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The gold rush is set to continue after prices reached eight-year highs at the start of the month, breaking through US$1800 ($2603) an ounce for the first time since 2011. The metal reached US$1810 before settling at US$1780 on July 1. ASX-listed gold miners Newcrest Mining, Kirkland Lake Gold, Northern Star Resources and Saracen Mineral Holdings all responded to the price rise with an immediate uptick in share prices. Edison Investment Research director Charles Gibson said there was no end in sight for the spikes. “Gold, with its safe haven and monetary status, has been an obvious beneficiary of the current uncertain environment and that seems unlikely to change for as long as the coronavirus remains a largely unknown quantity,”...

WA mining stalwart, author and philanthropist Ron Manners has been made an Officer (AO) in the General Division of the Order of Australia. Mr Manners was included in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List on June 8 for his “distinguished service to the minerals and mining sectors, and to youth through philanthropic support for educational initiatives”. The Officer of the Order of Australia is awarded for distinguished service of a high degree to Australia or humanity at large. Mr Manners was born and raised in Kalgoorlie, to a family that has a long association with mining, and he too joined the family business. Having forged a highly decorated career in the mining industry, he felt a burning desire to contribute a...

FORTESCUE Metals Group (ASX: FMG) awarded two notable contracts in the last week, with one going to Civmec (ASX: CVL) and the other to John Holland. Civmec was awarded a contract to build the structural concrete components for the FMG Iron Bridge magnetite project’s Dry Plant Detailed Earthworks and Concrete package. The construction scope includes the primary, secondary and tertiary crushing areas, screening areas, air classification and primary grinding areas, course ore stockpile, dry rejects and conveyors. It will involve more than 350,000m3 of earthworks, the fixing of around 5000t steel reinforcement and the placement of around 38,000m3 of concrete. Civmec chief executive Patrick Tallon says the company is extremely pleased to be given a further opportunity to work with...

Downer EDI has been awarded a number of contracts in the mining, power generation, oil and gas, and industrial sectors, with a combined value of about $324m. In the industrials market, Downer has been awarded: • a two-year contract with BHP for the delivery of sustaining capital projects across their WA iron ore sites. The services cover sustaining capital projects in mechanical, electrical and rail; and • a site services contract with Wesfarmers Chemicals, Energy and Fertilisers group for the provision of electrical maintenance and shutdowns over the WA and Northern Territory operations. In the oil and gas market, Downer has been awarded: • a three-year framework agreement with Santos for the provision of multi-discipline works across existing upstream operational...

Gold explorers and capital markets advisers predict that the Aussie-dollar price of the precious metal will hit $3000 by Christmas. That was the clear prediction among panellists of a high-profile chatroom at a recent Mines and Money APAC virtual conference. Featuring White Rock Minerals managing director Matt Gill, Artemis Resources executive director Alistair Clayton, Hartleys executive chairman Ian Parker and PCF Capital managing director Liam Twigger, the panel discussed the remarkable sharemarket recovery, the importance of foreign investment, exploration hotspots and – of course – the likely trajectory of the gold price. Mr Parker said the Perth brokerage had seen a surge in new accounts while the COVID-19 triggered downturn appeared to have prompted investors to show a willingness for risk exposure that had typically been missing from the resources sector. “I’ve never...

DOWNER Group has just received Australia's first fleet of new generation Komatsu 830E-5 dump trucks. The company purchased five of the 830E-5 model, a 230 metric tonne capacity dump truck said to be the most technologically advanced 240-US ton class truck Komatsu has created to-date. The latest trucks feature new engine and drive systems delivering improved performance, intelligent parasitic load control on the engine, up to 80% lower particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions and better fuel efficiency. Downer general manager plant Ryan Kirkwood said the company has successfully operated large fleets of Komatsu 830Es and 930s both internally and for clients. “It was an obvious decision to transition to the new 830E-5 for a key project in WA,” he said. “We...

THE WesTrac Technology Training Centre in Collie, WA, is close to completion and due to accept its first trainees within weeks. The facility, which is the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, will deliver training courses to technicians and operators of autonomous equipment such as haul trucks used in the mining industry. Announced in January this year and partially funded through the State Government’s Collie Futures Fund, the site near Bluewaters Power Station includes dedicated training facilities and an extensive “calibration pad” used for trialling and fine-tuning autonomous equipment. WA Premier Mark McGowan said the training centre was one of a range of new initiatives designed to secure the future of the town. "The WesTrac Technology Training Centre...

  MINERAL processing experts from the Sustainable Minerals Institute’s (SMI) Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC) have embraced 21st century technology to maintain site engagement and delivery of research outcomes to mineral processing plants amid COVID-19 restrictions. Surveying, diagnosing and identifying improvement opportunities for processing plants generally requires teams to travel to a mine site, often in remote locations, and undertake hands-on testing alongside mine personnel ? a difficult feat considering ongoing travel and distancing restrictions. Faced with these challenges, JKMRC experts have developed a remote survey coordination method which allows them to engage with site personnel and facilitate the same procedures through the use of video streaming. JKMRC senior research fellow and process performance specialist Lizette Verster said the...

THE introduction of 34 autonomous trucks at BHP Mitsubishi Alliance’s (BMA) Daunia mine in central Queensland will create more than 150 project-related jobs and 56 permanent positions in the surrounding area. BMA made the announcement today as it moves to invest $100m to back auto-truck introduction at the mine, which opened in 2013 and created 450 jobs back then. BMA asset president James Palmer said the Daunia workforce was consulted over the last 18 months over the rollout of autonomous haulage. “Our people have told us that they are eager for new job opportunities and skills,” he said. “There will be no job losses as a result of this decision, and anyone who currently works with us, be it an...

Currently unlisted New Energy Metals Ltd (NRG) has signed a binding heads of agreement with Zenith Minerals Ltd to purchase its Fraser Range tenement for $100,000.  Zenith have backed the future production of metals on the site by retaining a 1.5% net smelter royalty fee, while still moving its focus to its current gold and copper wholly owned projects. The sale is conditional on regulatory approvals and more importantly, upon the successful listing via an initial public offering (IPO) of NRG on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) within 6 months. Zenith Minerals report that NRG primary focus is Nickel Sulphide exploration in WA with exposure to the Albany Fraser Orogen and the South West Yilgarn while retaining a proprietary Nickel...

SOUTH Australian mining company Argonaut Resources (ASX: ARE) commenced drilling yesterday at the Island and Birties gold prospects in Higginsvale, WA. After approval by the WA Government to drill both areas, Argonaut secured a suitable track-mounted, slim-hole reverse circulation (RC) drilling rig to target untested gold anomalies. The drilling program will involve 15-20 holes at the Island gold prospect and 10-15 holes at the Birties gold prospect at a total cost of $350,000. The Island gold prospect, which benefits from the absence of historic drilling, sits over a major structural intersection that may have been a conduit for gold mineralising fluids. The Island gold targets were confirmed by SensOre Ltd’s proprietary mineral exploration artificial intelligence (AI) system. SensOre applied its...