Category: Features

Image: Australasian Railway Association. BY AMY BLOM RAIL is set to boom in mining, with several rail-reliant iron ore and coal mines schedules for development in WA and QLD, and a renewed focus on innovation. However, the industry continues to be challenged by a skills shortage. Rail has entered a golden age, particularly within the mining industry, but it is still struggling to attract young talent, according to Australasian Railway Association (ARA) chief executive Danny Broad. Mr Broad, who has previously warned of a skills shortage, said there had been a huge increase in rail investment, which was good for the country, but presented challenges if the industry was not prepared. “It’s the golden era of rail at the moment, there…

BY AMY BLOM HAVING wrapped up a successful year that saw a number of milestones including the celebration of 50 years since operations began at Savage River in Tasmania and record pellet premiums, Grange Resources’ sights were now set on increased production and extending mine life. This is the year that could decide the future of the Savage River mine, according to Grange Resources general manager of operations Ben Maynard. The Savage River magnetite iron ore mine in Tasmania’s northwest, is a long-life mining asset, and is Grange’s principal operation. At Port Latta, on the northwest coast of Tasmania, Grange owns a downstream pellet plant and port facility producing more than 2 million tonnes of premium quality iron ore pellets annually.…

Image: Photography: Nathan Sixsmith Photography. BY EMMA DAVIES IMAGE Resources’ $235 million Boonanarring mineral sands project is a hive of activity; first shipment of 10,000 tonnes of heavy mineral concentrate (HMC) was achieved in January, with the company now well-placed to capitalise on rising zircon prices. The 100 per cent owned zircon-rich Boonanarring project is considered one of the highest-grade mineral sands projects in Australia. It has been an interesting project to watch over the last few years, in part due to its fast timeline to production brought on by a series of transactions with Murray Zircon in 2016, including the acquisition of key plant infrastructure. In April/May 2018, project funding was finalised and construction began in earnest. Following a…

All images: South 32. BY AMY BLOM THE world’s largest and lowest-cost manganese ore producer is set to produce even more, as South32 launches a three-year drilling program at GEMCO. South32 has continued to surge on the back of its Groote Eylandt Mining Company operation (GEMCO), with exploration plans underway designed to leverage even more value from the manganese mine. GEMCO is an open-cut mining operation in the Gulf of Carpentaria, 50km from the Northern Territory mainland, producing high-grade manganese ore that is then shipped to South32’s Tasmanian manganese alloy plant (TEMCO) and around the world. According to South32, GEMCO is one of the largest and lowest-cost manganese ore producers in the world. Together, GEMCO and TEMCO form South32’s Australian manganese operations.…

All Images: MMG BY EMMA DAVIES MMG’S Rosebery mine in Tasmania recently achieved an important milestone – mining and milling 1 million tonnes on a rolling 12-month basis, for the first time in its more than 80-year history. Rosebery’s record result was achieved following improvements to the mine’s tailings dam, insourcing of the mine development work, and an upgraded fleet. MMG Rosebery general manager Jenkins Kroon was pleased with the site’s production rates. “In the third quarter of 2018 Rosebery produced 19,218 tonnes of zinc in zinc concentrate, broadly flat when compared to the second quarter of 2018 and up 12 per cent on the prior corresponding period,” Mr Kroon said. “The strong production was driven largely by another record…

Image: Talison Lithium. BY ELIZABETH FABRI TALISON Lithium’s mammoth Greenbushes mine in south-west WA is entering its next phase of growth with a $320 million expansion to double production nearing completion, a $516 million second expansion greenlit to begin in 2019, and a further $1 billion commitment made towards downstream processing. Talison Lithium’s owners Tianqi Lithium and US group Albemarle are pouring some serious capital into their long-running Greenbushes mine in WA’s south-west as the State begins its transition into a global hub for battery metals and value-added processing. In early 2018 the State Government established a Lithium and Energy Materials Taskforce aimed at understanding opportunities from the emerging industry and creating a strategy going forward. The Greenbushes mine – 250km…

Minotaur Exploration executive director business development Tony Belperio. Image: Minotaur Exploration. MINOTAUR Exploration has already had significant success at its Eloise joint-venture with OZ Minerals 60km southeast of Cloncurry in QLD thanks to its targeting of a relatively unknown style of deposit called Iron Sulphide Copper Gold (ISCG). As drilling continued into the Jericho copper-gold system at the end of 2018, Amy Blom spoke with Minotaur executive director business development Tony Belperio about the benefits of targeting ISCG deposits, recent results from Jericho, and plans to roll out the exploration model elsewhere. Q. Minotaur Exploration has achieved a breakthrough based on a new deposit style called ISCG. What led to Minotaur’s decision to target this particular style of deposit?  …

Aeris Resources hopes to extend the Tritton copper operations. Image: Aeris Resources. BY AMY BLOM COPPER Aeris Resources has shown no signs of slowing down as it sets its sights on continued growth at Tritton, exploration at its Torrens project, and opportunities presented by mergers and acquisitions. Aeris Resources is in its best position in six years and looking to expand in 2019 following a strong year, according to its executive chairman André Labuschagne. It was a far cry from when Mr Labuschagne took the helm at Aeris in 2013, at a time when the company had a $US136 million debt and two operating mines, Mt Muro gold mine in Indonesia and Tritton copper mine in NSW, which were both making significant…

All Images: Fitzroy Australia Resources. BY EMMA DAVIES FITZROY Australia Resources has managed to turn around the troubled Carborough Downs mine and has received approval to develop its Ironbark No.1 project– just in time to meet forecast growth in demand for Australian metallurgical coal. Since Fitzroy Australia Resources (Fitzroy) acquired the Carborough Downs mine in 2016, more than 2 million tonnes of coking coal has been produced and a 10-year mine life has been achieved by opening up northern reserves. The mine, formerly owned by Brazilian mining giant Vale, had encountered a number of issues since it began production– with various geological problems, rock faulting, and dangerous levels of carbon monoxide causing a force majeure in 2012. Before the acquisition,…

All images: Newmont Mining BY EMMA DAVIES NEWMONT’S Tanami gold mine in the Northern Territory has commenced a second phase expansion, is constructing two power stations on site and is on track to reach tier 1 status in the not too distant future. Newmont Mining is focussed on long-term growth with Australian production remaining between 1.4 and 1.6 million ounces in 2018. Newmont Mining regional project director Francois Hardy told The Australian Mining Review that Tanami’s second phase expansion will leverage the mine for future growth and will maximize value from the deeper orebody, from between 1200m and 2600m below surface. “Tanami Expansion 2 secures the future of Tanami as a long-life, low-cost producer, adding approximately 100,000oz per year (2023…

Image: St Barbara BY AMY BLOM A REFUSAL to accept the status quo and a willingness to adopt innovative techniques will see the life of the historic Gwalia mine extended to 2031 and beyond, according to St Barbara managing director and chief executive Bob Vassie.  As part of its bid to extend mine life at Gwalia, in the WA Goldfields, St Barbara will complete a $100 million expansion (GEP) over the next 12 months, while also investigating a change to mining and haulage methods, called the Gwalia Mass Extraction (GMX). According to St Barbara’s Bob Vassie, the GEP was about 50 per cent complete, on schedule, and on budget, with planned completion expected at the end of 2019. He said the…