Category: Features

NEWCREST has announced approval of the first stage of a two-pronged expansion at its 100pc-owned Cadia Valley operations in central New South Wales. The estimated total capital costs sits at $865m, $685m for stage one and $180m for stage two. The first stage comprises commencement of the next cave development (PC2-3), materials handling system upgrades, associated infrastructure and the initial works to increase in the nameplate capacity of the process plant to 33mtpa – with PC2-3 mine targeting first production in FY23. The second stage, which is in Feasibility Study, is focussed on a further increase in processing capacity to 35mtpa and recovery rate improvement projects targeting completion in late FY22, which is prior to the completion of PC2-3 mine...

Q. You’ve recently had great drilling results at Black Hill – what’s the next step at this prospect? The results at Black Hill were especially encouraging because we intersected up to 42pc manganese at a prospect we discovered, and assays from drilling suggest the grades of ore are good enough for direct shipping to smelters in Malaysia, which is an outstanding outcome in a short time. Our aim is to consolidate these discoveries with further explorations and assays to demonstrate the feasibility of a manganese mine. The outlook is positive – manganese is invaluable – it helps turn iron into steel and it is the planet’s fourth most consumed commodity, behind iron, aluminium and copper. Bryah Resources has now drilled...

AERIS Resources’ Tritton Copper Operations has gone from strength to strength, with FY19 exceeding production guidance and an aggressive exploration program that continues to yield exciting results. The Tritton Copper Operation comprises the Tritton underground mine and the Murrawombie underground mine and the prospective Budgerygar project in NSW. Aeris executive chair Andrew Labuschagne said that the success at Tritton had continued to exceed expectations in terms of both grade and tonne. “Despite the impact of the weakening currency over the past 12 months on our US dollar treatment and refining charges and sea-freight costs, we maintained C1 cash costs within the lower end of the guidance range provided in July 2018,” he said. Tritton underground Production from the Tritton underground...

WITH the gold price at an all-time high, and Victoria’s largest mine at Fosterville forecast to produce 550,000-610,000 ounces of gold in 2019, there’s been a significant resurgence in domestic and international interest in Victorian gold. In response, the Victorian state government budget 2019-20 will introduce a 2.75pc gold royalty from January 1, 2020, which will bring Victoria in line with other states and is expected to generate $56m. Small miners will be exempt but Minerals Council of Australia Victoria branch executive director James Sorahan said the tax is reckless, poorly considered and will hurt regional communities and threaten jobs in a growing industry. “Without changes, the royalty will have an unfair and significant impact on the operating costs of...

LOW uranium prices led to the Honeymoon project being placed on care and maintenance in 2014, but Boss Resources is well underway to restart operations with the DFS expected to be complete by the end of 2019. From there it’s a case of confirming an offtake agreement to secure financing for the re-start of the project – which is essentially dependent on global uranium prices. Boss believes the landmark decision of US President Donald Trump to decline issuing quotas for domestic US uranium production is very positive for Australian producers and the uranium market as a whole, as the declined restrictions may have created long term distortions in the market which could have further impacted the recovery of the uranium...

WHITEHAVEN Coal has reported a record year amid falling coal prices, and has released its strategy to face climate change head on. The company reported a record net profit after tax before significant items of $564.9m, which put it up 8pc from FY18. This improved the total cash generated to $964.1m, and reduced net debt to $161m at June 30. ROM coal production was up 4pc on 2018 to 18.4mt, and both the Narrabri and Maules Creek mines’ strong finish to the year enabled the company to exceed production guidance. It reported an underlying NPAT of $564.9m and produced 23.2mt of ROM coal. This allowed it to declare 50c per share dividend for the year and payed out dividends equivalent...

QUEENSLAND is a state heavily reliant on resources for its economic prosperity, and the South Queensland Energy and Resources Expo is a key networking opportunity for businesses in the Toowoomba region. According to Toowoomba regional council mayor Paul Antonio, mining generated just over $940m in the 2017/18 financial year. “The mining and resources industry makes up around 14pc of our $10.81 billion Gross Regional Product, with most of this coming from the coal and gas industry,” Mr Antonio said. “As mayor of this region, I advocate at every opportunity for an informed balance between the economic opportunities presented by the mining and resources boom and the future health of our environment, ongoing prosperity and long-term sustainability of our agricultural industry.”...

INNOVATION in the mining industry continues to accelerate at an unprecedented rate and WA is very much at the centre. The complexities of this rapid rate of change and the key drivers pushing the WA mining industry will be examined in a brand new mining conference that takes place in Perth on October 15 and 16. The program will examine innovation across the entire value chain from early stage exploration, to scoping and feasibility, onto design and construction through operation and ultimately rehabilitation. These in-depth sessions will provide operational and execution strategies of a mine's life cycle and discuss approaches to improve productivity, lower costs and optimise the end to end process. The two-day conference will have an impressive line-up...

IT’S been a tumultuous year for the mining industry. Australia’s chief economist reported in June that the nation’s resource and energy exports are set to hit a new record of $285b in 2019–20, the increase in earnings driven by a spike in iron ore prices and a surging gold sector. Meanwhile, the June quarterly report said thermal coal was facing a tough climate, with prices deteriorating, and predicted that gold would replace it as Australia’s fourth largest export in 2019-20. It also warned about uncertainties caused by US-China trade tensions. Against such a backdrop, there has never been a better time to hear from some of the world’s foremost mining experts as they discuss global and Australian opportunities and challenges. The...

Q. What is a circular economy and how is it disrupting the industry? In the mining sector there is a drive towards achieving what we call ‘Triple Zero’. These are: zero harm which refers to worker health and safety, cyber security and social trust at an organisational level; zero loss which is end-to-end value chain optimisation and ROI for capital projects; and zero waste which is recycling, recovery and value from waste such as waste water, carbon neutrality, creating value for waste products. The transformation to a circular economy has to be linked to these outcomes by leveraging advanced technologies to achieve a steep change in productivity, safety and climate or waste. This represents a very different future where mining...

MCA chief executive Tania Constable believes Australia is a leading jurisdiction in sustainable mining practices, including mine rehabilitation and closure. “The implementation and performance of the Australian mining industry in rehabilitation is continuously improving, driven by ongoing investment in rehabilitation practice,” Ms Constable said. “There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to mine rehabilitation but over many years, the industry has worked closely with government and research institutions to develop and share improved practices.” Ms Constable said that leading practice approaches start with establishing a final closure design that balances the needs of government and local community. “Rehabilitation should be integrated into life-of-mine planning, and wherever practical implemented progressively as the mine develops,” she said. In practice, good management...