Protoblast – Take control of your blasting process

Cobar stands as one of the oldest mining hubs in New South Wales, having produced 3 million tonnes of copper metal and over 2 million ounces of gold across more than 140 years of semi-continuous activity. The region has also yielded substantial amounts of lead, zinc and silver, cementing its status as a key player in Australia’s mining industry. Among its most notable operations is MAC Copper’s (ASX:MAC) CSA copper mine, one of the country’s highest-grade producers, alongside Polymetals Resources’ (ASX:POL) Endeavor silver-zinc mine, which is set to resume production. The area is also home to Aurelia Metals’ (ASX:AMI) Hera and Peak sites, as well as the newly developed Federation mine, known for its rich zinc deposits. Exploration in Cobar…

THE Newman Government continues to introduce reforms and incentives designed to inject new life into Queensland’s struggling mineral exploration sector, which plummeted 31 per cent for the 2012-2013 financial year. The Queensland Exploration Council (QEC) scorecard, released late October, reported that about one third had been wiped off the market capitalisation of Queensland-based junior miners in the past 12 months, and 81 per cent across the past two years. The QEC’s explorer sentiment survey also indicated that Queensland had a negative rating compared with other states, on key factors such as government/departmental assistance, exploration permit processes, environmental regulations and policy uncertainty. “These findings are despite a raft of proposed, in-train and recently completed government initiatives to reduce red tape and…

Kopore Metals Limited (ASX:KMT) has entered into a binding share sale agreement with Endeavour Financial AG to acquire 100% of Endeavour’s uranium project in the Agadez region of Niger. Under the deal Kopore will acquire Endeavour’s wholly owned subsidiary EF Niger Exploration SARL. The Project comprises three granted exploration permits (Permits) and one exploration licence application in the highly prospective Tim Mersoi Basin, considered one of the world’s major uranium producing areas. The Permits host the same geology that is represented at Orano’s Cominak (now shut down) and Somair mines and the Imouraren (Orano), Madaouela (Goviex) and Dasa (Global Atomic) projects. According to the World Nuclear Association, Niger was the 6th largest producer of uranium in 2021 and has been…

New regulations governing the transportation of lead acid batteries (new and used) have been adopted by the Australian Code for Transportation of Dangerous Goods by Road and Rail (ADGC). The new regulations came into effect in October 2020. The National Transport Commission (NTC) has adopted the new P801 Packing Instructions approved in June 2018, by the UN Subcommittee of Experts for the Transportation of Dangerous Goods. Upon inclusion in the ADGC there is a 12-month period before they become mandatory. The primary change to the existing packing instructions is the inclusion of requirements for transporting waste or used lead acid batteries (ULAB) in either stainless steel or plastic bins. These changes were introduced to remove the ambiguity as to whether…