Category: Features

The Year of the Wood Dragon is particularly auspicious for Yancoal (ASX: YAL) as it celebrates 20 years of operation in Australia in 2024. What started as a single mine operation in 2004 has now grown into one of country’s largest coal producers and exporters in the country. Its majority shareholder, China-based Yankuang Energy Group, is pleased with what the company has achieved in two decades. Yancoal Australia chairman Gang Ru says the company has established itself as a world-class coal mining business in Australia. “ transformed challenges into opportunities and achieved extraordinary results.” The coal miner turned things around in the few short years since COVID-19 lockdowns began in early 2020. By the end of 2023, Yancoal was…

In the quiet, expansive land of central west NSW, Tomingley gold operations is gearing up for a golden transformation. Alkane Resources (ASX: ALK), the company behind the mine’s driving force, is taking bold steps to secure its future through the ambitious Tomingley Gold Extension Project – a plan that promises to enhance efficiency, extend the mine’s life, and uncover even more untapped potential beneath the soil. The extension was approved by the NSW Planning Minister on 21 February 2023, and Alkane has development consent until end-2032 – doubling the life of the mine until 2031 and producing an estimated 745,000oz of gold. Extending operations Alkane is extending mining operations at Tomingley to the San Antonio and Roswell (SAR) resources immediately…

Pantoro (ASX: PNR) is proving it can move quickly on a golden opportunity. Coming off a merger in 2023 with its then 50% partner at Norseman, Tulla Resources, Pantoro has posted improved results in every quarter following the commencement of operations at the gold mine. With surging production and gold prices, what will Pantoro do with its newfound resources? The Australian Mining Review speaks with Pantoro managing director Paul Cmrlec to find out. Dynamic strategy At the start of 2024, Pantoro announced a major modification to its mining strategy at the Scotia mining centre, reducing the open pit scope and bringing forward underground development, citing ongoing cost escalation in the open pit environment. Mr Cmrlec comments on the change to…

Bauxite mining in the Northern Jarrah Forest As the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust, aluminium is all around us from the planes, trains and cars we use to navigate, to the computers and phones we use to connect. As a plentiful, lightweight, durable and infinitely recyclable material, it will continue to stick around, especially given its emerging role in renewables energy technology. According to the International Aluminium Institute, aluminium is one of the most recycled materials on earth, with almost 75% of the 1.5bt ever produced still in use today. As a major input for solar panels and wind turbines, we need aluminium that will last into the future. As a result, aluminium is increasingly tied up in…

In the fifth instalment of the Australian Mining Review’s critical minerals series, we speak with Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO Futures mineral resources lead Max Temminghoff and CSIRO critical minerals lead with the Australian Critical Minerals Research and Development Hub Chris Vernon for a deep dive into emerging mid-stream processing pathways for lithium as highlighted in the agency’s From Minerals to Materials: An Assessment of Australia’s Critical Minerals Mid-Stream Processing Capabilities report. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are expected to drive a surge in demand for critical battery materials lithium, cobalt and graphite. These essential minerals present significant concentration and sustainability concerns across their supply chains, meaning research, development and demonstration (RD&D) activity will need a boost, both domestically and globally, to…

Things are moving along for Whitehaven Coal’s (ASX: WHC) Narrabri Stage 3 extension project.  The Federal Government recently approved the project, which proposes to extract coal to the south of the existing mine, subject to conditions, in accordance with the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (Cth). This approval extends the life of the mine from 2031 to 2044 and converts Narrabri’s adjacent exploration licence into a mining lease. Coal will be mined using the underground longwall mining method already successfully and safely used at the mine. Existing portals, coal handling and preparation plant (CHPP), rail loop, box cut, offices and associated infrastructure will be used to further extract, process and export high-energy thermal coal products. Key benefits of mine…

Far from the Pilbara in the northwest region of WA lies a powerful integrated iron ore mining and pellet production business close to the city of Burnie in the northwest region of Tasmania. Grange Resources (ASX: GRR) owns and operates the Savage River magnetite iron ore mine, 100km southwest of the city, which produces some of the highest iron- concentrated magnetite in Australia with minimal impurities. The mine has been in operation for more than 57 years, extracting magnetite from a series of open pits, with its downstream processing facilities including a concentrator on-site and a pelletising plant at Port Latta, 70km northwest from Burnie. Grange is quietly but surely propelling its broader 2024 priorities, including the delivery of a…

Papua New Guinea (PNG) is rich with gold, copper, nickel and cobalt deposits, with mining playing a key role in shaping the country and its economy. The mineral resources in the country got little attention until the late nineteenth century when prospectors form North Queensland began travelling in search for alluvial gold. From 1896, there were attempts to exploit the gold loads and although some small mines yielded good results, all were abandoned by 1923. Unlike many other mining districts in PNG, Niolam island – a geothermally extinct volcano doesn’t have a history of alluvial gold mining. Gold traces were initially discovered on the island between 1969 and 1974, with a report suggesting the possibility of an environment favourable to…

After 60 years of copper mining in North West Queensland, the Mount Isa Mines underground copper operations, comprising Enterprise, X41, Black Rock and its copper concentrator will close in the second half of 2025. In its heyday, it was the second largest copper producer in Australia and a key asset in Glencore’s global mining portfolio. Now, about 1,200 people are grappling with looming job loss in the small mining town of Mount Isa with a population of about 22,000. Glencore chief operating officer of Australian zinc assets Sam Strohmayr says Mount Isa Mines will continue operating its zinc mining and processing assets in the region. “Glencore will continue to invest in the long-term future of Mount Isa Mines, including the…

In the heart of WA’s midwest region lies Golden Grove mine, a cornerstone operation of the Australian mining landscape. Since its first discovery in 1971, Golden Grove has undergone numerous transformations, adapting to market shifts, technological advancements, and evolving industry demands. What began as a humble exploration site has grown into a prolific source of precious metals. The mine site celebrates 35 years in 2025 following the start of operations in 1990, focusing on the extraction of copper, zinc, lead and precious metals such as silver and gold. Today, mining at Golden Grove is from two underground mining fronts – Gossan Hill and Scuddles and with significant in- vestments in infrastructure, it continues to contribute to both local employment and…

On 10 September, BCI Minerals (ASX: BCI) received Federal Government approval to commence operations at the Mardie salt and potash project in the Pilbara region of WA and to continue construction in the northern envelope of the project. This critical milestone comes as Asian demand for salt is expected to outstrip supply over the coming decades, in part due to new chloralkali and caustic soda plants in China and Indonesia, reduced production in Mexico and India predicted to becoming a net importer. Except for Mardie, no other sizeable salt projects are being commissioned. The project is expected to produce 5.3mtpa of salt and 140ktpa of sulphate of potash (SOP) for over 60 years, making it Australia’s largest salt and potash…