Author: Samantha Bawden

Australia’s first underground lithium mine Liontown Resources (ASX: LTR) has officially opened its Kathleen Valley lithium project 680km north-east of Perth, WA. The project is a globally significant, long-life operation and Australia’s first underground lithium mine that is expected to generate jobs and bolster local development. Liontown has already signed offtake agreements with some of the world’s leading electric vehicle (EV) and battery manufacturers including Tesla, Ford, LG Energy Solution and Beijing Sinomine. With these contracts, the company has secured demand for the project’s initial production and positioned itself as an emerging force in the global lithium supply chain. Boosted by a $15m interest-free loan from the...

Oresome opportunity for Queensland students Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) has seen twenty Year 10 students from across the state attend its first engineering camp this week. The Oresome Engineering Camp for Year 10 students was jointly facilitated by The University of Queensland (UQ) and the QMEA, the education arm of the Queensland Resources Council (QRC). Running over the school holidays at The University of Queensland (UQ), the three-day camp saw students work with university and industry experts to investigate, create and complete a series of engineering projects. The projects included designing an emergency services vehicle and an autonomous mining truck. [caption...

WA exploration supercharged by next-gen tech The WA Government has unveiled a next-generation spectral scanner to accelerate resource discovery across the state. Developed by CSIRO, the new HyLogger 4 system replaces the ageing HyLogger 3. It captures high-resolution data from drill core samples, allowing users to rapidly analyse geology and improve resource targeting. Since its commissioning in 2009, the HyLogger 3 processed more than 600,000m of drill core from more than 2,000 drill holes across WA. Though the HyLogger 3 offered reliable mineralogical data, the updated HyLogger 4 delivers higher-resolution capture and enhanced analytical capabilities, improving the detection and understanding...

Northern Star delivers golden results Northern Star Resources (ASX: NST) has reported total gold sold for the June quarter was 444koz, bringing the total gold sold during FY25 to 1634koz. The majority of the total was supported by Northern Star’s Kalgoorlie production centre, which totalled 832koz of gold sold for FY25 and 118koz for the June quarter. The company’s FY25 total sales are within its revised group guidance range of 1630-1660koz with an all in sustaining cost (AISC) expected to fall between $2100-2200/oz. The Yandall production centre in WA reported production that fell in the mid-point of...

Fleet Space pioneers multiphysics exploration Fleet Space Australia has launched ExoSphere MT as part of its AI-powered mineral exploration platform ExoSphere. Featuring next-generation magnetotellurics (MT), ambient noise tomography (ANT), active seismic and gravity surveys, the platform enables companies to acquire, process and integrate high-resolution 3D exploration data into AI-powered insights. MT is a passive geophysical method that uses naturally occurring variations in the Earth’s electromagnetic (EM) fields — produced by solar winds and thunderstorms — to measure the electrical resistivity and conductivity of subsurface materials. Uniquely suited to image crustal...

BUMA wins multi-million-dollar contract extension BUMA Australia has been awarded a two-year contract extension at the Goonyella Riverside coal mine in central Queensland, a joint venture between BHP (ASX: BHP) and Mitsubishi Alliance. The contract will see BUMA, a wholly owned subsidiary of PT Bukit Makmur Mandiri Utama, continue to deliver mining services at the project through to September 2027. BUMA will continue to deploy three prime fleets throughout the contract period to the Goonyella project. Since 2022, BUMA Australia has provided labour, supervision, technical expertise and mobile plant services for pre-strip operations and coal mining at...

WA Premier takes green iron to Japan WA Premier Roger Cook is travelling to Japan to support continued collaboration on the clean energy transition between the nation and WA. Japan is a significant investor in WA with longstanding partnerships in the state’s resources sector. In a series of high-level meetings with government and industry stakeholders, Mr Cook will reinforce WA’s relationship with Japan. An important discussion topic for the trip will be WA’s continued resources exports that will contribute to Japan’s energy transition. Opportunities for mutually beneficial co-operation across areas such as green iron, ammonia, carbon...

Funding secures next generation resource workers The Queensland Government is investing $2m to expand its Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) education arm. The funding will establish a jobs pipeline for resource workers in regional hubs across central and north Queensland by increasing awareness and interest in energy and minerals career pathways. The expansion will take place over three years, with the first regional hub based in Mackay at the Resources Centre of Excellence. Rockhampton will follow in 2026 and Townsville in 2027. Queensland Finance, Trade, Employment and Training Minister Ros Bates says...

Broken Hill extends major project status Cobalt Blue Holdings (ASX: COB) has been awarded a three-year extension on the major project status for its Broken Hill cobalt project in NSW. Major project status enables additional Federal Government regulatory support for projects of national significance through their contribution to strategic priorities, economic growth, employment and regional Australia. The recognition of the project’s national significance supports the company in advancing investment discussions, particularly pertaining to international investor support, as well as domestic investment. Cobalt Blue chief executive Andrew Tong says major project status acknowledges the strategic significance of the project...

Geoscience igniting modern gold rush Experts from the Geological Survey of WA (GSWA) have led a geoscientific breakthrough that could spark the next wave of major gold discoveries across the state. By analysing thousands of geological samples, GSWA has identified the chemical signature most closely linked to the formation of gold-rich mineral systems — particularly those formed by ancient intrusions of molten rock deep beneath the Earth’s surface. The discovery is a major advancement in mineral exploration on a global scale as many of the world’s largest and most productive gold deposits are found within intrusion-related systems. These...

Sandvik grows Mongolian fleet Sandvik Mining has been contracted to supply 17 loaders and two trucks to Rio Tinto’s (ASX: Rio) Oyu Tolgoi copper-mine in the South Gobi Desert. The underground equipment supply includes eight Toro LH410 loaders, seven Toro LH515i loaders, two Toro LH517i loaders and two Toro TH551i trucks. Deliveries are expected to begin in October 2025 and continue through to late next year. Underground operations at the site, jointly owned by Rio (66%) and the Mongolia Government (34%), began in early 2023 and have continued to ramp...