Author: Samantha Bawden

WA’s energy future boosted by metals hub Murdoch University has launched a new extractive metallurgy hub in Rockingham as part of WA’s transition to sustainable metals production. The new facility is a flagship for research, education and industry collaboration, focusing on the extraction, processing and recycling of critical minerals essential to battery technologies and green steel production. WA is already a world-leading producer of lithium, responsible for more than half of global production, according to Murdoch University, and holds globally significant stores of vanadium — two metals essential to battery production. The university’s...

FMG banks record shipments, backs down on green hydrogen Fortescue (ASX: FMG) has documented record annual iron ore shipments for FY25, totalling 198.4mt, 55.2mt of which was shipped during the June quarter. The company also mined 64.2mt and processed 54.4mt, a respective 16% and 14% increase from the previous quarter. Fortescue chief executive Dino Otranto says the company’s performance for the year has been exceptional and is credited to the relentless focus of its teams on safety, efficiency and operational excellence. “We met all aspects of our market guidance and cemented our position as the industry’s lowest cost producer, with our annual...

New funding backs Whyalla workers The Federal and South Australia Governments have allocated a further $275m in funding to continue operation of the Whyalla Steelworks as it transitions to new ownership. The funding will facilitate continued safe operations, pay wages and suppliers and undertake critical works to strengthen the steelworks positions as a viable long-term asset for a new owner. Whyalla Steelworks is one of the state’s most strategically important employers and a key part of Australia’s manufacturing capability. The additional funding follows the formal...

Onslow Iron leading hybrid energy A combination of gas and renewables is powering clean energy solutions at Mineral Resources (ASX: MIR) Onslow Iron project, in the west Pilbara region of WA. MinRes’ Ken’s Bore mine site, located 200km southwest of Onslow, is fully powered by a hybrid gas and solar system that supplies energy to key site infrastructure and facilities including crushers, loaders, reclaimers and the company’s Mungala Resort. At the centre of the project is the Ken’s Bore power station, boasting an installed capacity...

Pilbara Ports breaks records Pilbara Ports has achieved record throughput for the sixth consecutive year with 775.7mt of exports and imports moving through its ports in FY25. This throughput equates to around $153b worth of commodities across the ports of Ashburton, Dampier, Port Hedland and Varanus Island, highlighting the essential role Pilbara Ports plays in the global supply chain and the Australian economy. The Port of Port Hedland contributed 577.7mt to the total, a 1% increase to last financial years performance, securing its position as one of the most important ports in the country....

Rio to advance Chilean lithium Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) has signed a binding agreement with Empresa Nacional de Minería (ENAMI) to form a joint venture lithium project in the Atacama region of Chile. The company was selected as the Salares Altoandinos project’s preferred partner after a competitive negotiation phase with BYD Chile SpA, Eramet Chile SA and POSCO Australia. With the agreement, Rio Tinto has agreed to acquire a controlling 51% stake in the project and will provide up to $425m, in both cash and non-cash contributions, to advance the project. The...

Australia reinforces ties with China In July, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese travelled to Beijing for a weeklong diplomatic trip to attend discussions with China president Xi Jinping. The visit was an opportunity to continue advancing Australia’s security and economic interests. Management of this relationship is crucial for Australia’s future prosperity and for the security of the nation and the region. The centrepiece of the visit were meetings with China’s most senior leaders in Beijing. Prime Minister Albanese held his fourth meeting with President Xi Jinping, met Premier Li Qiang for their third annual...

Liontown celebrates NAIDOC week   From July 6-13, Liontown (ASX: LTR) celebrated NAIDOC week at its Kathleen Valley site in WA with cultural awareness training, knowledge sharing and activities. Liontown has built strong relationships with the Tjiwarl community as the company’s Kathleen Valley operations are situated on Tjiwarl land in a culturally and environmentally significant region. At the company’s office in Perth, Senior Tjiwarl Traditional Owner Kado Muir spoke about the cultural significance of Country and the importance of knowledge sharing for future generations. Liontown...

BHP supports Traditional Owner governance BHP (ASX: BHP) is partnering with the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) to support the development of a First Nations director pipeline with a schoplarship program.   The scholarship program will provide in-classroom board governance education to 250 First Nations executives and aspiring board directors from Traditional Owner groups and Indigenous community organisations in regional locations in South Australia and WA.  The program is designed to engage leaders and support them through education to improve governance and increase their operational capacity to deliver long-term sustainable outcomes for the...

MinRes Air soars to new heights  Mineral Resources (ASX: MIN) has celebrated a full year of operating its internal airline service MinRes Air.   MinRes Air was created to allow for complete flight flexibility and seamless logistics, allowing MinRes to set a new benchmark for transporting people and cargo across operations in the WA mining sector.  With a fleet of modern Airbus A319 and A320’s, the airline now covers frequent routes from Perth, WA and Brisbane, Queensland to various MinRes sites including Ken’s Bore iron ore mine and the...

Rio remains resilient Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) has reported a 13% year-on-year increase in copper production for Q2 CY25, despite price fluctuations amidst rising trade tensions. Driven by strong performance from its copper assets, the company produced 229,000t of copper for the quarter, a 6% year-on-year increase in H1 performance. The economic uncertainty that followed the introduction of US tariffs at the start of the quarter saw copper prices fall before recovering in the second half, driven by US-China de-escalation. Copper production is expected to be at the higher end of guidance following the continued successful ramp up of operations at Oyu...