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Mount Arthur coal mine to be given second life NSW coal giant Mount Arthur will be given a second life as a pumped hydro energy storage project following its 2030 closure. BHP (ASX: BHP) has announced its partnership with renewable energy and infrastructure company ACCIONA Energia to transition the project. In 2022 BHP confirmed that Mount Arthur Coal mine would be ushered to sleep as it reached the end of its economic life in 2030. The NSW Government approved the extension of mining activities for a further four years from July 2026 to June 2030 as part of its...

Macmahon sees colossal cost savings with tyre repair initiative At Tropicana gold mine, located 330km northeast of Kalgoorlie WA, tyres are one of the largest and most costly consumables. The challenging environment at Tropicana means that wear and tear is unavoidable, but instead of discarding tyres at the end of their life cycle, Macmahon (ASX: MAH) is taking a more sustainable approach. The company is leading a repair initiative to give injured tyres a second life. This not only allows for massive cost savings but to also lowers their ecological footprint. Since 2020 Macmahon’s tyre repair team has repaired...

Black Cat gets go ahead for Myhree underground operations Black Cat Syndicate (ASX: BC8) has received approval to commence underground mining at Myhree gold deposit. This will follow the completion of the sites open pit later this year. Myhree is located within the Kal East gold project area in Kalgoorlie, WA and is 24km from the 1.2Mtpa Lakewood processing facility. The project’s underground deposit currently compromises a mineral resource estimate of 815kt at 4g/t of gold and remains open at depth. The company is progressing multiple WA projects as part of its ‘more gold soon strategy’. Black Cat’s managing...

MinRes drives economic empowerment for Indigenous communities Mineral Resources (ASX: MIN) is engaging and empowering Indigenous communities with its Onslow iron project. The project, located in WA’s Pilbara region, holds Traditional Owner-led businesses at its heart. MinRes has attributed the success of the project, following the increase of production to 35mt annually, to the support of deep partnerships with local Indigenous suppliers. These partnerships not only provide the project with critical services but shape its legacy through job-creation, long-term capability-building and economic empowerment. MinRes is setting the standard for the resource sector to encourage generational change in...

BCI Minerals gets green light for Australia’s largest ever salt project BCI Minerals (ASX: BCI) announced that it has transitioned to full-scale operations at its Mardie salt and potash project. This now marks the Pilbara as the home of the world’s third-largest salt project. This follows approval from the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water on the projects updated Groundwater Monitoring and Management Plan (GMMP). The project, located 80km south-west of Karratha in WA, is the first salt operation Australia has seen in nearly three decades and has an expected operation...

Fortescue signs $350m electric drill deal Fortescue (ASX: FMG) has confirmed it has signed a $350m major contract with mining equipment manufacturer Epiroc to acquire more than 50 electric drills. This decision is part of Fortescue's progress towards operating at net-zero emissions. The company has committed to purchasing a fleet consisting of both autonomous electric platform drills and autonomous electric contour drills. The fleet is anticipated to be operational by 2030, aligning with Fortescue’s goal of replacing ageing diesel-powered equipment. The autonomous electric fleet will be operated from Fortescue’s Integrated Operations Centre in Perth, WA and is expected to cut diesel consumption...

Rio Tinto unearths exceptional yellow diamond Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) has discovered one of the largest gem-quality yellow diamonds to ever be found. Weighing in at 158.20 carats, this rough diamond was found at its Diavik diamond mine located in the remote Northwest Territories of Canada. This is one of five diamonds weighing in over at 100 carats to ever be found at Diavik in its two decades of operation. Diamond production at Diavik is primarily white gem quality diamonds, with less than a percent of its production yielding yellow diamonds. Diavik diamond...

Super Pit sees arrival of new Liebherr fleet In February of this year, Leibherr-Australia, on behalf of Northern Star Resources (ASX: NST), commissioned five PR 776 dozers. These five dozers are the first of thirteen brand-new Liebherr machines to be acquired by Northern Star at their notorious Super Pit gold mine located near Kalgoorlie, WA. Liebherr-Australia will also supply two more PR 776 dozers, five R 9150 excavators and an R 9400 excavator to the company. This commissioning of these machines grows the number of existing Lieberr machines in Northern Star’s current fleet to seventeen. Northern Star began...

Northern Star closing in on $5b bid for De Grey Gold Road Resources (ASX: GOR) has announced its support of Northern Star Resources (ASX: NST) acquisition of De Grey Mining (ASX: DEG). Gold Road has advised that it has the intention to vote all the De Grey shares it holds in favour of the scheme. Gold Road holds approximately 17.26% of De Grey shares, which are valued at over $1b, making it the company’s largest shareholder. Northern Star is Australia’s largest listed gold miner, valued at almost $25b, and will know if its bid has been successful following a...

Cobalt Blue pioneers Australia's first cobalt refinery Cobalt Blue (ASX: COB) has signed a binding pre-final investment decision consortium deed with Iwatani Australia to develop Australia’s first cobalt refinery located in Kwinana, WA. The deed outlined terms in which both companies will advance the refinery towards a final investment decision (FID). Conditions of the agreement include: Samples produced by Cobalt Blue meeting customer specifications Finalising a suite of Project related agreements covering joint venture relationships and operational plans, feedstock supply and offtake, and intellectual property licensing Completion of technical studies and independent due diligence reviews Agreement on a financing plan to cover project funding...