Author: Samantha Bawden

Australian mine rescue teams go head-to-head Yesterday, Queensland Mines Rescue Service (QMRS) and Coal Services NSW Mines Rescue hosted the 61st Australian Underground Mines Rescue Competition at BMA’s Broadmeadow coal mine in Queensland. The event brought together eight of the nation’s best mines rescue teams from Queensland and NSW, showcasing their skills, teamwork and commitment to safety in a series of challenging underground emergency response scenarios. Teams were tested on firefighting, search and rescue, first aid, hazard awareness and team management across realistic and high-pressure...

Hundreds of jobs on the line as AGL retires coal-fired power AGL Energy (ASX: AGL), one of Australia’s largest energy providers, will cut hundreds of jobs as it retires ageing coal-fired power stations and replaces them with renewable assets. The Mining and Energy Union (MEU) representatives were informed that 300 jobs, including management and operational roles, would be cut across AGL’s business in meetings held at AGL’s Bayswater and Loy Yang A power stations in NSW this week. MEU general secretary Grahame Kelly says the news is devastating for workers. “Coal-fired power station workers around the country are already facing stress and uncertainty with moving timelines for...

Onslow Iron backs strong Q1 results for MinRes Mineral Resources (ASX: MIN) is on track to reach its full-year guidance driven by the ramp-up of Onslow Iron to its nameplate capacity and a lithium market rebound in Q1 FY26. Total quarterly iron ore production across the company’s Onslow Iron and Pilbara Hub operations reached 10.9mt with record shipments of 11.4mt, 8.6mt of which were shipped from Onslow Iron — a 50% quarter-on-quarter increase. Costs at MinRes’ Wodinga and Mt Marion lithium projects were lower than expected with the weighted average realised price achieved rising 31% quarter-on-quarter to about $1280/t . Total...

Transgrid securing NSW energy future Major construction works have commenced on the HumeLink in NSW — one of Australia’s biggest electricity transmission infrastructure projects.  The delivery of this project will reinforce NSW’s southern electricity grid and enable the integration of more renewable generation into the National Electricity Market (NEM), forming the backbone of the power transmission network from South Australia through to northern Queensland. The link will connect at Wagga Wagga with EnergyConnect and form the energy infrastructure needed to help bring cheaper, cleaner renewable energy online from solar and wind generators in south-west NSW.  It...

MinRes boosts Indigenous participation with new joint venture Mineral Resources (ASX: MIN) has commenced a new joint venture, Yardi Mining Services, to place Traditional Owners of the Onslow Iron project at the centre of sustainable economic participation.  The partnership with wholly owned subsidiary CSI Mining Services (CSI) and Robe River Services (RRS), which represents the Robe River Kuruma (RRK) community in WA, creates pathways for RRK members to gain skills across a diverse range of mining services — from operating heavy machinery such as excavators...

Metso Life Cycle Services model for minerals processing Metso is introducing a groundbreaking Life Cycle Services (LCS) framework to reflect the shift toward outcome-based partnerships and performance-driven business models, while addressing customers’ different levels of support requirements.    Metso has offered LCS for more than 15 years and the new LCS model includes solutions for parts, equipment and process island scopes as well as three partnership levels focusing on stability, optimisation or growth.  Metso integrated service solutions senior vice president Miika Tirkkonen says customers aim to improve efficiency and profitability, although their needs vary greatly.   “Metso is...

Rineheart nearly doubles Arafura stake  Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting has committed $125m to Arafura Rare Earths (ASX: ARU) as part of a recent $425m capital raise, bumping Rinehart's holding to about 15.7%.  The capital raise brings Arafura closer to the full funding of $2.3b required for the development of its Nolans rare earths project, located 135km north of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. Nolans is set to be Australia’s first integrated rare earths mine and processing facility.  The Nolans raise follows Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's visit to the US last week where he signed a $13b Australia-US investment framework for rare earths and critical minerals with...

850 jobs on the line as Yandi scales back BHP (ASX: BHP) will be winding down operations at its Yandi iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of WA as the ore body nears depletion. The company has begun informing its workforce, about 650 direct employees and 200 contractors, that operations will be scaled back over the next year before ceasing altogether. BHP first proposed scaling down operations at Yandi in 2017 but strong demand for iron ore led to multiple life-of-mine extensions. The Western Mineworkers' Alliance (WMWA), representing more than 100 members at Yandi, says the announcement comes as...

Australia’s largest aluminium smelter faces closure Tomago Aluminium has started consulting more than 1000 workers at its Tomago aluminium smelter in NSW as changing operating economics potentially affect the smelters viability. The Tomago Aluminium venture, controlled by Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO), has been working to identify an economically viable energy solution for when its existing electricity supply contract with AGL expires in December 2028. However, the venture has yet to identify a pathway that supports commercially sustainable operations. As the largest energy consumer in NSW, electricity currently accounts for more than 40% of Tomago Aluminium’s operating costs. Based on market proposals...

Underground workers dead after mine explosion Two workers died after an explosion occurred at an underground mine in Cobar NSW this morning. Emergency services were called to the site, located about 450km east of Broken Hill, at about 3.45am after reports two people had been critically injured in a workplace incident, the NSW Police confirmed in a statement. According to the statement, officers attached to the Central North Police District were told on arrival a man was confirmed dead after the explosion and two women were brought to the surface. One of the survivors has since died and the second woman was airlifted to hospital and is being treated for...

Onslow Iron $200M contingent payment confirmed Mineral Resources (ASX: MIN) will receive a $200m contingent payment from Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners (MSIP) in early November as part of the private haul road transaction.  As announced in September last year, investment funds managed by MSIP paid an upfront consideration of $1.1b for a 49% interest in the Onslow Iron Road Trust, which generates a life-of-mine CPI-adjusted tolling fee per tonne of iron ore loaded at the port from MinRes’ Onslow Iron project in WA.  Between 1 August 2025 and 27 October 2025, 8.75mt of iron ore was...