Category: Features

All images: South32.   BY REUBEN ADAMS   AS South32 enjoys strong margins for all of its key commodities in 2018, the global miner is making good on promises to invest capital into savvy brownfields and greenfields opportunities.   The June quarter was a good one for South32, which has finished FY18 on a strong note. In Australia, the miner reported record production from its manganese operations, as the world’s number one producer of the steel ingredient lifted output to take advantage of better prices. Progressing through a higher grade stope sequence at the world-beating Cannington silver-lead mine in QLD in the quarter saw payable silver, lead and zinc production increase by 37 per cent, 33 per cent, and 45...

BY ELIZABETH FABRI   GROWTH has returned to mining, with demand for workers once again rising as new or mothballed operations are given the green light, and existing mines expand. But how will the industry cope as labour demand exceeds supply?   Ten years ago, getting a job in the resources sector looked a little different. Dump truck tickets and other driver-operator skills were in high demand; the work was tough, but for those lucky enough to land a gig, a lucrative wage would await them. Then came the downturn – everybody felt the sting – with many skilled workers leaving the industry for good during a jobs drain. But commodity prices have now recovered, and a construction boom has...

All images: Northern Star.   BY ELIZABETH FABRI   NORTHERN Star’s 600,000 ounce per annum production target rate was ticked off the list in June. Now, the miner’s focus turns back to exploration to firm up reserves and – with luck – find the next big Goldfields deposit.   Four years ago, Northern Star was fresh from completing its landmark Jundee and Kalgoorlie operations acquisitions. At the time the miner only had one producing asset to its name, the 100,000ozpa Paulsens mine. In a few short years Northern Star has spent $200 million on exploration, adding 5 million ounces of reserves and more than 9moz of resources; and its market cap has responded in kind, growing from $424 million in...

Talga Resources managing director and founder Mark Thompson. Image: Talga Resources.     BY ELIZABETH FABRI   PERTH-based junior Talga Resources is looking to make its mark in the battery metal space with a vertically integrated business that starts with its large European graphite deposits. We spoke with Talga Resources managing director and founder Mark Thompson about the company’s recent success, new technologies in the works, and outlook for the graphene and graphite markets.     Q. You’re a Perth-born, self-taught geologist. How did your idea for Talga begin?   Talga Resources was originally Talga Gold, which I founded to test a portfolio of high-grade gold projects in WA’s Pilbara and Yilgarn regions in 2010. Initial gold exploration results were...

 The Pilbara Ports Authoriy remains on track to complete all construction projects this year.    BY: JESSICA CUMMINS  Representing the world’s largest bulk export ports, Port Hedland and Port of Dampier, Pilbara Port Authority continues to lead with a pipeline of projects nearing completion.     THE Pilbara Ports Authority (PPA) ended last financial year with a record breaking annual throughput of 699.3 million tonnes. Iron ore exports for the year totalled 508.9 million tonnes; up 14.3 million or 3 per cent from the year before. Iron ore exports in June were 47.2 million tonnes, showing growth of 4.2 million tonnes or 10 per cent from the previous year. The PPA currently accounts for about 50 per cent of the...

  Resource Minds is an early intervention program developed from the research and results from the Wellbeing and Lifestyle Study.     BY: JESSICA CUMMINS   Mental health issues have plagued the fly-in, fly-out workforce for many years. But with an emerging number of programs and resources available, mining companies have many avenues to facilitate those very important conversations with employees.      DR Jennifer Bowers, associate professor and managing director of Rural and Remote Mental Health (RRMH) in South Australia, has spent more than 10 years researching the prevalence of psychological distress in remote mining and construction workers. Published in the Australian Medical Journal, Dr Bowers led the Wellbeing and Lifestyle survey, which sampled about 1124 employees at 10...

Image: Regis Resources.   BY ELIZABETH FABRI   REGIS Resources capped off FY18 with record production and cash flow at its Duketon project. Moving into FY19, the good news is set to continue with an expansion underway at Rosemont and DFS work advancing at McPhillamys.   WA-based gold miner Regis Resources has a busy year ahead, with plenty of upside across its portfolio after a record June quarter. For the final three months of FY18, the miner produced 92,008 ounces of gold, bringing its annual production up to 361,373oz at an all-in-sustaining cost (AISC) of $901/oz. Record quarter-end cash and bullion holdings of $208.8 million were also a plus, and “testament to the quality” of the Duketon operations, according to...

    All images: Northparkes Mine    BY: JESSICA CUMMINS    After achieving record breaking results at its mine and ore processing plant last year, Northparkes copper-gold mine expects to see similar results this year as it continues to work towards a century of mining together.   OPERATING for more than two decades, and with mine life now extended through to 2032, the Northparkes operation is well positioned to reach new heights in coming years. Previously owned by Rio Tinto, the project – which also comprises a farm – sits on 6000 hectares with a 1630ha mining lease. The joint venture between China Molybdenum and Sumitomo Group broke two production records in the underground mine (producing 6.46 million tonnes of...

Tropicana mine. Image: IGO.   BY REUBEN ADAMS   AFTER five years in the top job AngloGold chief Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan is leaving for fresh pastures. But he is going out on a high, as the company’s value-building strategies begin bearing fruit in 2018.   Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan, who will be succeeded by Barrick president Kelvin Dushnisky in September, used his last AngloGold earnings call in August to reflect on some tenure highlights. “As you know, this is my final presentation after around 72 quarters with this company, the last 22 as a CEO,” he said. “I thought I’d reflect on some of the work we have done over that time, to reposition this company, to not only survive the gold price storms...

Bootu Creek is 110km north of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory.    BY: JESSICA CUMMINS It’s been 18 months since OM Holdings’ Bootu Creek manganese mine reopened. Now, an $8.2 million Tailings Retreatment Plan is under development which is expected to produce an additional 250,000 tonnes of manganese over the next eight years.   IN 2015, OM Holdings subsidiary OM Manganese’s Bootu mine was placed into the hands of administrators as global market conditions for manganese deteriorated. It was a tough time for the mine and surrounding Tennant Creek community; 140 jobs were lost when the mine was put into care and maintenance. But once mining activities resumed in February 2017, positive sentiment and jobs returned to the region....

  All images: Aus Tin Mining    BY: JESSICA CUMMINS    Australia’s second tin focused producer, Aus Tin Mining, remains focused on the delivery of high-value metals critical to the energy revolution, with three near-term projects and expansions underway.   AFTER resuming mining operations at the mothballed Granville project in 2016, the race has been on for Aus Tin to grow production. Following an expansive approvals process, the Company obtained the final green light in April 2018 to expand the operation. Once complete, this expansion will include the development of a tailings storage facility, the latest technology gravity equipment, and resumption of mining at the high-grade Granville East deposit via a cutback on the eastern wall. The expansion will also...