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Successful Round 29 EIS applicants announced Successful applicants for Round 29 of the Exploration Incentive Scheme’s (EIS) Co-funded Drilling Program, Series 7 of the Energy Analysis Program (EAP) and the inaugural Co-funded Geophysics Program (CGP) have been announced. All up, 47 applicants will receive grants worth almost $7.5m in the EIS for projects to be drilled between June 2024 and November 2025. Round 29 of the EIS program saw a continued interest in battery minerals exploration with 57% of the project focusing on these commodities, including rare earth elements, lithium and nickel-cobalt. Western Mines Group (ASX: WMG) received $318,000 to fund drilling at the...

RaptorTech’s Next Generation Fleet Management and Collision Avoidance Technology Set to Revolutionise Mining Operations Jean Ferreira (left) and Aaron Locke, (founders of RaptorTech) at a recent commissioning of a Raptor Data Centre, an independently powered mine-wide private LTE (4G) network.From the distant echoes of 17th century experiments to the pulsating digital realms of today, telemetry has etched its mark on the annals of innovation. Its story is one of relentless evolution, fuelled by human ingenuity and the quest for remote connectivity. Imagine early scientists tinkering with rudimentary forms of remote communication, laying the groundwork for what would become the backbone of modern telemetry. Fast forward to the tumultuous battlegrounds of World War II, where telemetry emerged as a silent sentinel,...

Datarock unearths value by bridging the gap between data collection and data-driven decision making Transitioning to a renewable economy will require a new mining industry that can extract significantly more metal from the ground to meet future demand, while operating in accordance with stricter environmental, social, and governance responsibilities. However, this is compounded by a myriad of challenges. Exploration success rates are dwindling, existing deposits are becoming deeper and more arduous to mine, and ore grades are declining. Mining companies are collecting more data than ever, yet they struggle to maximise value to meet the greater demands placed on them. The...

Federal Government to invest $330m to reduce emissions The Federal Government will co-invest $330m to reduce industrial emissions and support the ongoing domestic production of key inputs into clean energy projects. Under the Powering the Regions Fund, nine projects will receive a portion of the funding with the projects to cut yearly emissions by 830kt – the same as taking over a quarter of a million cars off Australian roads. The funding includes $197m to maintain Australia’s domestic manufacturing capability in cement and aluminium. Grants include, $94m to Queensland Alumina to reduce energy use, $52.9m to Cement Australia to reduce coal consumption...

CIMIC increases Thiess ownership to 60% CIMIC Group (ASX: CIM) has increased its ownership in global mining services provider Thiess to 60%. The $320m acquisition has increased CIMIC’s shareholding by 10%. CIMIC executive chairman Juan Santamaria says the increase will strengthen the company’s profile. “Increasing our ownership of Thiess strengthens CIMIC’s business profile, as it grows its commodities portfolio to include metals and minerals critical to the world’s shift to zero emissions and develops services to enable sustainable mining, reflecting the strategic importance of the energy transition to CIMIC,” he said. “Thiess is a well performing business underpinned by long-term, low-risk contract, providing an annuity-style...

Anglo American responds to $59b BHP offer Anglo American has confirmed it has received an unsolicited, non-binding and highly conditional proposal from BHP (ASX: BHP). BHP confirmed that on April 16, 2024, it made a proposal to Anglo American’s board of directors comprising an all-share offer for Anglo American. Under the proposal, Anglo American shareholders would receive 0.7097 BHP shares for every Anglo share, plus ordinary shares in Anglo American Platinum and Kumba Iron Ore. The deal represents a value of $48.04 (£25.08) per Anglo American share, $9.31 (£4.86) in Anglo Platinum shares and $6.51 (£3.40) in Kumba shares, valuing Anglo American’s share capital of $59.57b (£31.1b). The proposal...

Maiden exploration target established at Pippingarra Industrial Minerals (ASX: IND) has established a maiden exploration target for high purity quartz (HPQ) at its Pippingarra Quarry project in WA. The exploration target is based on results from a reverse circulation (RC) drilling program completed in December 2023 which encountered white crystalline quartz over widths from 12m to 20m. In addition, there is also coarse-grained quartz crystals which form a significant part of the Pippingarra pegmatite and have been observed to comprise more than 30% quartz. Industrial Minerals managing director Jeff Sweet commented on the target. “The Pippingarra exploration target is limited to an area where...

Consent to mine granted for Stansmore WA Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Johnston has granted Lycaon Resources (ASX: LYN) consent to mine at the Stansmore project in the West Arunta region of WA. This follows the recent approval by Aboriginal Affairs Minister Tony Buti granting West Arunta Resources, Lycaon’s subsidiary, permission to access Ngaanyatjarra Central Australia Reserve for the purpose of carrying out exploration activities. Recent discoveries by WA1 Resources (ASX: WA1) and Encounter Resources (ASX: ENR) demonstrated the potential for the West Arunta region to host significant rare earth element and iron oxide copper gold mineralisation. Up to 4.7% niobium pentoxide has been...

$1b Olive Downs coal mine officially opens Pembroke Resources’ $1b Olive Downs coal mine has officially opened in Queensland and a $1m fund has been unveiled. Located in the coal-rich Bowen Basin, Olive Downs includes major infrastructure including a coal handling and preparation plant, rail spur, train load-out facility, coal conveyor, stockpiles, electrical transmission lines, water pipeline and access roads. More than 700 people were employed during construction of the project and an operational workforce is expected to peak at 1000 during production. Pembroke Resources chairman and chief executive Barry Tudor says the company is thrilled to have reached this milestone. “We’re thrilled to...

Alcoa introducing paws-tively safer mining operations Robotic dogs may soon be deployed across Alcoa’s mining, refining and smelting operations to complete monotonous or dangerous jobs. Thanks to the company’s Information Technology and Automation Solutions team, two prototype robotic dogs are currently undergoing trials at Alcoa’s Huntly bauxite mine, Wagerup alumina refinery and Portland aluminium smelter. While this early testing is designed to identify accessibility and mobility requirements, the ultimate goal is to implement various degrees of automation. This ranges from remote operations through to fully autonomous AI driven technology. Alcoa automation and robotics...

New $5m critical mineral funding program opens in Queensland The Queensland Government has opened a new funding program to help extract critical minerals and reprocessing opportunities in mine waste. The Collaborative Development Program will provide $5m in funding to companies seeking to assess and find ways to extract value from residual materials left behind after the first phase of mining and minerals processing. Finding critical minerals in mine waste serves as a crucial step towards securing the building blocks of a renewable energy future, ensuring sustainable resource efficiency and advancing the transition to cleaner energy technologies. Queensland...