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Metal Hawk acquires 100% ownership of WA projects Metal Hawk Limited has announced that it has secured 100% ownership of the Kanowna East, Emu Lake, and Fraser South projects in Western Australia by purchasing IGO Limited's 51% Joint Venture interest. This transaction will increase IGO's shareholding in Metal Hawk from 5.4% to 8.2%. Metal Hawk will now own all the projects, including the extensive maiden drill program that will begin shortly at Fraser South, targeting early-stage indicators of nickel-copper sulphides and rare-earth elements (REE). Metal Hawk is preparing for an extensive aircore drilling program at Fraser South, targeting Ni-Cu mineralisation hosted within zones of potential mafic and ultramafic stratigraphy. The project covers over 40km of strike along the interpreted structural...

Wyloo's bid for Mincor Resources continues as deadline is extended Wyloo Metals (ASX:WYL) has extended its takeover offer for Australian nickel explorer Mincor Resources (ASX: MCR) until May 22, according to an announcement made on May 3, 2023. The privately-held Wyloo offered $1.40 per share of Mincor, a 35% premium on the closing price before the offer, which values the company at $760m ($510m) on a fully diluted basis. Before the takeover bid, Wyloo owned a nearly 20% stake in Mincor. Since then, Wyloo has tightened its grip on the target, reaching a 61.64% ownership as of May 2, 2023. Like other top miners, Wyloo Metals wants to secure a steady supply of metals considered critical for a greener economy,...

Lithium hydroxide plant expansion paves way for WA's multi-billion dollar processing industry The WA Government has welcomed Albermarle’s announcement that it will expand its lithium hydroxide plant in Kemerton from two processing trains to four, making the plant the biggest and most advanced lithium hydroxide processing facility outside of China. As the State looks to ways to participate in the global battery and critical mineral supply chains, the four processing trains will double the plant capacity to 100,000tpa of lithium hydroxide product, at a cost of more than $1.5b (US$1b), paving the way for WA to...

Rio Tinto takes delivery of the 1000th Cat® 24 Motor Grader Caterpillar® has celebrated a major milestone with the 1,000th Cat® 24 Motor Grader coming off the production line in the US and handed over to Rio Tinto in Perth, WA. The 72t grader will now make its journey to Rio Tinto’s Paraburdoo iron ore mine in the Pilbara region in the northwest of WA. Caterpillar area manager for large motor graders Florian Dumalle says the large Cat 24 Motor Grader machines have “evolved over the past two decades to...

BHP and Rio Tinto to collaborate on tailings technology BHP (ASX: BHP) and Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) have announced their intention to collaborate with technology providers, equipment manufacturers, reagent suppliers, start-ups, and research groups worldwide to improve tailings dewatering and management performance. The mining giants are inviting expressions of interest from innovative thinkers who can help them identify a portfolio of tailings management partners to accelerate the development of technologies that could increase water recovery and reduce potential safety risks and environmental footprints associated with tailings storage facilities. Tailings management is a critical area for safety and sustainability in mining operations, as tailings are the waste materials produced by mining activities. Tailings contain a range of substances, including chemicals, metals, and...

BHP completes OZ Minerals takeover Mining giant BHP (ASX: BHP) has completed its acquisition of OZ Minerals (previous ASX code: OZL), with the latter's shares set to be removed from the Australian Securities Exchange on 3 May 2023. The acquisition, completed through BHP Lonsdale Investments, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BHP Group Limited, involved the purchase of 100% of OZ Minerals shares via a scheme of arrangement. The deal, valued at $9.63b, was approved by the Federal Court in April 2023. BHP chief executive officer Mike Henry said that the acquisition strengthens BHP's portfolio in copper and nickel and is in line with its strategy to meet the increasing demand for critical minerals needed for electric vehicles, wind turbines, and solar...

Fortescue’s Iron Bridge produces first magnetite Fortescue Metals Group (ASX: FMG) has successfully produced its first magnetite product at Iron Bridge, at first run grade of greater than 68% Fe, and will continue to ramp up to 22mtpa of high-grade magnetite concentrate. This milestone marks the end of almost 20 years of planning and over 20m work hours on site, with the Ore Processing Facility (OPF) achieving specification metal production in its first week of operations. Fortescue executive chairman Dr Andrew Forrest AO says Iron Bridge will lead the way for a successful magnetite industry in WA and...

Alcoa’s million-dollar boost for Waroona Waroona residents, local to the Alcoa Wagerup Alumina Refinery in southwest WA, can look forward to a more vibrant and revitalised town centre after Alcoa contributed a total of $1m to help create a central hub for the community. Planned features include a fenced toddler play area, junior playground, all-ages skate park and pump track, shaded picnic area with barbecues, grassed open space, events and pop- up area, Noongar six seasons garden, accessible toilets, pathways, shelters and seating, as well as RV facilities including rest areas and overnight parking. Earthworks...

Warriedar Resources' Rothschild Drilling Program Delivers High-Grade Gold Extension Warriedar Resources Limited (ASX: WA8) has reported high-grade gold intercepts from its ongoing Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling program at the Rothschild prospect, which is part of the Fields Find Project located in the Murchison province of Western Australia. The drilling program was designed to test the scale potential of the existing deposit including depth extensions, repeat parallel lodes and satellite lodes. The program has extended the known high-grade zone at Rothschild by over 100m at depth. The first assay results from the Rothschild drilling program have returned significant high-grade intercepts, including 11m @ 3.39 g/t Au from 197m, 10m @ 1.63g/t Au from 202m (including 3m @ 3.12g/t), and 9m @...

Rio Tinto to Double Scandium Production with Acquisition of High-Grade Resource in NSW Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) has announced that it will acquire the Platina Scandium Project in NSW for $14 million. The acquisition of the high-grade scandium resource located near Condobolin could enable Rio Tinto to more than double its annual scandium production, which is currently produced from titanium dioxide production waste streams in Quebec, Canada. The Platina Scandium Project comprises a long life, high-grade scalable resource that could produce up to 40 tonnes per annum of scandium oxide for about 30 years. Scandium is a rare and versatile mineral that is considered a critical mineral by many countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. It is one...