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Green transmission line, $80m road upgrades powering the Pilbara The Pilbara region in WA will be home to a new high-capacity common use transmission line for green energy. When completed, the Maitland-Karratha-Burrup line will be the first major transmission line to deliver clean electricity to the Burrup Peninsula and will link renewable energy generation in the Maitland Strategic Industrial Area with Karratha and major industry players in the Pilbara. Traditional Owners, the Ngarluma Aboriginal Corporation, and Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation - who have formed an alliance for the project that is part of a working group with the WA Government - are continuing to...

Image receives final approval for Atlas mineral sands project Image Resources (Image) (ASX: IMA) has received final approval for commencement of construction at its 100%-owned Atlas mineral sands project in WA. Image received approval of the project from the Federal Government, as well as EPA approval for the Offset Environmental Management Plan and the Banksia Woodland Rehabilitation Environmental Management Plan. Approval is anticipated in the coming weeks for the groundwater operating strategy (GOS). Approval of the GOS does not prevent commencement of on-ground construction of the processing plant and related infrastructure. Image managing director and...

Federal Court to hear ERA’s case for Jabiluka uranium mine The Federal Court of Australia will stay the decision to refuse renewal of the Jabiluka mineral lease, following legal proceeding launched by Energy Resources of Australia (ERA) (ASX: ERA) over the decision not to renew its lease for the uranium mine. This follows action to establish a Reserved Land area, which will prevent future mineral titles over Jabiluka. The Reserved Land area will come into effect when ERA’s current lease expires on August 11. Jabiluka sits alongside the Ranger uranium mine, which ceased mining in 2021, marking the end...

Komatsu and Rio Tinto celebrate 300th AHS truck delivery Komatsu and Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) have celebrated the 300th delivery of an autonomous haulage system (AHS) truck at Rio’s Pilbara operations in WA. In 2011, the two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to deploy 150 AHS trucks to Rio’s site and 13 years later the partnership is still going strong. Komatsu Australia’s general manager – mining automation Garry Povah says the milestone gives the companies an opportunity to reflect...

Gold production imminent at Mt Boppy Manuka Resources (ASX: MKR) is set to restart gold doré production at its Mt Boppy gold mine in NSW with first production targeted for Q4 2024. Currently, Manuka is constructing a fit-for-purpose processing and gold doré production facility and relocating the ball mill and associated processing components. In April 2024, Manuka announced it would establish a fit-for-purpose processing and gold production facility at Mt Boppy for a capital cost of $11.6m to generate average earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of $19mpa over an initial five-year period. Previously, ore mined at Mt Boppy was hauled 150km to the carbon in...

Vulcan makes progress on lithium hydroxide plant in Germany Vulcan Energy Resources (ASX: VUL) has started commissioning at its 100%-owned lithium hydroxide optimisation plant. Once operating, the central lithium electrolysis optimisation plant (CLEOP) will convert lithium chloride from the Vulcan’s upstream lithium extraction optimisation plant (LEOP) to battery grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM). This will represent the first fully domestically produced LHM, from raw materials to final product, in Europe. (Image source: Vulcan Energy Resources) Start of production of first lithium hydroxide...

Full steam ahead for Pilbara rail projects The WA Government is on track to drive advanced manufacturing in the Pilbara with its multimillion-dollar investment into two major rail projects. Almost $8m is to be invested under the Government’s Local Manufacturing Investment Fund (LMIF) with funding to establish an iron ore railcar manufacturing production line and a centre of excellence in Karratha. Today, WA State and Industry Development Assistant Minister Stephen Dawson officially opened CORE Innovation Hub’s Rail Collaboration Centre (RCC) which will provide a platform to undertake testing, research and development in the manufacture...

South32 joins industry giants in reporting global shipping emissions Globally diversified miner South32 (ASX: S32) has become a signatory to the Sea Cargo Charter – a global framework for assessing and disclosing the climate alignment of chartering activities for the first time in history. The Charter encompasses a group of the world’s largest energy, agriculture, mining and commodity trading companies including Anglo American, Tata Steel Group, Shell and Chevron. United Nations agencies estimate the international shipping industry to carry around...

Hunters Hill site remediation in final stages The NSW Government is in the final stages of resolving a contaminated land issue that has plagued a waterfront site in Hunters Hill for more than 100 years. The contamination was caused by historic industrial activity when the site operated as a carbolic acid plant between 1897 and 1909, and the used by Radium Hill Refinery between 1911 and 1915. As a result of this work, soil along the foreshore had been contaminated with coal tar waste material and heavy metals. The soil was also contaminated with low-level naturally occurring radioactive material, caused...

Barminco books $200m contract extension at Hemlo Perenti’s (ASX: PRN) underground mining business, Barminco has signed a three-year extension with Barrick Gold Corporation to continue contract mining at the Hemlo gold mine in Canada. Hemlo, which has been in production since 1989, was transitioned to a contract mining model in 2019, with Barminco as the main underground contractor since. The new contract is initially for 36 months, but also includes two 12- month options to extend. If these options are exercised, Barminco will be operating at Hemlo until 2029. Perenti managing director and chief executive Mark Norwell says this is another great...