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Conveyor belt transporting iron ore.

Rio Tinto approves $110m PFS for Rhodes Ridge

Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) has approved a $110m pre-feasibility (PFS) study to progress development of one of the world’s best undeveloped iron ore deposits — the Rhodes Ridge project. The start of the PFS follows the completion of an order of magnitude study that considered development of an operation with initial capacity of up to 40mtpa. The PFS is expected to be completed by the end of 2025 and will be followed by a feasibility study with first ore from the initial development expected by the end of this decade. Over the five-year period from 2024 to 2028, Rio is planning to spend more than $400m on exploration as part of the ongoing study phases. Study work to date has indicated…

(Image source: Liontown Resources) WA Ports Minister David Michael has approved the port agreement between Liontown Resources and the Mid West Ports Authority.

Lithium player Liontown secures agreement with Mid West Ports Authority

Liontown Resources (ASX: LTR) has secured a Port Services and Access Agreement with the Mid West Ports Authority for the export of lithium spodumene from its Kathleen Valley project via the Port of Geraldton. Receipt of Ministerial approval of this agreement represents the final link in securing Liontown’s supply chain, as the company looks to ship to global Tier-1 offtake partners including LG Energy Solution, Tesla and Ford Motor Company. Liontown managing director and chief executive Tony Ottaviano says he is pleased with the approval by WA Ports Minister David Michael. “The Port of Geraldton is a world-class facility with future growth aspirations, and Liontown is pleased to support the diversification of critical minerals exports out of the port for…

iVolve co-founders (L-R) – chief technology officer David Eagles and chief executive Kim Parascos – will continue in their current roles, ensuring continuity in product development and customer relationships.

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Komatsu acquires iVolve

Komatsu has acquired fleet management company iVolve Pty Ltd in a move that will enable the brand to reach a broader global market and grow its footprint in the mining and quarry industries. The acquisition, through Komatsu’s wholly owned subsidiary in Australia, marks a significant milestone for the company. Komatsu Australia chief executive Sean Taylor says “Australia is renowned as a global centre of excellence for mining, quarrying and construction technology”. “This acquisition will provide global scale for iVolve and enable the ongoing development of iVolve’s products and solutions into the future,” he said. iVolve chief executive and co-founder Kim Parascos says the company is thrilled to become part of the Komatsu family. “We have enjoyed a long working relationship…

Fortescue’s Green Pioneer in the Dubai Harbour Marina.

Fortescue’s Green Pioneer sails from Singapore to Dubai for COP28

The Fortescue Green Pioneer has sailed from Singapore to Dubai for COP28 as a symbol of the regulatory changes needed to decarbonise shipping. Fortescue chairman and founder Andrew Forrest says at this point in time, the regulatory landscape doesn’t allow ammonia ships to operate. “Now that green ammonia is emerging as a bulk marine fuel, it is now the time of the great ports of the world to become capable of pollution free shipping,” he said. “This is seriously limiting the progress of the decarbonisation of shipping.” Over the past 18 months, Fortescue has been developing the processes, systems and technology needed to safely run Green Pioneer as a green ammonia dual-fuel ship. This was done in collaboration with leading…

Carbon reduction.

Carbon capture and storage bill introduced to WA Parliament

WA Mines, Petroleum and Hydrogen Industry Minister Bill Johnston has introduced the Petroleum Legislation Amendment Bill 2023 and the Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Safety Levies Amendment Bill 2023 into the WA Parliament. The Bill proposes to enable the transport and storage of greenhouse gases in the State, aligning with net zero emissions ambitions within the WA Climate Policy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Policy. As well as introducing a framework for greenhouse gas storage and transport, the exploration of naturally occurring hydrogen will be accommodated for as a regulated substance. Carbon caption utilisation and storage (CCUS) involves capturing and storing carbon dioxide to reduce emissions from industrial-scale processes and projects. It’s being used by hard-to-abate industries to decarbonise operations across…

Solar farm at Weipa.

