Minesite – Village fitouts, designed for life beyond the shift

BY ELIZABETH FABRI   WHILE iron ore prices are set to slump in the coming years, Australia’s big four players – BHP, Rio Tinto, FMG and Hancock Prospecting – remain confident, pouring capital into new projects to sustain and bolster production post-2020.   IRON ore exports hit a new record in FY18, reaching an impressive 849 million tonnes; up 3.8 per cent from the previous year. This number is forecast to rise again, increasing by a further 2.3 per cent to 869mt in FY19, and up to 878mt in FY20, according to the September instalment of the Resources and Energy Quarterly report. The higher export volumes will be brought on by continued efficiencies across the majors’ operations including the introduction...

Acubis Number 1 communications partner in Asia-Pacific third year running An Australian company specialising in remote communications, Acubis, has been named Rajant Corporation’s top Asia-Pacific Partner for the third time in a row. Rajant is a US based company, specialising in wireless communication technologies, and is a major supplier of cutting-edge technologies to Acubis. Rajant’s wireless kinetic mesh technology is employed by Acubis in its design of communications solutions for major Australian mine sites. This latest accolade recognises Acubis as number one throughout the Asia-Pacific region for design, system integration, support and sales of Rajant products. Acubis General Manager Jeff Berg and the whole Acubis team are proud to have received this award for...

Future Battery Minerals initiates metallurgical test work at Kangaroo Hills lithium project Future Battery Minerals Ltd (ASX: FBM) has appointed Minsol Engineering Pty Ltd as the lead metallurgical and engineering consultant for the Kangaroo Hills Lithium Project (KHLP) in WA. Minsol will oversee the early-stage metallurgical test work on the recently drilled spodumene-bearing diamond core to assess its recovery potential through conventional methods such as dense media separation (DMS) and froth flotation. The decision to commence metallurgical test work follows the discovery of a spodumene-bearing pegmatite at the KHLP in March 2023. The test work aims to gain a comprehensive understanding of the mineralised pegmatite's characteristics and processing requirements. Minsol, led by principal and process manager Robert Simmons, brings extensive...

Queensland Government approves 10 new projects to support Mount Isa jobs Ahead of planned mine closes by resources giant Glencore, the Queensland Government has approved 10 projects to support almost 500 local jobs in Mount Isa. These projects are being funded via the $20m Mount Isa Transition Fund which includes $14.7m for program delivery costs associated with the projects and $5.3m for the Mount Isa City Council to implement projects identified through its own economic transition strategy. The fund is part of the broader $50m structural adjustment package which also includes $30m to accelerate resources projects in the Northwest Minerals Province. Combined, the 10...