Category: Features

Mining sustains modern living. The materials for building solar panels, wind farms, sustainable homes and computers are obtained through large-scale mining, with thousands of open pit mines created across the globe. Pit lakes are therefore inevitable by-products when abandoned open-cut mines are flooded by rain and groundwater. Some of these lakes are toxic, posing risks to adjacent communities and ecosystems. There is a call for an ‘integrated’ approach to pit lake management from design to closure. Current in situ treatment options such liming of acid waters, pumping out water from pit lakes and actively treating the water with chemicals are both expensive and unsustainable. Strategies that are integrated and sustainable include engaging ecologists in pit lake design and prioritising ecological...

In 2010, Evolution Mining identified an opportunity to fill a vacuum in the Australian gold mining sector, and went about to create a new mid-tier producer. Its first asset was a resource in North Queensland that others believed was not feasible to develop, but undeterred, Executive Chairman and founder Jake Klein, with the assistance of a small management team, pursued a series of bold and complex deals to form the company in November 2011. The move successfully turned that initial resource at Mt Carlton into one of the world’s highest-grade open pit gold mines. And indeed, it’s all in the name: the company has literally evolved from a small one into a globally relevant gold mining business with a reputation...

Mincor has embarked on an exciting new chapter as it prepares to restart nickel sulphide mining in the Kambalda district of WA, one of the world’s great nickel provinces. Since its discovery by WMC Resources Limited in 1966, it has produced more than 51mt of ore grading 3.1% Ni for 1.6mt of nickel metal. Mincor played a leading role in Kambalda’s post-2001 revival, with the company producing about 180,000t of nickel metal in ore over a successful 14-year period as a profitable, dividend-paying mining company before placing operations on care and maintenance in 2016 at a time of historically low nickel prices. The company has a dominant ground position in the Kambalda District with tenements covering more than 300km2 and a...

GLENCORE’S Mangoola open cut mine has long been regarded as one of Australia’s major coal mines, a reputation cemented by a unique award-winning trifecta at the 2019 Australian Mining Prospect Awards. Its Coal Handling and Preparation Plant (CHPP) was named overall Australian Mine of the Year, Coal Mine of the Year and also picked up the award for Excellence in Occupational Health and Safety. Mangoola had previously claimed the Mine of the Year accolade in 2013. The greenfield 1800t/h CHPP was delivered by QCC Resources and Downer under an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract in 2011, and delivered below budget, ahead of schedule and without any lost-term injuries (LTI). In fact, since commencement in 2011, the operating team has...

Bengalla Coal: New Hope BENGALLA Coal in NSW’s Hunter Valley has literally provided new hope for the New Hope Group. A promising performance from the mine has been the main reason for solid coal earnings for New Hope in the past year, driven mainly by increased production. The company generated a revenue of $618m in the six months ending January, which was in line with its income in the prior corresponding period. New Hope managing director Shane Stephan said this was largely due to the success of Bengalla, in which New Hope has 80pc interest. He said the result was achieved despite a 29pc decline in coal prices during the period, which the company had offset with 42pc higher sales...

DESPITE the uncertainties caused by COVID, gold appears to have recovered swiftly on the markets, exceeding the $2500/oz mark in mid-June. The bullish outlook is certainly encouraging news for gold miners, none more so than Alkane Resources, a gold production company with a multi?commodity exploration and development portfolio. Alkane’s projects are predominantly in the Central West Region of NSW, but extend throughout Australia through investments in other gold exploration and mining companies. Alkane’s gold production is from the Tomingley Gold Operations (TGO), which has been operating since early 2014, and its most advanced gold exploration projects are in the fully Alkane-owned tenement area between TGO and Peak Hill, which have the potential for sourcing additional ore for TGO. Alkane has...

THE Australian space industry is set for lift-off. The Federal Government is paving the way for Australian companies to become key players in the global space economy, currently worth US$350b and expected to be valued at more than US$1.1t by 2040. The flow-on effects will reach other markets such as mining, agriculture, finance, health and tourism. In this article, we look at what this means for Australian resources companies. NASA’s Moon to Mars Mission Man first landed on the Moon in 1969 through the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Apollo 11 mission. In Greek mythology, Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo. Now, more than half a century later and through the Artemis program, NASA aims to land the...

2019 was indeed a year to remember for Northern Star Resources. The company signed off the December quarter as a 1moz  per year gold producer, with four Tier 1 assets in its portfolio: the Jundee and Kalgoorlie mines, a half–share in the Kalgoorlie Super Pit, and the world-class Pogo mine in Alaska. Chiefly engaged in the exploration of gold deposits, the business’ fully-owned Australian operations ­­- the Jundee and Kalgoorlie mines in the Goldfields of WA - exceeded guidance with 169,584oz of gold sold at an all-in sustaining cost (AISC) of $1263/oz. The Kalgoorlie operations comprise of Kanowna Belle, South Kalgoorlie, and East Kundana, a joint venture (Northern Star 51pc, Rand and Tribune 49pc) project comprising three producing underground deposits:...

IT’S been a tumultuous period for lithium, with the once-highly sought-after commodity losing its lustre amid uncertainty within the Chinese economy. But despite the challenges faced by the global lithium market, Galaxy Resources Ltd has continued its strategy to become a leading global supplier of high-quality lithium products. The company’s latest report states that Galaxy is in fact in the strongest financial position in its history. The balance sheet remains robust, with cash and financial assets of US$143.2m and zero debt as at the start of the year. Chairman Martin Rowley said this financial position, together with  diversity of global assets, continues to uniquely position the miner in the industry to react promptly to evolving global market conditions. “A key...

THEY say hope springs eternal, and by all accounts, Hope Downs is looking at optimistic times in the wake of record iron ore prices and challenging COVID-19 conditions. The 2019 Rio Tinto fourth quarter report revealed the entity produced 48.26mt of iron ore last year, representing one of Australia’s largest and most successful iron ore projects in the lower cost quartile. Development of the new Baby Hope deposit will help sustain existing capacity at the Hope Downs 1 operation, supporting ongoing jobs at Hope Downs. Geology The Hope Downs mines are located in the Hamersley Group in WA’s Pilbara, which forms the middle layer of Mount Bruce Group in the Marra Mamba iron formation. The section contains rocks dated to...

AUSTRALIAN coal is in demand for both energy and steel-making. Its high-energy, low ash characteristics ideally match the requirements for high efficiency, low emission (HELE) coal-fired power plants being built throughout Asia, while the high grade metallurgical coals are among the best in the world for modern steel making. Australian coal can also reduce emissions when compared to lower-quality coal from other exporters. Supplier reliability, proximity to key markets and good infrastructure availability puts Australia in a strong position to take advantage of growing demand from existing customers such as Japan, China, Taiwan and Korea, as well as newer buyers such as Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand. Coal mining in Australia is a sophisticated and hi-tech activity. Continuous improvements in...