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JL Mag invests $7m in Hastings Chinese JL Mag Rare-Earth will own 9.8% of Hastings (ASX: HAS) as well as a seat on its board following a $7m investment in the company. The investment proceeds will be used to advance the Yangibana rare earths project in WA toward production and supplements the $16m previously raised in April 2024. Hastings has already completed the construction of the mine infrastructure for the Yangibana project. The company plans to complete the project debt funding and start construction of its beneficiation plant in Q4 2024. The plant...

XRF to achieve 100% ownership of Orbis WA based XRF Scientific (ASX: XRF) will acquire the remaining 50% of Orbis Mining in an acquisition valued at $3.91m. XRF states this is a low risk, bolt-on acquisition with highly complementary products as the majority of XRF’s existing customers require laboratory jaw crushers like those produced by Orbis. XRF acquired its initial 50% shareholding for $800,000 in 2021. Since then, Orbis has grown significantly and continues to gain market share. In FY21, Orbis produced unaudited...

BHP, PPC and Norsepower deploy wind-assisted propulsion technology on maritime vessel BHP (ASX: BHP), Pan Pacific Copper (PPC) and Norsepower have completed the installation of a Norsepower rotor sail onboard the M/V Koryu. A combination carrier, operated by Nippon Marine and JX Advanced Metals, will carry copper concentrates from Chile to Japan and sulphuric acid from Japan to Chile. Installation of the Norsepower rotor sail was carried out in June 2024 and the M/V Koryu is en route on its maiden voyage. The rotor sail stands at a height of 35m with a diameter of 5m...

Northern Territory continues renewable energy investment The Northern Territory Government is continuing to invest in battery storage to ensure Territorians reap the benefits from renewable energy. The Power and Water Corporation has secured conditional support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency for 16 community batteries which will be located in various locations on the Darwin-Katherine electricity grid. Once online, the batteries will have a significant impact on local network constraints and will expand rooftop solar capacity, reduce emissions and keep power prices affordable. Work on the remote power system strategy, which will deliver an average of 70% renewable energy to 72 remote communities, is...

Construction begins at $5b CopperString 2032 project Ground has been broken at Powerlink Queensland’s CopperString 2032 project with construction beginning on the project’s first and largest workforce accommodation site. The accommodation site will house those charged with building the nearly 1000km high voltage transmission line that will unlock renewable resources and critical minerals to the State. ATCO structures will deliver the workforce accommodation which is due to be completed by early 2025. At the ceremony in Hughenden, Powerlink Queensland was officially...

New NSW compliances for mine safety and rehabilitation The NSW Resources Regulator has launched new compliances priorities for H2 CY24 for safe and sustainable mining across the State. These include: risk management and supervision in open cut coal mines; airborne contaminants in metalliferous mines; mobile plant work platform attachments; safety management systems for Tier 2 quarries; revegetation, surface and groundwater management, and tailings dam management; and compliance with exploration licence conditions, including community consultation and rehabilitation signoff. NSW Resources Regulator executive director Peter Day says the priorities have been developed in response to incidents and feedback from industry and the community. "By listening to industry and analysing incident data,...

WesTrac reveals new ESG initiatives driving its sustainable equipment Leading Cat® dealer WesTrac has revealed a series of new ESG (environmental, social and governance) initiatives as part of the company’s long-term commitment to becoming a more sustainable equipment provider. From adding a new Sustainability Badge to sustainable machinery, equipment and technology, to improving recycling across the country, the new processes play a vital role in minimising WesTrac’s environmental impact.   Sustainability Badge implementation WesTrac’s new Sustainability Badge helps customers easily identify the company’s more sustainable machinery, equipment and technology offerings. This includes...

Flash joule heating set to revolutionise lithium extraction Initial flash joule heating (FJH) tests have shown a 92% reduction in calcination time of spodumene concentrate from a lithium mine compared to conventional processing. FJH is an advanced processing and recycling technology that is being developed to extract critical metals, including rare earth elements, titanium, nickel, cobalt and lithium from waste material such as lithium-ion batteries, e-waste and coal fly ash. The process involves the rapid and intense heating of material to directly recover critical metals and make materials more amenable to metal recovery through conventional...

Orica takes top AFR Sustainability Leaders award Orica (ASX: ORI) was the overall winner for impact and the resources, energy and utilities category in the 2024 Australian Financial Review (AFR) Sustainability Leaders awards. This follows a $37m investment from Orica, the NSW Government and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation for innovative low-carbon technologies at Orica’s Kooragang Island ammonium nitrate plant in Newcastle, NSW. ...

Rio Tinto supports Indigenous languages preservation The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) has launched AIATSIS Centre for Australian Languages and the ‘Our Languages Keep Us Strong’ program with support from Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO). Rio Tinto committed $10m in 2022 for their establishment and implementation to protect and preserve Indigenous Australian cultures and knowledge. Rio Tinto Australia chief executive Kellie Parker says the launch is a significant milestone in the ongoing effort to preserve and celebrate the linguistic diversity of Australia’s First Peoples....

QRC launches digital media campaign to attract Gen Z workers The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has launched the ‘Shape Your Future, Innovate Our World’ digital campaign to attract Gen Z workers. The campaign is based on research into career motivators for Gen Zs and shares the stories of young people in the workforce enjoying the lifestyle. It was developed by QRC with support from the University of Queensland and Central Queensland University. QRC chief executive Janette Hewson says the campaign was developed to excite and entice young people into joining the minerals and energy...