Rio Tinto approves solar farm and battery storage facility for Amrun

A 12.4MW solar farm and 8.8MVa/2.1MWh battery storage facility have been approved by Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) to provide renewable energy for the Amrun bauxite operations near Weipa in Queensland. The solar farm and battery storage facility are part of Rio’s global decarbonisation strategy and ongoing efforts to reduce emissions at its Pacific bauxite, alumina and aluminium operations. Both of these are expected to reduce Amrun’s diesel electricity consumption by 37% and the annual carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by 14kt. It will also add to the existing 5.6MW of solar and 4MWh of battery power for Rio’s Weipa operations. Aggreko was contracted to build, own and operate the solar farm, in addition to its current contract to supply electricity generated from…

(Image source: Mineral Resources) The Mt Marion site | Australian Mining Review

MinRes awards $46m contract to Bill Beament’s Develop

Develop Global Limited (ASX: DVP) has been awarded a $46m contract to develop an exploration decline at the Mt Marion lithium mine in WA, about 40km southwest of Kalgoorlie. The contract is expected to start in early 2024 with a term of 18 months. Former Northern Star Resources boss Bill Beament, who now heads Develop as its managing director, says “the award of this contract to Develop is a significant vote of confidence in our world-class underground mining team”. “We have built a world-class underground mining team with immense experience in developing and operating underground operations, especially in WA,” he said. “The strength of this team is shown by the outstanding results we are generating at the Bellevue gold mine,…

Parliament House in WA.

WA Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Johnston resigns

After seven years in the role, WA Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Johnston is stepping down from Cabinet and will not contest the 2025 State Election. Minister Johnston will see out the remainder of his term as the Member for Cannington, a position he has been in since 2008. “I have been very proud to work for the Cannington community over the last 15 years, and I look forward to serving them until the next election,” he said. “The Cannington community have always had my first loyalty as their representative in Parliament, and it is a tremendous privilege to represent this vibrant community.” As well as the Member for Cannington, Mr Johnston served as Minister for Mines and Petroleum since…

Damien Durston_Head of Sales ANZ at Advanced

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Embracing the Digital Revolution – Revolutionising People Management in the Australian Mining Sector

Like any industry, the highly regulated mining sector has its own unique set of challenges when it comes to managing its workforce. Mining companies have large workforces spread across thousands of kilometres, complex shift patterns and rotations with many Fly-In-Fly-Out (FIFO) workers. Mining sector organisations face exponentially more challenges as they grow and experience the complexity of a transient workforce. The varying overtime rules, complex awards and travel allowances, award interpretation, efficient onboarding, leave and accruals, time and attendance, rostering and reporting compatible with remote mine workers are all extremely important for their Human Resources (HR) departments to get control over. Recently, many industries have removed manual workforce management processes that hindered organisational efficiency. While the digital transformation of HR…

Man holding gold nuggets.

Western Gold Resources inches closer to gold production

Following metallurgical test work at the Gold Duke project, Western Gold Resources (ASX:WGR) is one step closer to becoming a gold producer. Perth-based BHM Process Consultants undertook the test work to determine the amenability of the orebodies to heap leaching and carbon-in-leach (CIL) processing. Notably for Western Gold, results from this work pointed towards a low capex gold operation. Samples were taken from oxide ore stockpiles which were previously sampled as part of a trial toll-treatment program. Both a high-grade (153kg) and a low-grade (137kg) composite were formed from the stockpiles and submitted to Nagrom laboratory. The high-grade sample returned a grade of 2g/t gold while the low-grade sample returned a grade of 0.10g/t gold. Column leaching of a composite…

Methane reduction.

More than $4m in grants introduced to lower methane emissions

The Australian Government will invest more than $4m in new research to help lower methane emissions from resources projects and help Australia achieve net zero by 2050. Two research grants have been introduced to the CSIRO and the University of Newcastle for projects which will trial new technology that will tackle methane emissions from coal mines. The grants — $2.05m for the CSIRO and $2.3m for the University of Newcastle — come from the Resources Methane Abatement Fund and will be for projects that tackle ventilation air methane. The Methane Abatement Fund supports research organisations to undertake development, prototype verification and validation, and demonstration level projects. Federal Resources and Northern Australia Minister Madeleine King commented on the grants. “Reducing methane…