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What REALLY happens in the life of a fly-in, fly-out mine worker? Is it all high jinks for high pay? A book by blogger and real-life FIFO employee Aaron White – FIFO: What Really Happens After the Plane Takes Off – helps to unravel the mystery for those not accustomed to the life of working rostered weeks in hot, dusty, remote locations, while apart from families thousands of kilometres away in the big city. The amusing anecdotes surround the life of Mick, a nice guy from a small town who lands himself a FIFO job, and whose delusions of grandeur quickly fall apart after he gets a closer grip with the harshness of labouring in isolation for two to three…

Victoria has recorded record minerals exploration expenditure in the latest ABS quarterly statistics released today. In the March 2021 quarter, $51.5m was spent on minerals exploration in Victoria. This comes on the back of a record December 2020 quarter, with over $150m spent on exploration in the state in 2020. Minerals projects play an important role in regional development in Victoria, creating jobs and supporting a supply chain of innovative small and medium sized businesses. Victoria’s gold mining sector also employs regional Victorians from geologists and geophysicists to chemists and field assistants. Victoria’s mineral sands projects including Kalbar Resources’ Fingerboards HMS Project near Bairnsdale, Donald Mineral Sands’ project near Minyip, VHM Limited’s project near Swan Hill and WIM Resource’s Avonbank…

All Australian households were $14,800 better off in 2020 thanks to nation’s mining industry, according to a report commissioned by the Minerals Council of Australia. The analysis by the Centre for International Economics (CIE) compares the state of the Australian economy with and without the expansion of mining. MCA chief executive Tania Constable says Australia’s mining industry has experienced strong expansion this century. “Strong mining production and exports – made possible by unprecedented investments – have delivered substantial increases in wages and household income to all Australians over the past decade.” The CIE’s report also estimates that households would benefit from another $11,673 by 2030 if a modest productivity reform agenda was implemented.

CSIRO is collaborating with Reedy Lagoon Corporation Limited (ASX: RLC) to investigate new ways of determining magnetite resource estimates using geophysics, rather than just drill holes. The use of petrophysically constrained magnetic modelling will utilise previously drilled core to determine physical properties such as magnetisation and density of the Burracoppin magnetite deposit in WA. These results will in turn be used to constrain a detailed 3D magnetic/density model of the mineralisation, from which Reedy Lagoon is aiming to produce green high purity pig iron (HPPI). CSIRO project leader and petrophysics expert Dr Jim Austin says magnetite resources are unlike any other metal. “The quantity of the resource present, ie. iron, has a linear relationship with both density and magnetisation,” he…

Element 25 Limited (ASX: E25) has executed its port access agreement for the Utah Point facility in WA’s Pilbara region, with first shipment of manganese planned for June 2021. The mining company signed a multi-user access agreement with the Pilbara Port Authority for the bulk export of manganese from E25’s 100%-owned production facility at the Butcherbird project. E25 managing director Justin Brown says this is another important milestone for the company on the way to its first sale of manganese concentrate. “We are excited to be closing in on our first shipment of Butcherbird’s material to our offtake partners,” he said. The terms of agreement satisfy the mining company’s capacity requirement for the first stage of production up to 390ktpa.…

The frontiers between the Australian mining industry and the international space sector are one step closer to being merged. The Australian Remote Operations for Space and Earth (AROSE) officially opened its head office in Perth last week, with the help of WA Deputy Premier and Minister for Science, Roger Cook. AROSE is an industry-led consortium between Australia’s traditional industry sectors such as mining as well as the burgeoning international space sector to establish a world-leading hub for the nation’s remote operations capabilities for Earth and space applications. AROSE chief executive Leanne Cunnold says Australia’s expertise in remote operations is highly respected and in demand by international space agencies. “The mining industry in Australia is a world-leader in the use of…

Alcoa of Australia Limited will receive $11.3m in funding from the Federal Government to explore technology that reduces carbon emissions in its energy-intensive alumina refining process. The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) this morning announced the funding to Alcoa in the company’s $28.2m project to test Mechanical Vapour Recompressions (MVR) technology, powered by renewable energy, to electrify the production of steam. The first-of-its-kind deployment in Australia is planned to be undertaken at Alcoa’s existing alumina refining facility at Wagerup, WA, with the potential to improve efficiency, reduce costs and reduce emissions. ARENA chief executive Darren Miller said this project was a significant step towards making low emissions alumina and an important step towards decarbonising metals production. “It’s great to see…

Fortescue Metals Group has celebrated two significant milestones as part of its Billion Opportunities procurement initiative. Coinciding with the program’s 10-year anniversary, more than $3b in contracts and sub-contracts have been awarded to Aboriginal businesses and joint ventures since the initiative was launched in 2011. Marking the milestone, Fortescue Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Gaines also announced Fortescue Future Industries would commit to a target of awarding $1b in contracts to Aboriginal businesses and joint ventures on green energy projects by 2030. Among the beneficiaries has been Brindabella Resources, a majority Aboriginal-owned business established by five women who are Traditional Custodians from the Pilbara area, which was awarded a three-year contract recently to provide plant hire equipment for Fortescue’s Cloudbreak operations.

BHP (ASX: BHP) has produced first ore at its $4.7b South Flank iron ore operation today, making the mining giant’s Pilbara operations the largest iron ore hub globally. This echoes BHP chief executive Mike Henry’s speech at the Bank of America Metals, Mining and Steel Conference recently where he said the company would announce first production soon. “In the next few days we will announce first production at the 80mtpa South Flank iron ore project, with its higher grade and lump fraction,” he said. “All brought in on time and on budget in spite of COVID-19.” Long-term, Mr Henry expects the demand for copper to double and that of nickel to quadruple over the next 30 years. “Demand for steel…

Northern Minerals Limited (ASX: NTU) will begin its second phase drilling campaign at its Browns Range project next month, as part of its plan to build the WA operation into a significant world producer of dysprosium outside of China. The company will invest a minimum of $5m in exploration at Browns Range in FY21, with plans for 8500m-10,000m of RC drilling over a six-week period in its second drilling phase. The first drilling phase in late 2020 yielded promising assay results and results of both drilling phases will inform feasibility studies for a commercial-scale beneficiation plant on-site. Northern Minerals chief executive Mark Tory says the company is committed to unlocking the mineral potential at Browns Range through ongoing, targeted exploration…

Minimum security prisoners around WA can gain mining and civil construction skills through a collaboration between Aboriginal contractor Carey Mining, the WA Justice Department and traditional landowners. Twelve Aboriginal prisoners have graduated from the Carey Bindjareb training program run by the state department at Serpentine-based facility, Karnet Prison Farm, and are on track for potential employment. WA Corrective Services, Mines and Petroleum and Energy Minister Rob Johnston says the project provides meaningful industry-led training for Aboriginal men with direct links to employment when they get out of prison. “It’s a great result to have nearly two-thirds of graduates in the community gainfully employed in the mining and civil industries, and that most of the remainder are actively seeking work” he…