Category: Features

All Images: Atlas Iron. By Cameron Drummond ATLAS Iron has crawled itself back from near extinction after the price of iron ore plummeted in 2015, which subsequently forced the company to suspend its mining operations and restructure company debt after heavy financial losses. Perth-based Atlas Iron listed on the ASX in 2004, and has since grown into a mid-sized iron ore mining and exploration company. It currently operates three projects: Wodgina, Abydos and Mt Webber – all in the northern Pilbara region of WA – shipping at a run rate of about 15 million tonnes per annum (mtpa). After a rocky 2015 when the company nearly went bust, Atlas is looking to be debt free by the end of the...

All images: Southern Ports Authority. By Elizabeth Fabri WHEN multiple entities join forces to combine their expertise and knowledge great things can happen. The Southern Ports Authority, an amalgamation of the Port Authorities at Albany, Bunbury and Esperance, has propelled further production efficiencies, safety measures and annual trade of more than $15.6 billion since its formation. The merger between the three ports kicked off in October 2014 after much deliberation by the WA Government following a comprehensive review. The 2010 review delved into all matters concerning port operations, performance and governance to ensure all of the State’s ports were able to keep up with the demands of the rapidly growing economy. It was decided that port infrastructure would be optimised by...

The Gruyere deposit is one of the most significant of its kind in the Yamarna Belt.           All Images: Gold Road Resources.   By Cameron Drummond   COMPLETED in 2010, a study by the Geological Survey of WA suggested the Yamarna Belt shared geological similarities with the Kalgoorlie Terrane greenstone rocks, and studies by previous explorers such as Ausgold supported that claim. Gold Road Resources’s 5000 square kilometres of tenements in the Yamarna Belt already contain a number of discoveries dating back to 2009 when the company made its first find, Central Bore. Central Bore is contained within Gold Road’s North Yamarna tenements, with a JORC 2012 resource of 180,000 ounces (oz) of gold grading at...

Mt Carlton project. All images: Evolution Mining.   By Elizabeth Fabri   BETWEEN six and eight projects is an ideal number of assets to have within a portfolio to remain a globally competitive mid-tier gold company, Evolution Mining chief executive Jake Klein has said. This strategy has seen the company become Australia’s second largest ASX-listed gold miner, and recently complete an $880 million economic interest in the Glencore Ernest Henry operation. Since Evolution’s establishment in late 2011, through the merger of Catalpa Resources and Conquest Mining and acquisition of Cracow and Mt Rawdon, the miner has carefully followed this portfolio tactic. “With quite a few assets you need to be a good seller as well as a good acquirer to be successful...

Kalgoorlie Super Pit. Image: KCGM.   By Elizabeth Fabri   THERE is no region in Australia quite like the Goldfields. Defined by its rich history and social fabric, the province has become synonymous with gold and nickel mining, with new projects still opening each year to exploit the wealth of resources that lie beneath the surface. The late nineteenth century gold rush of the WA Goldfields is a tale that has been passed on from generation to generation, from the discovery of gold in 1892, to the 530km pipeline C.Y. O’Connor engineered in 1903 to supply water to the region. The historic region has stood the test of time and continues to be the beating heart of WA mining. “There’s...

MMG Dugald River mine portal entrance. Image: MMG. By Elizabeth Fabri MINERALS & Metals Group’s (MMG) zinc powerhouse Dugald River couldn’t enter production at a more convenient time. With a little over a year left on the clock, the project was now more than 40 per cent complete and on track to achieve first production early 2018 amid a global zinc deficit. Located in Queensland, 85km northeast of Mount Isa and 65km northwest of Cloncurry, Dugald River sits on one of the world’s largest undeveloped zinc-lead-silver deposits. The $1.4 billion project had been on the drawing board for some time, but wasn’t progressed until July 2015 when an updated development plan was approved. Not wasting any time, MMG began construction in...

Image: Department of Primary Industry and Resources, Northern Territory Government. By Elizabeth Fabri FAMED for its red earth and desert landscapes, the Northern Territory is arguably Australia’s most ‘under-explored’ mining region with only a handful of major mines operating across the 1,346,200sqkm expanse. But with government backing and major projects in the pipeline, things are looking up for the country’s top end. The Northern Territory, also known as the ‘Red Centre’, contains a wealth of minerals, including Australia’s largest deposits of uranium, zinc-lead, bauxite, gold, phosphate and manganese. In 2015/16 the territory produced $3.05 billion worth of minerals, of which gold accounted for 29 per cent and manganese 27 per cent of the total value. Employment was on the rise, with...

Saracen is in the midst of doubling its output at Karari from about 60,000oz per annum to about 120,000oz. All images: Saracen Mineral Holdings. By Elizabeth Fabri SARACEN Mineral Holdings is no longer labelled ‘the new kid on the block’. After earning mid-tier status and an ASX-200 position in 2016, the company has become a miner to watch as it advances exploration, nears its 300,000 ounces per annum production rate, and awaits the results of a newly formed partnership with AngloGold. Following a successful December quarter, Saracen Mineral Holdings is not slowing down. One month into 2017, and it’s safe to say this will be one of its most significant years to date, with a number of key milestones pencilled in across the...

The Andy Well gold project north of Meekatharra, WA. By Cameron Drummond WITH two commissioned gold mines and its new Deflector project about to hit full production early this year, company value is expected to increase alongside production as the current financial year hits the halfway point. Speaking at Doray Minerals’ annual general meeting in November, managing director Allan Kelly said he believed the company was currently undervalued against most ASX and TSX peers, as both of its WA gold mining operations were currently transitioning through different stages of mine life. The company share price had fallen from the $1 mark at the end of the 2016 financial year down to 50 cents by the end of November. Doray came into existence...

All images: Tianqi Lithium Australia By Elizabeth Fabri WITH construction of the newly approved Kwinana lithium processing plant off to a flying start, discussion surrounding a subsequent expansion at the nearby Greenbushes mine has the WA lithium industry bullish for the future. There is no denying 2016 was a watershed year for lithium. Improved investor sentiment coupled with a hike in prices has seen the commodity climb as interest in battery technology soared. While many projects have sprung up across WA, government approval of Tianqi Lithium Australia’s $400 million Kwinana lithium plant in September was ‘the icing on the cake’, and was expected to generate up to 500 construction jobs and more than 115 full time production positions. Once operational in...

The mouth of the inner harbour at the Port of Port Hedland. By Cameron Drummond THE Pilbara Ports Authority has achieved record throughput across its operations for the second time in as many years, as it looks to begin the replacement and upgrade of vital port infrastructure in the current financial year. Pilbara Ports Authority, the world’s largest bulk export port authority, is set to undertake substantial enhancements to its port operations at the ports of Dampier and Port Hedland, which are located along the coast of the mineral-dense Pilbara region of Western Australia. These upgrades are set to enhance efficiency, increase safety and capacity and allow for more product to be exported. The PPA is responsible for about 70 per...