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Victory and Sumitomo advance rare earth partnership Victory Metals (ASX: VTM) has entered into a non-binding letter of intent (LOI) with Sumitomo Corporation to advance offtake and strategic cooperation for the North Stanmore heavy rare earth project. The agreement outlines a pathway for pilot scale product testing and early sales through Sumitomo, to be commenced in 2027 ahead of full commercial production. It also establishes the intention of establishing a long-term offtake relationship once Victory starts production at North Stanmore. Under the LOI, Victory will supply up to 30% of annual production, or 1000tpa of mixed rare earths carbonate (MREC) including up...

HIGHLUX Smart Solar Lighting: The Miner’s Choice As the use of solar lighting becomes increasingly ubiquitous across mine sites in Australia, one company has been at the forefront of innovation for over a decade and boasts award winning Australian-made products that are uniquely suited to Australian mining environments. HIGHLUX and its suite of smart solar lighting products has for years been illuminating mine sites across the country providing industry giants such as Fortesque metals, Rio Tinto and BHP with industrial grade solar bollards, overhead solar lighting systems and stand-alone off grid power sources. HIGHLUX director Tristan Downs spent years working at mine sites in the Pilbara and created the company in 2012 with a laser focus on the unique requirements...

Miners pay more tax than all other sectors combined The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has today released its Corporate Tax Transparency report for 2023-2024, highlighting the Australian mining industry has paid more tax than any other industry. The report confirms Australia’s mining industry remains the nation’s biggest taxpayer, for the third consecutive year, paying $65b in company tax and royalties for 2023-24, despite weaker commodity prices and challenging geopolitical conditions. ATO assistant commissioner Michelle Sams highlights the industry’s resilience. “Despite a decrease in tax payable reflecting weaker commodity prices which impacted profitability of...

$4.5b WA wheatbelt wind farm advances Synergy has applied to develop its Tathra wind farm, a 2GW combined solar and wind project, with the WA Government after receiving consent for land usage from nine farm owners. The state-owned company’s proposed project, located 300km north of Perth near Eneabba, includes 140 wind turbines with a generation capacity of up to 1000MW, up to 1,000,000 solar photo-voltaic (PV) panels with 500MW of solar capacity and lithium-ion batteries with a 500MW capacity. Synergy’s planning documents state that by co-locating wind turbines, solar panels and a battery energy storage system...

FMG renews Shooting Stars partnership Fortescue (ASX: FMG) continues to support First Nations girls across regional WA through its partnership with Shooting Stars and the Port Hedland Academy aimed at providing access to life-changing opportunities. Shooting Stars began in Halls Creek as a Netball WA pilot program, now 10 years on, it supports more than 1000 First Nations girls and young women across 21 sites in WA and South Australia. While the program is still part of Netball WA, Shooting Stars has evolved into a holistic social and emotional wellbeing program. By partnering with host schools and providing participants with advocacy,...

Gold prices pushed to their peak by US Government shutdown The US Government shut down yesterday amid a funding standoff, temporarily shuttering government agencies and leaving about 750,000 workers facing furlough. Immediately following the shutdown, the spot price for gold reached a record high of $5904.61/oz. The spot price for gold has climbed nearly 50% since this time last year. US Government shutdowns occur when there is a funding gap — when Democrats and Republicans cannot pass a bill funding government services into the new fiscal year...

Neoen and Tesla select UGL to build six-hour Muchea battery UGL, a member of the CIMIC Group, has been selected to construct a 164MW / 905MWh Muchea Battery north-east of Perth in WA for Neoen in partnership with Tesla. Muchea Battery is Neoen’s first six-hour long-duration storage asset and will be equipped to support the WA’s energy reliability and transition to renewables. UGL has been contracted to help prepare the site for the installation and connection of 252 Tesla Megapack 2XL units and to design and construct a 132kV substation, including the installation of...

BHP invests $840m in Olympic Dam BHP (ASX: BHP) is investing in a series of growth-enabling projects at Olympic Dam in a move to strengthen the foundations of underground mining productivity. According to BHP chief operating officer Edgar Basto, the miner expects to grow its copper base from 1.7mtpa to about 2.5mtpa. “Achieving that scale requires significant copper growth and we are fortunate to have a world-class copper province right here in South Australia to do just that,” Mr Basto said. “The South Australian copper province is already performing strongly, consistently...

Metso lands repeat orders in concentrate and tailings filtration  Metso has reported repeat orders for its concentrate and tailings filtration technology totalling over $17m (EUR$10m) for Q3 CY25. Most of the orders the Finnish machining giant received were for filter modernisations and upgrades, as well as full-scope replacements of HRT thickeners, including the new ReactorwellTM and Thickener Vane FeedwellTM systems, which are part of the company’s Metso Plus portfolio. Metso vice president, beneficiation and dewatering services, product commercial support Felipe Bañados says proactive maintenance is shaping customer decisions, with reliability fuelling interest in concentrate filtration solutions. “In thickeners, growth is...

Westgold to increase production by 25% Westgold (ASX: WGX) has delivered a high confidence plan that lifts annual gold production at its WA projects from 326koz to 470koz by FY28. Underpinned by the company’s ore reserves of 56mt at 1.93g/t gold for 3.5moz of gold, the plan will see increased output from the company’s four existing processing hubs, currently operating at a 6mtpa capacity, fed from its operating mines and ore purchase agreement. Westgold managing director and chief executive Wayne Bramwell says the outlook provides a baseline for a larger, more...

Weir unveils new ENDURON crushers Weir, a global leader in mining technology, has launched a new range of ENDURON jaw and cone crushers, developed in close collaboration with customers to address their most pressing operational challenges. This customer-first approach has resulted in equipment that enhances safety, boosts productivity, simplifies maintenance, and supports sustainability goals. The updated ENDURON  jaw crushers now feature a redesigned Hydraulic Power Unit (HPU), which allows for true pushbutton control of CSS adjustments. This innovation eliminates the need for manual intervention, significantly reducing safety risks for operators and maintenance teams....