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BY ELIZABETH FABRI PERTH-based gold miner Northern Star has invested $23.2 million in junior explorer Echo Resources to expand its footprint near its Jundee gold mine. Echo Resources, which holds tenements immediately south of Jundee, is planning to develop a new Yandal gold project utilising its nearby mothballed Bronzewing processing plant. In early December, Northern Star purchased 80 million Echo shares at an average price of $0.29, obtaining a 16.4 per cent interest in the company. Its investment came a week after Echo released an updated ore reserve for the project of 15.6 million tonnes grading 1.7 grams per tonne for 856,000oz of gold, and a little over a month since Echo undertook a $15 million capital raising. Echo chief...

Artemis’ Radio Hill processing plant is on track to be in production by mid-2018.  Image: Artemis Resources. BY CAMERON DRUMMOND PILBARA-focused Artemis Resources has received a $6 million loan to fund the upgrade and refurbishment of its Radio Hill copper-nickel-cobalt processing plant south of Karratha. The deal was penned with London-based Riverfort Global Capital, which funded a previous $3m loan to the company. The funding for the upgrade will also be used for a 500,000 tonne per annum (tpa) gold circuit allowing for treatment of ore from Artemis’ Carlow Castle and Silica projects. Artemis said that contract bulk sampling processing would be offered to other conglomerate gold companies in the region; with the plant expected to be fully operational by...

A one-year old mine site restoration in WA. Image: Centre for Mine Site Restoration.   BY ELIZABETH FABRI   TAILINGS dams are among the most ‘ecologically hostile’ by-products of mining operations yet there is currently a lack of sufficient technology to deliver timely and cost-effective restoration outcomes, according to Curtin University’s ARC Centre for Mine Site Restoration (CMSR).   In its new report One giant leap for mankind: can ecopoiesis avert mine tailings disasters?, CMSR argues more time is needed to allow for adequate mine site restoration practices, with current legislation providing a short timeframe. “After a mining operation ceases, there is often less than 10 years given to adequately restore the used land back to a sustainable ecological landscape,...

Image: Hitachi.   BY ELIZABETH FABRI   WITHIN a decade Australian mines will be operated almost entirely by autonomous machines, according to global group Hitachi. Game-changing technologies such as remote and integrated operation centres, driverless vehicles, and advanced analytics are set to be “commonplace” across the entire industry by 2030. “Such advances in technology are predicted to increase productivity and reduce costs by up to 25 per cent, which will have a significant impact on retaining Australia’s competitiveness in the Asia Pacific region, in addition to major positive social impacts such as the ability for mining employees to work in metropolitan areas,” Hitachi stated.   “Hitachi also predicts that by 2030 most mines will have fully integrated IoT systems that...

Tropicana has delivered a 72 per cent increase in ore reserves since the project was approved in November 2010.   Image: AngloGold Ashanti.   BY CAMERON DRUMMOND   ANGLOGOLD Ashanti and Independence Group have locked in $46 million for Phase One of its Long Island strategy at the Tropicana gold mine, 330km northeast of Kalgoorlie, WA.   The development will see 2.1 million ounces (moz) added to the Tropicana business plan, extending the mine life until 2027. Tropicana will also have a 6 megawatt ball mill installed to increase production and gold recovery rates by 3 per cent to 92 per cent. The JV partners said the Long Island strategy was driven by developing a more cost-effective way to mine waste....

BY ELIZABETH FABRI   COPPER is in favour as demand picks up in China, while electric vehicle and the renewables boom looks to build sustainable price momentum into the future. Yet the base metal, as is the case for many commodities in 2017, has also been defined by its volatility. Will the good time continue?    Copper has been a particularly interesting commodity to watch throughout the 2017 year. On the back of sudden price gains in late 2016, the base metal had a volatile start to the year, continuing its upswing in the first few months, (due to supply disruptions at three of the world’s largest mines), before plummeting to three-month lows in April. As analysts predicted, the slump...

Image: Cox Architecture.   BY ELIZABETH FABRI   FORMER WA Government architect Steve Woodland has unveiled plans to build a $100 million mining museum in Perth to pay homage to the State’s rich mining history.   Mr Woodland, who now works as a principal director at architecture firm Cox, said the proposed museum would act as an educational facility for children, and a place for events and celebrations. “The Museum of Mining WA could offer experiences like no other in the world,” Mr Woodland said. “Mining is in many ways a central part of who we are and yet our visitors see very little evidence of it in our city. “Many visitors are surprised — and disappointed — that it...

Hunter Valley Operations, NSW.  Image: Yancoal. BY ELIZABETH FABRI HEALTHY demand for coal from key international markets is delivering more jobs for the NSW mining industry, according to NSW Minerals Council chief executive Stephen Galilee. Recent figures from industry organisation Coal Services reported more than 20,600 coal production jobs across the State in July; 1300 additional jobs year-on year, and the highest amount since March 2015. Of the newly created jobs, more than 1000 were based in the Hunter Valley, signalling good news for the 8000 plus mining supplier businesses across the region. “Our NSW coal mining communities have done it tough over the past few years, so this jobs boost mining is really good news for local economies,” Mr...

Australian Mines’ Sconi cobalt project.  Image: Supplied. BY CAMERON DRUMMOND AUSTRALIAN mines has tapped investors for $20 million in a heavily-oversubscribed capital raising for its Sconi cobalt-nickel-scandium play in Northern QLD. The funds will be used to continue trial mining and undertake a bankable feasibility study, due to be completed in April 2018. The budding cobalt miner is also constructing a demonstration-size processing plant capable of producing commercial-grade samples of cobalt sulphate, nickel sulphate and scandium oxide. These samples will be used to progress negotiations with potential off-take partners and financiers, the company stated. In March, a Sconi pre-feasibility study (PFS) reported a mineral resource of 514,000 tonnes (t) of nickel, 54,500t of cobalt and 1950t of scandium, making it...

Year-on-year Gold Demand Trends: Q3 2017.   BY REUBEN ADAMS   SOFT jewellery sector demand and lower inflows into exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in Q3 2017 are blamed for the lowest level of global gold demand since Q3 2009.   According to the World Gold Council’s latest Gold Demand Trends report, the 9 per cent year-on-year drop to 915 tonnes (t) was attributed to a 3 per cent fall in global jewellery demand, as India’s new GST and tighter anti-money laundering regulations deterred buyers. Inflows into gold-backed ETFs grew by just 19t compared with the remarkable 144t influx in Q3 2016. Investors continued to favour gold’s risk-hedging properties, but the greater focus was on buoyant stock markets, the report stated. Alistair...

Emeco has expanded its business at a critical time in the market.   Image: Emeco. BY CAMERON DRUMMOND MINING equipment supplier Emeco Holdings will expand its market share with the $69.8 million purchase of national supplier and maintenance provider Force Equipment. The acquisition will provide Emeco with a further 179 high-quality and low-hour machines, taking its fleet total to 897, and doubling its WA presence. The transaction price is about 2.96 Force’s FY17 EBITDA of $23.6m, with Emeco funding the purchase via an $80m equity raising. Emeco managing director Ian Testrow said the buyout of Force was a part of the company’s strategy to becoming a world leading provider of equipment rental. “The acquisition of a market leading business like Force...