Author: Samantha Bawden

China blocks Australian antimony shipment China has delayed and returned a shipment of Australian critical minerals bound for the US. The shipment of 55t of antimony concentrate, destined for US Antimony Corporation, was held at the port of Ningbo in the Zhejiang Province for three months before being released by Chinese authorities on the condition it was to return to Australia. Alkane Resources (ASX: ALK), who supplied the shipment of antimony from its Costerfield site in Victoria, said it would never again send an antimony shipment bound for the US via China even though there had been no problem...

Bravus signs MoU to strengthen mining’s future Bravus Mining & Resources has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with CQUniversity to boost education, skills and job prospects in Queensland’s mining sector. One of the core undertakings of the MoU is for Bravus and CQUniversity to equip students in civil, mechanical, electrical, construction and mining engineering with industry-ready skills. This will be achieved through a combination of mentoring, vacation placements, internships and graduate programs designed to bridge the gap between study and employment. Bravus Mining and Resources chief operating officer Mick Crowe...

BHP enhances Olympic Dam biodiversity BHP (ASX: BHP) is undertaking an innovative research project to conserve and enhance biodiversity using emerging research techniques to test and monitor animal species. The BHP-Curtin Alliance eDNA for Global Environmental Studies Subterranean Fauna Detection and Conservation project uses environmental DNA (eDNA) to create a functional biomonitoring tool that provides additional information on biodiversity. eDNA is the biological material deposited by organisms into their habitat, terrestrial or aquatic, and can be isolated from a variety of substrates, such as soil, water and air, through...

PLS’ pioneering employee health monitoring PLS (ASX: PLS) has partnered with Tibi Healthcare to deliver onsite health monitoring services for employees at its Pilgangoora operation in the Pilbara region of WA. The industry-first initiative brings state-of-the-art mobile medical facilities to site, ensuring accessible healthcare services for PLS workers in remote working environments. The mobile medical service is equipped with a low dose computed tomography scanner (LDCT) which allows for the early detection of lung conditions and heart disease. Personnel are assessed and referred for on-site screening based on individual exposure history and in consultation with...

Two conference stages — double the value at AIMEX 2025 This year, Asia-Pacific’s International Mining Exhibition (AIMEX) is delivering twice the content, twice the opportunity and twice the reasons to register early and secure your free access to this must-attend event. Following the recent release of the main conference agenda, AIMEX has launched the agenda for a brand-new Innovation Stage for its 2025 event, doubling the value and insight available to delegates from September 23-25. AIMEX 2025 is raising the bar with not one, but two carefully curated conference stages running alongside the exhibition floor. The Main Stage will continue to spotlight high-level industry leadership, innovation and strategic...

SAMCo celebrates Collinsville’s successful year Stanwell Asset Maintenance Company (SAMCo) has marked its first year of operating and maintaining the Collinsville Solar Farm with RATCH Australia Corporation (RAC). Located 90km southwest of Bowen, Queensland, the farm features about 180,000 solar panels and generates enough electricity annually to power up to 15,000 homes across the state. SAMCo’s partnership with RAC — a five-year agreement to deliver operations and maintenance (O&M) services — was its first solar generation maintenance contract following its launch in late 2023. ...

RISE focuses on renewables Twenty Australian startups have been selected for the third round of the India Australia Rapid Innovation and Startup Expansion (RISE) Accelerator program. Delivered by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, the RISE Accelerator helps Australian startups and small to medium enterprises (SMEs) with scalable climate and environmental solutions to test, validate and commercialise their technologies in international markets, with a focus on India. The new round focuses on deployable renewable energy innovations targeting three key challenge areas: Advancing critical mineral and materials processing, recovery...

Advanced Navigation’s autonomous mining breakthrough Advanced Navigation’s Boreas D90 Inertial Navigation System (INS) and Laser Velocity Sensor (LVS) were successfully demonstrated at Europe’s deepest underground mine. As part of BHP’s (ASX: BHP) deep mining challenge, the system was sent to the Pyhäsalmi zinc and copper mine in Finland and operated between 400m and 1,400m depth across 22km of tunnel. The system maintained a position error of less than .1% of distance travelled and, in some instances, exceeded global navigation system (GNSS)-level accuracy. The Hybrid Navigation System demonstrated long-range, infrastructure-free,...

Rio Tinto boosts Indigenous employment Up to 40 Indigenous People from across Perth and the Pilbara enter Rio Tinto’s (ASX: RIO) annual Aboriginal Training and Liaison (ATAL) program for 2025. The eight-week initiative, re-launched in 2023, has been co-designed between Rio Tinto and Traditional Owners to build job-ready skills and provide access to a range of career pathways. The ATAL program combines training in safety, health and wellbeing, cultural awareness, workplace expectations and financial literacy, together with resume support and career planning to help prepare participants for employment within Rio Tinto and beyond. This...

Study to accelerate decarbonisation in Asia An industry consortium is undertaking a pre-feasibility study to assess the development of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) hubs across Asia. The consortium is comprised of leading steelmakers ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India, JSW Steel, Hyundai Steel Company and other value chain players BHP (ASX: BHP), Chevron and Mitsui & Co. Focusing on the potential to develop large-scale projects which can repurpose, or store, captured carbon dioxide, the study will be the first independent industry-led study of its kind...

Mining begins at Reward underground Vertex Minerals (ASX: VTX) has commenced underground production at its Reward gold mine in NSW following a successful first blast over the weekend. The milestone, targeting the Lady Belmore reef, keeps the company on track to commence processing of high-grade stope ore at the gravity processing plant until full scale operations begin at Reward. The startup mine schedule, as previously announced, includes mining 2,075t at 17.8g/t of gold from a developed airleg stop block with the planned stope width the same as the interpretation of the mineralisation. Reward’s underground mining operation has a current...