Latest News

BY ELIZABETH FABRI CHINA Molybdenum Company (CMOC) and Sumitomo have greenlit a new $200 million block cave mine at their Northparkes copper and gold project in Central West NSW. The mine – E26 Lift 1 North (E26L1N) – was expected to enter production mid-2022 and produce about 40 million tonnes of ore over 10-years. E26L1N would include 11km of underground development, an underground primary crusher, conveying systems and associated infrastructure. CMOC executive chairman and chief executive Steele Li said the joint venture partners were “really excited to see this project come to fruition and to watch Northparkes continue to develop and grow”. “Northparkes plays a pivotal role in our strong and long-term presence in Australia as an internationally renowned mining…

Image: Thor. BY JESSICA CUMMINS THOR Mining’s proposed $69 million Molyhil tungsten mine in the Northern Territory could deliver net value of $100 million and more than $500 million in revenue over its seven year mine life, according to new findings from an enhanced Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS). The project, 220km northeast of Alice Springs, would include a simple open-cut mining operation and conventional mineral processing plant, and deliver an early payback within 18 months of first production. Thor executive chairman Mick Million said the upgraded Net Present Value in excess of $100 million demonstrated the substantial value the project holds for the company. “There is further significant upside at Molyhil from expanding into potential underground mining and open-pit mining…

BY ELIZABETH FABRI LITHIUM has been the poster child for the booming battery metals market. However, what many may not know is the anodes in lithium-ion batteries contain far more graphite than they do lithium, with analysts of the view it’s just a matter of time before demand takes off.  Graphite demand and prices are about to skyrocket. According to Roskill, the market will soon see a rapid period of growth driven by – you guessed it – the rising lithium-ion battery industry. Graphite itself can come in two forms; natural graphite which is mined and processed, and synthetic graphite which is made from petroleum coke. Then there’s graphene; an allotrope form of carbon comprising one atomic layer of graphite arranged…

FMG’s West Pilbara Fines product at its Pilbara operations. BY ELIZABETH FABRI FORTESCUE Metals Group (FMG) has waved off its first shipment of higher grade 60.1 per cent West Pilbara Fines iron ore to customers in China. The maiden shipment left Herb Elliott Port in Port Hedland on 17 December and was bound for Hunan Valin Steel Co. The new product is a higher iron, low alumina ore blended from its Firetail mine and the western pits at its Cloudbreak mine in the Pilbara. FMG said it planned to ship between 5 and 10 million tonnes of the WPF product in FY19, which will grow to 40mtpa once its Eliwana mine enters production in December 2020. At a recent media…

Macmahon has initiated a series of veteran assessment days this year. Image: Macmahon. BY EMMA DAVIES MINING services contractor Macmahon and the Working Spirit group have joined forces  to improve employment opportunities available to Australian defence force veterans as they transition to civilian work. Macmahon manager human resources Katherine Blacklock said most veterans had been extensively trained and their experience and knowledge was a “highly transferrable fit for many mining and associated industry roles”. “Typically, veterans breed integrity and hard work and have shown leadership under stressful conditions,” Ms Blacklock said. “Veterans often tell us the transition process can be quite jarring and many feel there is a need for a new wave of consistent government policy and direct pathways…

LIKE many of its base metal peers, copper has had a challenging couple of months with its price plummeting more than 15 per cent in the wake of trade tensions between the US and China. However strong mid to long term demand for the red metal – particularly in the bourgeoning electric vehicle market – has analysts optimistic for the year ahead. Will prices recover soon? Elizabeth Fabri spoke with KPMG Copper Commodity leader Maritza Araneda who shares her outlook. Q. Describe how copper has been fairing and reasons for its volatility in recent months? Copper prices are sensitive to shifts in the ­global economic outlook and in times of uncertainty, prices are volatile. This has certainly been the case…

The Emesent team. Image: CSIRO. BY ELIZABETH FABRI DRONE technology developed by CSIRO Data61 spinoff Emesent has received a $3.5 million boost to bring its autonomous prototype, Hovermap, into the mainstream market. The technology, which draws on 10 years of research by CSIRO’s Robotics and Autonomous Systems group, was designed to automate the collection of data in underground areas that were too dangerous or difficult for people to survey or navigate, including stopes or ore passes. Emersent’s Hovermap can be integrated with drones to enable them to be deployed in GPS-denied environments without a human controller to create 3D maps, images, videos or record gas readings. “Hovermap enables the mining industry to safely inspect inaccessible areas of underground mines while…