Author: Samantha Bawden

Komatsu Australia’s AHS milestone Komatsu Australia has reached a significant milestone with its 500th automated haulage system (AHS) truck now operating in WA.  Autonomous haulage has become a key part of modern mining, offering both safety and productivity benefits by removing operators from dangerous conditions, greatly lowering the risk of accidents and injuries, with their ability to run continuously drives significant gains in site productivity.  Komatsu mining automation general manager Garry Povah says the shift to AHS shows how quickly the industry has adapted to change.   “Having 500 AHS truck in operation across Australia is a proud achievement...

Aluminum demand expected to rise 80% by 2050  Alcoa (ASX: AAI) has highlighted how the energy transition is driving global aluminum demand in a new white paper published with Eurasia Group.  The paper, Competitiveness and Green Transition in the Aluminum Industry: Finding Synergies or Facing Trade-Offs, examines the intersection of economic competitiveness and the global green energy transition and highlights rising aluminum demand across technologies, such as solar panels and wind turbines, and the transmission projects that support them.   The paper also highlights...

LETA accelerates carbon capture technology Low Emission Technology Australia (LETA) has joined a major international effort to advance carbon capture technology for energy-intensive industries. In partnership with the US Department of Energy and industry leaders, LETA is investing in GTI Energy’s advanced ROTA-CAP technology, an innovation designed to make carbon capture systems smaller, cheaper and more easily scalable for industrial settings. Alongside LETA, the project team includes US Steel, Amrize (formerly Holcim US) and Enbridge. The ROTA-CAP carbon capture technology will be tested at pilot scale at US Steel’s Edgar Thomson facility in Braddock, Pennsylvania. The project aims to assess the technology’s readiness for commercial scale-up and enable wider deployment across the steel,...

Federal Government sets ‘ambitious’ 2035 emissions target The Federal Government has set what it calls an “ambitious but achievable” emissions reduction target of 62–70% below 2005 levels by 2035. The target was released alongside the Federal Government’s Net Zero Plan and supporting documents, including the National Climate Risk Assessment (NCRA). The NCRA showed that 2°C warming would have a disastrous impact on Australia’s economy, health and survival. 2°C will double severe and extreme heatwave events and increase time spent in drought by up to 70%, according to the assessment. The assessment found heat-related mortality would increase by 190% in Sydney,...

Second culling: Anglo American axes coal jobs  Anglo American is cutting more than 200 jobs across its coal operations in central Queensland and its Brisbane head office, according to the Issac Regional Council. The company is Australia's second largest steelmaker, operating five mines across Queensland, including the state’s largest — the Grosvenor underground coal mine. Anglo American Australia people and corporate relations vice president Ben Mansour says the company has undertaken a comprehensive review of its organisational structure to ensure the long-term sustainability of the business. “As part of this review, a small...

Anglo American makes $7.5b copper agreement Anglo American and Codelco have entered into a definitive agreement to implement a joint mine plan for their adjacent copper operations, Los Bronces and Andina, in Chile. The joint mine plan has been developed to unlock an additional 2.7mt of copper production over a 21-year period by increasing annual production by 120,000tpa —predicted to generate a pre-tax net present value uplift of at least $7.5b . According to 2024 data, combined production of the projects ranks among the top ten copper mines globally...

Metso acquires Q&R Industrial Hoses Metso has signed an agreement to acquire the privately owned Australian company which specialises in the manufacture of pinch valve sleeves, rubber hoses and other rubber products. This acquisition marks another step in Metso’s commitment to offer comprehensive, end-to-end slurry handling solutions and services for its customers. Following Metso’s valve and process control offering acquisition of Jindex in 2024, the addition of Q&R Industrial Hoses will further enhance Metso’s portfolio. Metso valves and hoses director Christian Trulsson says the company has a long relationship with Q&R, which has served Metso as a critical rubber parts...

BHP cuts 750 Queensland coal jobs BHP (ASX: BHP) and Mitsubishi, as BHP Mitsubishi Alliance’s (BMA), will suspend operations at the jointly owned Saraji South coal mine with the operation being place in care and maintenance in November 2025. The companies attributed the closure to consistently weak metallurgical coal prices and the impact of the Queensland Government’s coal royalties — a scheme introduced in 2022 when coal prices were significantly higher. BMA president Adam Lancey says the Queensland coal industry is approaching a crisis point. “As joint owners of BMA, BHP and Mitsubishi do not want to see operations paused or...

Federal Government report a climate change ‘wake-up call’ This week, the Federal Government released its first National Climate Risk Assessment (NCRA), which will be used to develop Australia’s 2035 emissions reduction target — expected this week. Australia’s first independent NCRA, created by the Australian Climate Service, compiles data and analysis from world-leading experts and scientists from the Bureau of Meteorology, CSIRO, the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Geoscience Australia. Alongside the comprehensive assessment, the Federal Government released a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) — a vision for a...

EPCA advancing mining electrification Electric Power Conversions Australia (EPCA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ABB to deploy full battery electric retrofit solutions for mining trucks. ABB is a Switzerland-based leading global technology company and together the companies will deliver retrofit solutions for conventionally powered trucks for mid-sized haul trucks with capacities of 100-150t. This collaboration represents a significant milestone for EPCA as it scales its retrofit technology beyond demonstration and into broader deployment. It reflects the alignment between EPCA’s hands-on expertise in mining truck electrification and ABB’s...

Ivanhoe delays ASX IPO Ivanhoe Atlantic has pushed back its mid-year initial public offering (IPO) target and is now aiming to launch its IPO in Australia before the end of 2025. Privately-owned US-based Ivanhoe is looking to develop the Kon Kweni high-grade iron-ore deposit in Guinea, West Africa, to provide a supply of high-grade iron ore that can be readily processed in Middle East into low emissions steel that can feed a US supply chain. At the WA Mining Club August luncheon, Ivanhoe...