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Cultural heritage survey completed at Quartz Hill A cultural heritage survey with the Kariyarra Aboriginal Corporation (KAC) has been completed at the Quartz Hill project in the Central Pilbara of WA. As part of the drilling program, New Age Exploration (ASX:NAE) will target lithium, caesium and tantalum (LCT) pegmatites similar to other deposits in the area. The aim of the drilling is to test below target areas of lithium anomalism detected in soil samples. New Age executive director Joshua Wellisch says the company is pleased to have completed the survey. “We are very pleased to have completed the cultural heritage survey at Quartz Hill in preparation for an imminent drill program on...

Barminco donates Sandvik UG truck to Perth TAFE students Barminco has donated a Sandvik underground truck to South Metropolitan TAFE in Perth, WA, to help train the next generation of skilled mining and heavy automotive workers. The refurbished truck, worth about $1.8m new, has lived out its full mine life and will now serve as a training resource for plant mechanic apprentices, trainees and students at the Heavy Vehicle Mechanical Training Centre at the Thornlie campus. WA Training Minister Simone McGurk thanks Barminco for its generous donation, which will help train up the mining and heavy automotive workforce of the future. "Providing students with contemporary machinery ensures when they land...

Consultation opens for WA battery and critical minerals strategy refresh The WA State Government has released an important consultation paper in its efforts to refocus activities in the rapidly evolving battery and critical minerals sector. Since the introduction of the Battery and Critical Minerals Strategy in 2019, WA has seen rapid growth of value-adding battery and critical minerals industries. Since then, nickel sulphate and lithium hydroxide (the key chemicals in lithium-ion batteries) refineries have been established, plus two downstream rare earth processing plants. As stakeholder input is vital in identifying priority actions to support industry development, a consultation paper seeking feedback to inform the refreshed strategy is now available. The refreshed strategy aims to...

Acu-Vib Electronics: Precision and Intelligence for Mining Operations Hearing loss is one of the most common occupational health and safety challenges confronting mines across Australia. Whether it’s blasting or crushing practices, the use of earthmoving machinery, or mineral processing applications, mine operators are subject to unavoidable noise generation. This excessive noise can result in workers’ compensation claims as a result of deafness and the impact on quality of life. Settling these claims presents an expensive proposition for mining companies. Reducing the prevalence of this problem reduces the healthcare cost burden placed on companies, which means they can allocate more of their capital to resource extraction and less on compensation. However, detecting hearing loss is difficult as it builds up gradually...

Krux of the matter: more metres for your dollar IMDEX-Krux partnership set to improve productivity in exploration and production drilling. Increasing Productivity in Exploration and Production Drilling A partnership between leading global mining-tech company IMDEX and drilling analytics market leader Krux is driving a digital transition to improve productivity in exploration and production drilling. With recent figures revealing a reduction in metres drilled despite record mineral exploration spending, IMDEX and Krux say it is time for the mining industry to embrace technology that will deliver better outcomes. IMDEX chief executive Paul House says the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures for the June quarter shows a reduction in metres drilled against a June spending record of $1.069b, revealing the productivity...

Legacy Iron Ore commences Mount Celia gold mining Legacy Iron Ore Limited has commenced mining at its Mount Celia Gold operation, about 95km south of Laverton, following the receipt of all final statutory approvals and the signing of a mining contract with Bain Global Resources. Surface and mine infrastructure works are well-advanced, with pre-stripping already commenced and ore mining to commence in Blue Peter pits in the weeks ahead. Legacy chief executive Rakesh Gupta says this marks a significant achievement in the evolution of Legacy Iron Ore. “ from an explorer to a producer, with this being our first mining operation as we unlock the potential...

Sandvik celebrates 1000th Toro truck delivery Sandvik is celebrating 1000 deliveries of its 51- and 63- metric-ton trucks, Toro TH551 and TH663. The 100th truck, a Toro TH663i for a mine in Portugal, recently rolled off the production line in Finland for a delivery ceremony. Sandvik’s load and haul president Patricio Apablaza commented on the milestone. “Sandvik and our Turku factory have achieved this milestone through more than a decade of committed work, customer collaboration and continuous innovation,” he said. The Toro TH551 and TH663 trucks were born from a customer workshop in Perth with customer collaboration and engagement present in the early stages of product development to ensure the trucks met...

Newmont acquires Newcrest Newmont Corporation has acquired Newcrest Mining (ASX:NCM) to create the world’s leading gold company. This expansion of Newmont’s portfolio will include operations with scale, margin and mine life to generate robust and lasting returns for decades while supporting best-in-class sustainability performance.   Newmont president and chief executive Tom Palmer says this marks a historic milestone for the company. “Today marks a historic milestone in our company and the industry with the successful completion of this transformational acquisition of Newcrest by Newmont,” he said. “Our attention now turns to safely, efficiently and responsibly integrating Newcrest’s assets and people into Newmont’s proven operating model,...

Safeguarding your most valuable assets with the BLH stop DropTM barricading system Working at heights presents many unexpected dangers. A dropped object, no matter its size, weight, or the height it falls from, can be disastrous and negatively impact productivity, operational costs, and the lives of site personnel. Mines, oil and gas platforms, refineries, power generation and petrochemical plants, civil infrastructure projects, and food processing facilities, demand quality, reliable, and engineered systems that protect workers day-in day-out. Although many different types of dropped object prevention systems exist, only one patented system has proven itself for over a decade. Invented by BLH Safety Solutions founder Shane Gill, Stop DropTM Barricading is the original dropped object prevention solution used by the world’s...

Improving ESG reporting in drilling and exploration Technology that safeguards Aboriginal heritage and environmental sites will be installed in a fleet of drilling rigs at a large exploration drilling company. Kalgoorlie-based Topdrill’s wholly-owned subsidiary JBC Contracting will roll out GeoMoby’s Protect technology to 30 drilling rigs across its Australian operations. The technology uses location services including GPS, fusion sensors and patented live tracking algorithms to geofence sites and trigger an alert if users enter or come within close proximity of a heritage site. This also works in remote areas with no connectivity. GeoMoby director Mathieu Paul says the company is delighted to be collaborating with one of Australia’s largest and most professional drilling contractors. “We look forward to working together...

Decarbonising shipping in the Pilbara with clean ammonia The potential for using clean ammonia to refuel ships, especially iron ore carriers visiting the Pilbara region of WA, is one step closer with key results from a groundbreaking feasibility study showing that safe ammonia bunkering is both economically and operationally viable. Results also show the demand for ammonia as a fuel to decarbonise the international iron ore trade could reach a volume of 1-1.5mt in 2035. The study, commissioned by Yara Clean Ammonia (Yara) and Pilbara Ports, was undertaken by Lloyds Register, and looked at key areas including the estimated demand and likely availability of...