a wide range of applications, including the conversion of carbon dioxide and methane into value-added carbon-based chemicals and the breakdown of biofuels and liquid hydrocarbons like canola oil into propylene. Dr Md. Arifur Rahim, who recently joined...

Construction begins on Pilbara Hydrogen Hub road upgrades Ground has been broken on upgrades to support the Pilbara Hydrogen Hub at Port Hedland in WA. The upgrades to the Lumsden Point access road and Pinga Street intersection will support the import of wind turbine and renewable energy components into the Pilbara, as well as the export of battery metals such as lithium and copper concentrates. The new intersection is expected to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion at Lumsden Point and Pinga Street, while also facilitating the safe movement of oversize...

ABB and Komatsu collaborate on net zero innovations ABB and Komatsu have signed a Strategic Collaboration Agreement to develop heavy industrial machinery solutions that can bring net zero emissions a step closer to reality. The collaboration brings two global leaders together to share industry expertise and products in a bid to create world-class solutions, ranging from renewable energy generation to fully electrified mining equipment. ABB and Komatsu's collaboration is geared towards reducing diesel consumption and ultimately eliminating it through the electrification of mine operations. Komatsu Surface Haulage senior vice president Dan Funcannon comments on...