Author: Samantha Bawden

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...

Coal’s opportunity to power energy transition Abandoned coal mines could host more than 52GW of solar in Queensland and more than 14GW in NSW according to a Global Energy Monitor (GEM) study. The study assessed decommissioned and soon to be closed surface coal mines across the globe and their potential to be given a second life as a solar farm, identifying the global capacity to host more than 300GW of solar. Four major coal producers were identified as having the greatest opportunity for coal to solar transitions, including Indonesia, the US and India with Australia at the...

Yancoal funds hospital equipment upgrade Yancoal Australia (ASX: YAL) has donated $37,000 to Singleton District Hospital in NSW to provide patients with new fall prevention hospital beds. The joint donation, from Yancoal’s Mount Thorley Warkworth and Ashton Coal mines located in the Hunter Valley region, enabled the purchase of three new beds for general ward use at the hospital. The new beds offer flexibility for a wide range of patient circumstances, are ergonomic for the healthcare providers, offer increased safety and enable patients to rest in comfort while rehabilitating. Yancoal Mount Thorley Warkworth general manager Cris Shadbolt says the team is proud to...

New Acland’s multi-million-dollar machine New Hope Group (ASX: NHG) has commissioned a new $6.6m Caterpillar 993 loader at its New Acland Coal mine in southeast Queensland. The 135t loader’s durable design makes it perfectly equipped to handle the rugged terrain and harsh conditions faced on site. New Acland Coal general manager Dave O’Dwyer says Hastings Deering Toowoomba sourced and built the earthmoving machine. “The Caterpillar 993 loader weighs more than 135t is 16.5m long and has a bucket capacity of 17.5m2, which is equivalent to the size of a car,” he said. The arrival of the...