Author: Samantha Bawden

Australia’s green metals future CSIRO is leading an initiative to advance Australian green metals production by strengthening industry-research collaboration. The Green Metals Innovation Network (GMIN) is a $10m initiative funded by the Federal Government and will be supported by a partnership between CSIRO and the Heavy Industry Low-carbon transition Copper Research Centre (HILT CRC). GMIN will bring together research, government and industry to accelerate the development of domestic green metals industry for Australia’s iron, steel, alumina and aluminium sectors. The initiative is part of the Federal Government’s Future Made in Australia agenda that seeks to leverage the country’s renewable...

Hancock Prospecting and Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) will invest $1.2b each to develop the Hope Downs 2 iron ore project in the Pilbara region of WA.

The Copper Advantage: Powering the Future As the world transitions to cleaner energy systems and greener economies, few materials are more essential than copper. Its unmatched conductivity, durability and recyclability make it a foundational resource for everything from EVs and wind turbines to data centres and digital infrastructure. But while global demand for copper continues to climb, accessing and processing the metal efficiently, sustainably and at scale is becoming more complex. Ageing deposits, environmental expectations and the urgency of decarbonisation all place pressure on the industry to innovate — and fast. That’s where Copper to the World 2025 steps in. Returning to Adelaide from 26–27 August, this year’s event, hosted by Austmine on...

Securing Mount Isa’s future The Queensland Government held a meeting last week to discuss options for a viable pathway forward for the Mount Isa smelter. Glencore has previously declared its Mount Isa copper smelter as unviable and is undergoing talks with the Federal and Queensland Government to discuss the future of operations and protect the future of the region. The potential closure of the smelter has incited concerns surrounding the downstream effects on Australia’s copper value chain and the economies of the regional communities that rely on its mining and processing...

Approvals advance US Resolution Copper Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) and BHP (ASX: BHP) have received environmental approval from the US Department of Agriculture to advance on of the largest undeveloped copper mines in the world. The republication of the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) by the US Forest Serve (USFS) allows the congressionally mandated land exchange, enabling future underground mine development and places thousands of acres of land into permanent conservation. The copper project is expected to produce more than 18mt over its...

Public gets say in Yallourn’s future EnergyAustralia has released a draft Declared Mine Rehabilitation Plan (DMRP) for Yallourn coal mine, located in Latrobe Valley in Victoria, for public consultation. Yallourn has produced more than 1bt of brown coal since operations commenced in the 1920s and is responsible for 85% of the electricity in Victoria. Scheduled for closer in mid-2028, EnergyAustralia is developing plans to rehabilitate the site back to its original state. The rehabilitation strategy outlined in the draft DMRP has been shaped through continued conversations...

Next-gen AI mineral exploration Fleet Space has announced a series of partnerships to develop advanced quantum sensors to fuel the growth of AI-powered mineral exploration. The collaboration with mDetect, Nomad Atomics and DeteQ, will advance acquisition and processing speed of geophysical datasets to build an innovation path for muon tomography to become a valuable input for enhancing the geological predictions of modern AI systems. As part of the company’s expansion of its vertically integrated ExoSphere platform, Fleet Space is also partnering with Stanford’s Mineral-X and MIT’s...

CSIRO launches advanced exploration software This week CSIRO has released a new online tool, LandScape+, to accelerate mineral discovery across Australia. The tool is designed to help geologists interpret their geochemical data and plan follow-up exploration programs to target new resources across a range of commodities including gold, lithium and copper. Mineral exploration in Australia faces many unique challenges due to site remoteness and access difficulty. Much of the land is also covered by a thick layer of loose soil, sand and broken-down rock — making it difficult to...

Metso bring mega mill liners to WA Metso is installing a mega-class press at its Canning Vale production facility, expanding it rubber and Poly-Met wear parts production capability in Australia. The press is specifically designed to produce large Megaliner mill liners, anticipated to be operational in Q4 this year, and will position Metso as the only mill liner manufacturer in the country. The installation of the mega-class press will significantly enhance the company’s manufacturing flexibility with the ability to produce very large liners — up to 4.5m by 3.2m coverage — with weight limits defined...

Komatsu opens $9.9m fulfilment centre Komatsu Australia have officially opened a new 12,500m2 fulfillment centre in Tarneit, Victoria that is powered by the fastest order fulfilment system in the market. Leveraging AutoStore — a high-speed order fulfilment system — operated by autonomous robots that move atop an aluminium cubic grid, the centre ensures a more efficient and streamlined experience for customers ordering Komatsu parts and machinery. With swift and reliable support for customers across Victoria, South Australia and southern NSW, the new facility enables next-day delivery to all regional branches. The facility has...