Category: Companies

Carrapateena airstrip. All images: OZ Minerals BY JESSICA CUMMINS ON the back of a productive year, OZ Minerals remains focussed on developing one of Australia’s largest copper gold resources, Carrapateena, with first concentrate scheduled in 2019. As the Adelaide-based miner moves its Carrapateena project towards production, a number of key activities remain on the table. After injecting $85 million into the project during the September quarter, the miner saw the completion of its first ventilation raisebore and commenced development on the crusher level. OZ Minerals chief executive Andrew Cole said flights to the site had begun and construction of all 556 rooms at the Tjungu accommodation village were also completed. “The mineral processing plant and non-processing infrastructure construction is continuing as per schedule,…

Fortnum gold project had its fifth consecutive quarter of gold output in the September quarter. All Images: Westgold Resources. BY AMY BLOM WESTGOLD has remained undeterred by lower than expected production and higher costs, instead looking to big opportunities still on the horizon. Despite suffering some setbacks, Westgold Resources was on the way to achieving its goal of becoming a long-life gold producer, having confirmed Big Bell underground was on track for first production before the end of 2018. According to Westgold’s September quarter report, Big Bell had advanced significantly towards production with drilling defining a new ore position to the south, which would enable modest, but early production from the mine in the December quarter. In its annual report released on 26…

Millenniums Nullagine Gold Project is in the heart of the Pilbara. BY JESSICA CUMMINS MILLENNIUM Minerals chief executive Peter Cash speaks with The Australian Mining Review about reaching its long-awaited 100,000 ounce per annum run rate and what else lies on the horizon. Millennium Minerals’ flagship Nullagine gold project in the heart of the Pilbara comprises six mining centres along a 40km corridor. Hosting a total resource base of 1.1 million ounces of gold in the under-explored Mosquito Creek Belt, the project has produced 400,000oz since operations commenced in 2012. Gold production has averaged at between 75,000 and 80,000 ounces per year within the 264km mining tenements. During the September quarter the company reached its 100,000ozpa run-rate target at Nullagine…

Truck full of ore coming out of the portal from the underground Nova-Bollinger mine. All images: Independence Group. BY AMY BLOM AFTER celebrating one year since its Nova mine entered commercial production in September, Independence Group has its sights firmly set on key metals used in renewable energy technologies and electric vehicles, with further expansion and exploration projects across WA and the Northern Territory on the horizon. Independence Group (IGO) would continue to prioritise exploration work at its Nova operation and the surrounding Fraser Range, following a strong start to FY19. According to its September quarterly activities report released on 29 October, IGO increased net cash to $62 million and achieved metal production guidance at Nova, about 160km northeast of Norseman,…

Evolution Mining executive chairman Jake Klein speaking at IMARC. Image: IMARC. BY ELIZABETH FABRI EVOLUTION Mining executive chairman Jake Klein had a clear message for delegates at the recent International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) in Melbourne: the industry was experiencing a “cognitive bias” towards gold prices, with lack of sufficient returns rolling in for gold investors. Evolution’s Mr Klein – who has steered the mid-tier miner’s growth since its inception seven years ago—questioned how many gold projects across the country delivered on what was promised in feasibility studies, shedding light on the industry-wide issue of narrow returns for investors. “I started in the gold industry 25 years ago and gold prices were around $US250 an ounce and gold companies were…

Box cut and mine portal. All images: Heron Resources. BY JESSICA CUMMINS HERON Resources has a lot to celebrate, with underground mining now underway at its flagship Woodlawn zinc-copper project, and commissioning on track to begin by the end of this year. Heron’s high-grade Woodlawn project in NSW is a highly prospective zinc-copper deposit, 50km northeast of Canberra. Following the completion of its Feasibility Study in mid-2016, underground mining began at the project in September, with commissioning expected to commence within the next couple of months and first shipment marked for the first quarter of 2019. The high-grade, long-life mine is well placed to participate in a zinc market facing a significant supply shortfall, producing on average 40,000 tonnes of zinc in…

By October 2018, the water level at the main pit was down about 20m from where it was when Mt Gibson began dewatering. Image: Mount Gibson Iron. THE rebuild at Koolan Island is now 90 per cent complete and on track for completion in March next year, less than five years after Mount Gibson Iron was forced to close it following extensive flooding. Amy Blom spoke with incoming Mount Gibson Iron chief executive Peter Kerr about the rebuild and what else lies on the horizon for the miner. Q. Koolan Island closed in 2014 following extensive flooding. What led to the decision to rebuild the seawall? Mount Gibson approved the rebuild of the seawall in April 2017 after two years…

GFG Alliance executive chairman Sanjeev Gupta. Image: GFG Alliance. Photography: Sean Kelly. BY ELIZABETH FABRI IT’S been another big year for British billionaire Sanjeev Gupta and his global powerhouse GFG Alliance, with expansions in Australia, the US and Europe cementing the company as a leader in steel manufacturing and renewables. Moving into 2019, the company’s Australian division will accelerate further with an ASX listing on the cards, and plans underway to develop an electric vehicle manufacturing hub. Three years ago GFG Alliance executive chairman Sanjeev Gupta made headlines for his rescue and revival of a number of distressed metals, mining, engineering and power generation operations in the UK. The acquisitions came at a time when the UK had largely lost faith…

Crushed ore cone at Nolans processing plant. Image: Resolute Mining. Photography: Roslyn Budd. BY AMY BLOM DESPITE almost closing Ravenswood mine in 2016, Resolute Mining has now announced a 14-year mine life with staged plans to return to 5 million tonne per annum open cut mining. Along with Ravenswood, its operations in Africa and a dedication to increasing output through new technology, Resolute expects to grow annual production to 500,000 ounces by 2021. Innovation and experience was the key to successfully extending the life of the Ravenswood mine in QLD, according to Resolute Mining chief executive and managing director John Welborn. Just over two years ago, the Ravenswood gold operations were hanging in the balance, with the Mt Wright deposit expected to…

Northern Minerals aimed to be the first significant world producer of dysprosium outside of China. Image: Northern Minerals. BY AMY BLOM LESS than two months after achieving mechanic completion at its $56 million Browns Range Pilot Plant, Northern Minerals produced its first rare earth carbonate and followed it up with a plan to double production. The company is now on the hunt for more quality rare earth mineral deposits. Northern Minerals is speeding ahead with its flagship Browns Range project after producing its first final product in October, and announcing plans that could double output. The announcements were followed by news that Northern Minerals had entered into a $25 million subscription agreement with NRE Industrial Group on October 15. NRE is…

Caval Ridge is a high-quality, hard coking mine in the northern section of Bowen Basin. Image: BHP. BY AMY BLOM BMA Coal has posted record production at several of its mines as metallurgical coal continues to strengthen. With construction of its Caval Ridge Southern Circuit project steaming ahead, BMA is set to continue production growth into FY19. BMA Coal is set to accelerate growth and productivity with construction of its Caval Ridge Southern Circuit (CRSC) project on track to be completed by the end of the year. When complete, the $270 million project will result in an 11km overland conveyor system, which will transport coal from the Peak Downs mine to the coal handling preparation plan (CHPP) at the nearby…