Author: Samantha Bawden

The Australian Government has pledged an initial investment of $1.2b to create a strategic reserve of critical minerals for Australia. The move follows China placing export restrictions on several critical minerals in response to the US imposed tariffs on Chinese goods. China currently dominates the global critical mineral supply chain being the top producer of 30 of the 50 minerals considered critical. Australia has major deposits of various critical minerals and rare earths, however, almost the entirety of the processing of critical minerals is sourced internationally to China. Caught in the middle of a trade war between the two countries, Australia looks to create its own supply chain independent from China. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that Australia needs…

The WA Government has announced that it is allocating $11.2m in funding to the successful applicants of its 31st round of the Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS). The EIS aims to encourage exploration for the long-term sustainability of the resource sector by helping overcome the financial barriers that early-stage projects often face. The latest round of funding will support 77 projects across WA, 49 projects of which will receive a total of $7.8m to support drilling programs. There are also 25 geophysics ventures that will receive $3.2m and three energy analysis program (EAP) projects that will receive a total of $200,000. Approximately half of successful applicants that are receiving funding for drilling projects that target critical minerals and 75% of geophysics…

Saturn Metals (ASX: STN) have announced notable drilling results from its flagship Apollo Hill gold project that indicates significant potential for future growth. The announcement includes results from 41 drill-holes and 8,816m of assays from drilling completed at the site. Highlights of the results include: 41m at 1.92g/t gold from 248m including 10m at 4.12g/t gold from 268m 21m at 1.79g/t gold from 116m including 8m at 4.05g/t gold from 123m These results will contribute towards a second mineral resource estimate (MRE) upgrade, a maiden ore reserve and a pre-feasibility study later this year. A further 20,000m of drilling will be completed at the site, located approximately 650km northeast of Perth in WA, over the next month. The previous MRE…

Cosmo Metals (ASX: CMO) has announced that it has acquired the highly prospective Bingarra and Nundle gold, antimony and copper projects in northern NSW along the Peel Fault. The company’s focus now moves to implementing its exploration strategy across the projects, spanning approximately 743km2 across the New England Orogen region. The New England Orogen extends from northern NSW along the eastern coast of Australia and up to Townsville in Northern Queensland. The region hosts globally significant orebodies including the nearby Hillgrove gold-antimony deposit and the Mt Morgan gold-copper deposit in Queensland. Both high-density light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and high-resolution imagery capture surveys have been completed across the full extent of both the Bingara and Nundle tenements. On ground activities…

Alcoa (ASX: AAI) are calling football fans to help tackle food insecurity in the Peel Region of WA by partaking in the 2025 Peel Thunder Charity Game Day. The event will run on the 10th of May this year and will help raise essential funds and food donations for Foodbank Peel. This will be the second year that the company has committed to matching fan donations dollar for dollar to double the impact and provide essential groceries to families and individuals in need. It was shown that over half of food-insecure households in Australia are forced to skip meals or endure entire days without food by the 2024 Foodbank Hunger Report. In the Peel region alone Foodbank has seen an…

Fortescue (ASX: FMG) has signed an agreement with Bocimar to charter a new green ammonia-powered vessel. This agreement aligns with the progress both companies are making to decarbonise the shipping industry. Bocimar is a division of CMB.TECH, a diversified group striving to decarbonise the maritime industry, that owns and operates bulkers that transport coal and iron ore. Fortescue is anticipating the delivery of the 210,000 dwt Newcastlemax vessel by the end of 2026. This vessel will become a crucial element in the shipment of iron ore from the Pilbara to Fortescue’s international customer base. The highly efficient carrier features a dual engine that can run on ammonia produced by using renewable energy. The company has voiced its commitment to eliminating…

This month, leading Cat® dealer WesTrac celebrated dual milestones, 100 years since the inception of Caterpillar® and 35 years of partnership. The first iteration of Cat machines was delivered in 1913 to NSW when Holt Manufacturing Company showcased tractors and harvesters to local farmers. The machines proved to be so popular that the business secured a position in the Australian market. The Caterpillar brand was born on the 15th of April 1925 following the merge of Holt Manufacturing Co and C.L. Best Gas Traction Co. Cat products would officially enter the WA and NSW markets in the following year, marking the beginning of the company’s journey to becoming an internationally renowned brand. WestTrac is the leading supplier of Cat equipment…

NSW coal giant Mount Arthur will be given a second life as a pumped hydro energy storage project following its 2030 closure. BHP (ASX: BHP) has announced its partnership with renewable energy and infrastructure company ACCIONA Energia to transition the project. In 2022 BHP confirmed that Mount Arthur Coal mine would be ushered to sleep as it reached the end of its economic life in 2030. The NSW Government approved the extension of mining activities for a further four years from July 2026 to June 2030 as part of its planned pathway to closure. Conceptual studies of the project show that the proposed facility at Mount Arthur has the potential to support more than 1,000 jobs in the region during…

At Tropicana gold mine, located 330km northeast of Kalgoorlie WA, tyres are one of the largest and most costly consumables. The challenging environment at Tropicana means that wear and tear is unavoidable, but instead of discarding tyres at the end of their life cycle, Macmahon (ASX: MAH) is taking a more sustainable approach. The company is leading a repair initiative to give injured tyres a second life. This not only allows for massive cost savings but to also lowers their ecological footprint. Since 2020 Macmahon’s tyre repair team has repaired 677 tyres, with a total of 909 repairs. Each repaired tyre gains 1,200 hours of additional use on top of its typical 2,500 to 3,500 hours. Tyres are an increasingly…

Black Cat Syndicate (ASX: BC8) has received approval to commence underground mining at Myhree gold deposit. This will follow the completion of the sites open pit later this year. Myhree is located within the Kal East gold project area in Kalgoorlie, WA and is 24km from the 1.2Mtpa Lakewood processing facility. The project’s underground deposit currently compromises a mineral resource estimate of 815kt at 4g/t of gold and remains open at depth. The company is progressing multiple WA projects as part of its ‘more gold soon strategy’. Black Cat’s managing director Gareth Solly said that the approval provides optionality for Kal East and that mining approvals for other deposits are expected soon. “With Lakewood running well, and the open pits…