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BlueScope, BHP and Rio Tinto decarbonise steel Australia’s two largest iron ore miners and its biggest steelmaker have selected the Kwinana Industrial Area in WA as the location to develop Australia’s largest ironmaking electric smelting furnace (ESF) pilot plant. The groundbreaking project combines the expertise of BlueScope (ASX: BSL), BHP (ASX: BHP) and Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) to test technology to enable the use of Pilbara iron ore to produce iron without the need for traditional blast furnaces, as the companies come together to try to accelerate the decarbonisation of steelmaking. The industry leaders formed the NeoSmelt collaboration in February 2024, combining...

Pantoro: high grade gold at Scotia Pantoro (ASX: PNR) has provided an update on its initial underground development and diamond drill results from the southern end of the Scotia orebody in WA. Grade control results have demonstrated both strike and width increases to the current ore reserve in the areas tested. Initial extensional drilling has confirmed additional wide, high grade mineralisation below the current mine plan, highlighting the potential for significant resource growth and extended mine life. Initial drill testing beneath the current Scotia South ore reserve has returned 9.2 m @...

IGO, Encounter Resources enter copper JV IGO (ASX: IGO) has entered a joint venture (JV) with Encounter Resources (ASX: ENR), following the sole funding of $15m of exploration expenditure on the company’s Yeneena project in WA. The exploration expenditure earned IGO a 70% interest in Yeneena. Yeneena comprises a major land position in the highly prospective Paterson Province in northern WA, targeting copper-cobalt mineralization. The project is located 60km south-west of the major gold-copper mine at Telfer, owned by Greatland Gold — which the company recently acquired from Newmont Mining (ASX: NEM) — and south of...

Westgold agreement to boost Meekatharra Westgold Resources (ASX: WGX) has executed a gold ore purchase agreement between its subsidiary Big Bell Gold Operations and Zeus Mining, owned by New Murchison Gold (ASX: NMG). Westgold has agreed to purchase between 30,000 and 50,000t of gold ore per month from NMG’s planned open pit operation at Crown Prince. NMG is targeting the commencement of open pit mining in mid-2025. Crown Prince, which is located 33km by road from Westgold’s 1.6-1.8mtpa Bluebird processing plant, has a current JORC indicated and inferred mineral resource...

Liontown ships first cargo to long-term customer Liontown Resources’ (ASX: LTR) first cargo of spodumene concentrate under its long-term supply partnership with LG Energy Solution has sailed from the Port of Geraldton in WA. The shipment comprised of two separate Liontown cargoes, totalling about 33,000wmt of spodumene concentrate with a weighted average concentrate grade of about 5.2% lithium oxide, including about 11,000wmt designated for LG Energy Solution, with the balance sold to an existing short-term offtake customer. This marks the fourth and largest cargo shipped since Kathleen Valley...

Victoria’s critical minerals race Victoria has released its new Critical Minerals Roadmap in an effort to bring a new focus to help develop the state’s minerals resources. Victoria has many of the critical minerals needed to produce wind turbines, rechargeable batteries and electric vehicles, including zircon, titanium, rare earth elements and antimony. As part of the roadmap, the Victorian Critical Minerals Coordination Office will be established within Resources Victoria to help to reduce project approval timelines. Critical Minerals Priority Development Zones will also be defined, so that industry and communities can better understand areas with the highest likelihood of developing successful critical minerals...

Victoria green lights Goschen & Avonbank critical minerals projects Victorian Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny has signed off the Environment Effects Statement (EES) for both projects. There have been major milestones for VHM’s Goschen rare earth and mineral sands project (ASX: VHM) and WIM Resources’ Avonbank mineral sands project with the Victorian Government giving the green light, subject to conditions. Victorian Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny has signed off the Environment Effects Statement (EES) for both projects, with further approval still required for a mining licence and a mine work plan which will involve consultation with the community. The projects also require Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 approval from the Federal Government. “It’s crucial that we balance development with the...

Alkane Resources discovers gold standard with Cat® underground loaders Four new Cat R2900 XE Diesel-Electric Underground Loaders have joined Alkane Resources’ (ASX: ALK) fleet. The miner started digging for gold in the heart of NSW in 2014 and is now producing more than 57,000ozpa of the precious metal at its Tomingley Gold Operations. When the underground fleet including four Cat R2900G underground loaders were ready to be replaced, Alkane Resources had a choice – rebuild the existing machines or replace them with new technology. Alkane Resources general manager of operations Jason Hughes turned to WesTrac to identify the best underground loader to suit their operations. The team was recommended the Cat R2900...

Reducing energy use in comminution & grinding A small-scale fluidised bed flotation device with the potential to predict industrial-scale performance is entering the final stages of testing with the delivery of 7 prototypes to industry. Developed by researchers at The University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI), the JKHFmini builds on coarse particle flotation technology where a fluidised bed is used to recover coarse particles during flotation. Coarse particle flotation, with fluidised bed flotation technology, has the potential to significantly reduce the immense energy...

Telfer: first gold poured under Greatland The first gold bars under Greatland Gold ownership were poured at Telfer, following the company’s acquisition of Telfer and Havieron from Newmont (ASX: NEM) on December 4, 2024. Prior to completion, processing operations were utilising only one of the two nominal 10mtpa processing trains, preserving Telfer ore and stockpiles for Greatland to process after completion.  Shortly following completion of the acquisition, Greatland resumed dual-train processing operations. An estimated 30.5mt to 34.5mt of stockpiles were acquired by Greatland on completion.  The stockpiles include an estimated 11.5mt of high-grade run-of-mine grade ore stockpiles, plus a further estimated 19.0 to 23.0mt of low-grade stockpiles. Mining is...