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ARENA awards Fortescue $10m for 6MW heavy vehicle fast charger Fortescue (ASX: FMG) has been awarded $10m from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to develop a 6MW fast charger test unit to support the global miner’s innovative fast charger technology. The mining company’s $35.3m ‘Fast Charger for Heavy Battery Electric Vehicles’ project will develop these fast chargers, capable of charging 240t battery electric trucks in less than 30 minutes. The project involves building, testing and validating multiple test unit chargers with the aim to deploy the first production charger by the end of 2025. Developed by Fortescue Zero, the 6MW fast charger will be compatible with a wide range of battery electric...

The best Christmas cheer for Collie residents Collie locals in southwest WA are warming up their voice boxes ready for the annual Carols in the Park festive extravaganza, with Premier Coal (ASX: YAL) proud to be the major sponsor of the event after a donation of $4,200 towards the free community event. Over 1,000 locals are expected to join in on December 8 from 4pm, when the Combined Churches of Collie will host the family-friendly event at the Bendigo Bank Music Shell...

MinRes: Australia-first rehabilitation robot Thanks to Mineral Resources (ASX: MIN) and Healthy Strides Foundation, WA children with neurological conditions and injuries are the first in Australia to access a cutting-edge rehabilitation robot to improve their mobility. ZeroG 3D, a gravity-defying body weight support system, was this month installed at Healthy Strides’ clinic in Victoria Park, giving paediatric rehabilitation patients full freedom of movement without the fear of falling or injury. The first machine to be installed outside of the United States, it...

Rio completes Lake MacLeod sale, launches new London future materials centre Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) completed the sale of Dampier Salt Limited’s Lake MacLeod salt and gypsum operation in Carnarvon, WA, to Leichhardt Industrials Group yesterday. The sales agreement, entered into in January this year for a price of $375m, comes with the commitment by the new owner that the existing 127-person workforce will continue employment. Rio Tinto Iron Ore managing director for port, rail and core services Richard Cohen comments on the full transfer of ownership. “We are proud of Lake MacLeod’s legacy and the strong contribution of the operation and its workforce to the Carnarvon...

Sandvik acquires Universal Field Robots Sandvik has completed its acquisition of Universal Field Robots (UFR), a fast-growing Australia-based provider of autonomous interoperable solutions for the surface mining and underground mining markets. UFR’s solution portfolio is built on a common autonomy platform, which is a strong complement to Sandvik’s automation offering and includes original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agnostic robotic and autonomous solutions for trucks, loaders and auxiliary equipment. According to Sandvik, the acquisition will help to increase the addressable market for the company and further strengthens the market position of Sandvik AutoMine. Sandvik president and chief executive Stefan Widing comments on the transaction. “Universal Field Robots...

Mineral carbonation combats emissions at scale The WA Government is looking at ways to fast-track industry-scale mineral carbonation as part of its recently released Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) Action Plan which highlights the process as a potential emissions reduction technology. Mineral carbonation is a naturally occurring carbon sequestration process that has the potential to lock up carbon emissions on a gigatonne (Gt) scale in WA. For context, 1Gt is equivalent to one billion tonnes. Global energy-related CO2 emissions in 2023 was 37.4Gt (or 37.4bt), according to the International Energy Agency. Australia, on the other hand, emitted 432.9mt CO2 e in the year to December...

Tivan finalises Speewah acquisition Tivan Limited (ASX: TVN) has finalised its acquisition of the Speewah project in WA, as the company made its final payment to King River Resources (KRR). Tivan acquired the Speewah project from KRR in Q1 2023. The acquisition included all mining, exploration and miscellaneous titles that comprise the Speewah fluorite project and the Speewah vanadium titanomagnetite project. Tivan agreed to pay KRR $20m, comprised of $10m in cash and $10m equivalent of shares in Tivan. Tivan executive chairman Grant Wilson says the acquisition of Speewah was a transformative event for Tivan, providing the company with...

Northern Star to acquire De Grey Northern Star Resources (ASX: NST) will acquire 100% of De Grey Mining (ASX: DEG) and its flagship WA project, Hemi, under a binding scheme implementation deed. The Hemi project is one of the largest undeveloped gold projects in a Tier-1 mining jurisdiction globally, with mineral resources of 11.2moz and ore reserves of 6moz and forecast annual gold production of 530kozpa over its first 10 years. The combined Northern Star Group will operate across two Tier-1 jurisdictions and four production centres, with proforma...

Pilbara Minerals-POSCO complete Korean lithium facility construction Pilbara Minerals (ASX: PLS) and POSCO Holdings celebrated the completion of their joint chemical facility in Gwangyang, Korea, last Friday, making this the country’s first lithium hydroxide plant and one of the few lithium chemical producers outside China. The ceremony, attended by Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, and POSCO Group Chairman, Chang In-Hwa, marked the conclusion of construction of Train 2 of the lithium hydroxide monohydrate chemical facility, which comprises Train 1 and Train 2. The facility has the potential to produce up to 43,000tpa of lithium hydroxide at full capacity, enough to make batteries for around one million electric vehicles, with...

QRC education arms delivers record programs The Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) has delivered a record number of workshops, programs and camps to school students across the State in 2024. At a total of 233 for the year, the QMEA continues to inspire students to pursue studies in science, technology, engineering, maths (STEM) and trades. QME is the education arm of the Queensland Resources Council (QRC). The Council’s chief executive Janette Hewson says the QMEA has succeeded in creating opportunities for students to discover more about resources in Queensland and potential careers available in the sector. “This year over 6,200 students have participated in QMEA programs or workshops –...

EDO to pay Santos $9m for halting $5.8b project The Federal Court has ordered the Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) to pay Santos (ASX: STO) more than $9m after it attempted to block the $5.8b Barossa gas project in the Timor Sea in the Northern Territory. The EDO acted as the lawyers for three Tiwi Islanders in the proceedings to stop Santos from installing a 262km underwater gas export pipeline that runs from the Barossa gas field to the existing Bayu-Undan pipeline, citing interference with cultural songlines of the rainbow serpent and the “Crocodile Man”. Two weeks earlier, Regis Resources (ASX: RRL) commenced legal proceedings to overturn the...