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Rio Tinto has signed Australia’s largest renewable power purchase agreement (PPA) to date to supply its Gladstone operations in Queensland, agreeing to buy the majority of electricity from Windlab’s planned 1.4GW Bungaban wind energy project.  The latest agreement, which follows last month’s announcement of a PPA for the Upper Calliope solar farm in Queensland, will make Rio Tinto the biggest industrial buyer of renewable power in Australia.  Under the new PPA with Windlab, Rio Tinto will buy 80% of all power generated from the Bungaban wind energy project over 25 years.   The project, which is currently in early development, will be built and operated by Windlab at a site in Queensland about 40km from the town of Wandoan, and 290…

Gold miner Ramelius Resources Limited?(ASX:RMS) has posted a record half-year revenue of $348.5m as the company benefited from higher prices and lower costs coupled with a 5% increase in gold production over the previous corresponding period (pcp). The increased gold production, buoyed by contributions from the Penny gold mine as well as the addition of the Symes gold mine at the Edna May hub, saw the company increase its net profit by 42% to $41.2m for the half year. The reported all-in sustaining costs (AISC) for the half-year was $1,899/oz, 7% lower than the pcp. The miner expects AISC to decrease further over the second half of FY24. Ramelius managing directo, Mark Zeptner says “the first half of FY24 followed…

The Federal and WA Governments have agreed on building a $140m hydrogen hub in the Pilbara, WA, supporting almost 1000 direct and indirect jobs. Construction on the Pilbara Hydrogen Hub will begin this year with a target timeframe of mid-2028 to become operational. It will be major centre for hydrogen production and export, with the potential to become an international gateway to Australian-made green steel and iron. A planned pipeline could enable hydrogen production of around 492,000tpa, enough to decarbonise existing ammonia production on the Burrup Peninsula. WA Premier Roger Cook says the hub is a key part of the WA Government’s plan to turn the State into a global clean energy powerhouse. “When it comes to producing and exporting…

WesTrac has successfully implemented a Dematic Automated Piece Picking System at its Tomago warehouse in NSW. As one of the world’s largest authorised Caterpillar® equipment dealers, this new picking system along with its Autostore™ system (resembling a large Rubik’s cube) supports the mining and construction industries in WA, NSW and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) WesTrac warehouse operations manager Natalia Trewin says its Tomago warehouse is the central distribution centre for 17 regional branches, as well as the seven main workshops on site. “The Tomago facility is a high-volume operation, storing 80,000 SKUs and we pick 40,000 lines a week here,” she said. The previous WesTrac warehouse was constructed a decade ago. It was operated manually and, over time, WesTrac…

The WA Government is throwing a lifeline to the State’s nickel producers by offering a 50% royalty rebate from Q2 CY24 for 18 months, in response to current global market challenges. The Nickel Financial Assistance Program will provide a rebate if the average price of nickel in concentrate is below $31,000/t (US$20,000/t) for a given quarter. The rebate will then be repayable by the companies in equal quarterly instalments over the following 24 months. WA Premier Roger Cook says the nickel industry supports nearly 10,000 jobs and generated more than $5b in sales in FY23. “It is also an essential component of the State’s vision of becoming a global hub for the downstream processing of battery metals,” he said. “Protecting…

Lidar surveying is underway at the Central Queensland Hydrogen (CQ-H2) Project as part of front-end studies paving the way for the State’s largest renewable hydrogen project. The CQ-H2 Project includes the development of a large-scale renewable hydrogen production facility at Aldoga, a hydrogen transport facility (pipeline) and a liquefaction and shipping facility at the Port of Gladstone. The project will also supply renewable hydrogen to an ammonia production facility. A statement on Stanwell’s website says “lidar data points and aerial photographs were captured by a plane flying over the proposed sites of the hydrogen production facility, liquefaction and shipping facility and hydrogen pipeline route”. “A buffer of roughly 400m around the proposed sites for the facilities and along the entire…

Two former mining sites near Bendigo, Victoria, are a step closer to rehabilitation with the removal of drill core samples from the Woodvale Evaporation Ponds and the start of rehabilitation work at Kangaroo Flat. The Victorian Earth Resources Regulator (ERR) is overseeing the rehabilitation of both sites as the former licensee was unable to meet its obligations. Resources Victoria chief executive Matt Vincent says the drill core to be stored at the Geological Survey of Victoria’s (GSV) Drill Core Library are valuable geoscientific assets which will improve the understanding of Bendigo’s geology. “The Earth Resources Regulator has permanently sealed the Swan Decline, the primary gateway to Bendigo’s historical underground mining,” he said. “We’ve unearthed significant historical records and snapshots at…

SITECH WA, a pioneer in providing innovative technology solutions for mining operations in Western Australia, is proud to announce its strategic partnership with Ausdrill, one of the largest drilling services providers in Australia. This collaboration is set to lead in a new era of safety, precision, and efficiency for mining professionals as SITECH WA introduce Trimble Groundworks machine guidance technology across Ausdrill’s Rock Commander fleet. The integration of Trimble Groundworks machine guidance into the Rock Commander fleet represents a milestone achievement for both companies, with the successful implementation of Groundworks on Rock Commanders at BHP WAIO laying the foundation for this game-changing partnership. The proven synergy between Rock Commander and Groundworks has solidified this decision, further influencing its adoption at…

Black Cat Syndicate Limited (ASX: BC8) has commenced refurbishment works on its processing facility at the 100% owned Paulsens gold operation, with managing director Gareth Solly saying that the company has started to engage with mining contractors and equipment suppliers. Long lead items have been procured, including mill liners and lifters, two new Knelson concentrators, steel for tank and structural modifications and a new liquid oxygen tank. “Our team has been systematically working through the processing plant conducting maintenance work as well as setting details plans for future refurbishment works,” Mr Solly said. “Work to date has been extremely productive with significant upside identified, particularly in the crushing circuit. “Long lead items have been or are in the process of…

Hillgrove Resources (ASX: HGO) has produced its first copper concentrate from the Kanmantoo underground mine following successful commissioning of the processing facility within the targeted timeframe of Q1 CY24. The project is located about 55km from Adelaide, South Australia, with the company operating a series of open pits from 2010-2020, producing about 137kt of copper and 55koz of gold. After successful studies, underground development works commenced in mid-2023 with a single decline towards the base of one of their pits. Hillgrove chief executive and managing director Lachlan Wallace says first copper production from the Kanmantoo underground operation and the transition to cashflow generation is a watershed moment for the company. “Over the next few months, the mine output and copper…

South32 (ASX: S32) has entered a binding agreement to divest its 50% interest in the Eagle Downs metallurgical coal project to Stanmore Resources Limited (ASX: SMR). The consideration for the transaction comprises $23m (US$15m) payable at completion, a contingent payment and a price-linked royalty. The other 50% interest in the project is held by Aquila Coal Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of China Baowu Steel Group Corporation Limited. Stanmore has signed a term sheet with Aquila, the Eagle Downs joint venture (JV) partner, in relation to acquiring a further 30% interest in the joint venture. Stanmore chief executive and executive director Marcelo Matos says the acquisition of Eagle Downs is consistent with Stanmore’s ambition to expand its footprint in Queensland’s premium…