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This week in Perth, WA, key industry representatives addressed some major challenges the Australian mining industry is facing at the Resources Technology Showcase. Concerns surrounding the feasibility of global green steel production amid challenging industry conditions, oversupply, low ore grades, approval delays and low ore prices, were prominent. BHP (ASX: BHP) WA iron ore asset president Tim Day says getting the costs of smelting iron ore using lower emissions fuels to compete with traditional blast furnaces is at least 10 years away. “It is very hard to compete against an established industry and making the industry commercial in Australia is proving harder than overseas,” he said. BHP, alongside Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) and BlueScope, are currently developing Australia’s largest ironmaking…

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) released a report outlining the 10-year outlook on investments needed to maintain national electricity market reliability. Reflecting the positive investment momentum to meet growing demand and replace retiring energy generation, the 2025 Electricity Statement of Opportunities report shows improved reliability outlooks, reliant on all expected investments being delivered on time and in full. The report assesses reliability against two development outlooks: A government schemes and actionable developments reliability assessment, which reflects more than 50GW of new generation and storage capacity, including the capacity investment scheme as agreed through renewable energy transformation agreements with the states, state-based schemes and actionable transmission developments A committed and anticipated developments reliability assessment that includes only those generation, storage…

Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King has urged Australia to take a leading role in critical minerals and rare earths processing in the face of global uncertainty. In her speech to attendees at the Resources Technology Showcase, held in Perth this week, Minister King reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to growing the country’s critical minerals and rare earths sectors. “In the face of extraordinarily difficult international market conditions, some might say that taking up the challenge to compete in the mining, processing and refining of critical minerals and rare earths is just too much, and that we should stick to what we do best — mining, concentration and export,” she said. “It is my view that Australia — with this geology…

The WA Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has approved the construction of Port Hedland Iron’s proposed hot briquetted iron plant. The Port Hedland Iron project — a collaboration between POSCO, Marubeni and China Steel Corporation — aims to decarbonise the steel manufacturing supply chain with production of low carbon hot briquetted iron. The proposal involves the development of a downstream processing facility in the Boodarie strategic industrial area (SIA) to produce iron pellets and about 2mt of hot briquette iron for export. EPA chair Darren Walsh says the location of the proposal, as well as its use of advanced direct-reduction iron technology for processing iron ore, is consistent with good environmental practice. “The EPA acknowledges that aggregating development proposals within SIAs offers improved…

Star Minerals (ASX: SMS) has received positive results from its first round of assay results for drilling at its Tumblegum South gold project in WA. The drilling program included 38 holes for a total of 2032m, 22 of which have been returned, interpreted and announced. Star Minerals managing director Ashley Jones says the company is pleased to see the quality of these first results from the project. “With the standout intercept so far being 5m at , Tumblegum South is proving to be an even stronger project, with a quality gold deposit,” he said. “We are completing all the necessary steps to bring the project into production and look forward to receiving and reporting on the remainder of…

Bravus Mining and Resources is investing $50m in expansion works to increase production at its Carmichael coal mine by a third over the next four years to 16mtpa. The investment will support expansion of the Carmichael workers village, a new water dam, the construction of a rail network maintenance hub, additional mine site infrastructure and engineering works. Bravus Mining and Resources chief operating officer Mick Crowe says the decision to export more coal from Carmichael will create hundreds of new jobs for Queenslanders. “Over the last three years our Carmichael mine has safely and efficiently ramped production up to more than 10mtpa,” he said. “Our investment in the infrastructure to support this growth means more contracts for local businesses and…

Magnetite Mines (ASX: MGT) has discovered near-surface clay hosted rare earth element (REE) mineralisation at its Ironback Hill project in South Australia. The identification of REE followed re-testing of limited clay rich samples from archived reverse circulation drill samples originally drilled by the company at the Ironback Hill deposit from 2011-2012. Magnetite Mines managing director Tim Dobson says the company has commenced a low-cost assessment of its vast South Australian tenement base for gold and critical minerals potential. “While the development of the Razorback iron ore project remains our core priority, the board believes it is in shareholders’ best interests to understand the full potential of our extensive tenements in response to favourable market conditions,” he said. “We have tasked…

More than $57b in fuel tax rebates have been banked by Australia’s mining companies since FY07 and according to a new analysis, this will exceed $84b by 2030. According to the Climate Energy Finance (CEF) analysis, the Fuel Tax Credit (FTC) has cost taxpayers $122.7b in total, and its primary beneficiaries include mining, agriculture and transport, with mining receiving nearly half of the total sum. BHP (ASX: BHP) was FY24’s largest FTC beneficiary, garnering a $627m rebate. Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) received $416m, and Glencore received $364m. CEF recommends a substantial reform of the existing scheme, capping Australia’s FTC at $50mpa per company with credits exceeding the cap retained only if reinvested into phasing out diesel. An analysis by Fortescue…

Yesterday, the WA Government opened the $16m Hydrilyte Technology pilot plant — offering the prospect of a safe and scalable way to transport hydrogen. The plant, operated by WA company Carbon 280 in Kwinana, uses its patented Hyridlyte Technology that uses a metal hydride suspended in a light mineral oil with a process that locks the hydrogen in a solid state within the liquid. The Hydrilyte and hydrogen solution can be stored indefinitely without loss and requires the process to be reversed to unlock the hydrogen. Hydrilyte has the potential to lower costs and increase safety for a wide range of hydrogen users, including the manufacture of green iron and steel. Carbon280 founder and chief executive Mark Rheinlander says natural hydrogen…

Increased emphasis on industrial automation and the rising integration of mechanised systems across diverse industries are driving rubber conveyor belt market growth. As companies focus on improving operational efficiency and reducing manual labour, the adoption of automated material handling solutions is accelerating. Rubber conveyor belts have become integral components across various industries and processes, offering flexibility, reliability and high performance in the handling of bulk materials and heavy loads. Industries, such as mining, construction, manufacturing, food processing and logistics, are increasingly deploying conveyor belts to streamline operations, minimise downtime and improve productivity. The integration of smart technologies, such as sensors and automation controls, is transforming conveyor system operations and driving demand for advanced rubber conveyor belts capable of withstanding harsh…

Weir is collaborating with German company Schwing Stetter to develop an unrivalled hydraulic piston pump for backfill pumping applications. As part of this collaboration, Weir and Schwing are working together to share product and application knowledge to enhance the technology and deliver a solution to customers. Weir reported a growing demand for higher capacity pumps in line with mining  industry trends shifting towards higher production rates and lower ore grades which, by extension, is resulting in increased tailings volumes. As many above ground tailings storage facilities (TSFs) are reaching their capacity, operators are combining both backfilling and surface storage to manage their tailings burden. Miners are beginning to incorporate backfilling into the early stages of mine designs as an opportunity…