Shotcrete in rough underground conditions

BHP's strategy for value growth in a decarbonising world BHP's (ASX: BHP) chief executive officer Mike Henry delivered a speech at the Bank of America 2023 Global Metals, Mining & Steel Conference, discussing the company's strategies to drive value growth for shareholders. BHP to drive growth for shareholders Mr Henry emphasised BHP's focus on operational excellence, portfolio optimisation and commitment to social value. He touched upon various aspects, including safety, macroeconomic drivers, long-term growth opportunities, specific growth initiatives, recent acquisitions, reliability, operational excellence and capital projects. Addressing the audience, Mr Henry expressed his gratitude for the conference and acknowledged the tragic fatalities that occurred at Olympic Dam and Port Hedland. "As far as we have come in recent years, we’ve...

More than $4m in grants introduced to lower methane emissions The Australian Government will invest more than $4m in new research to help lower methane emissions from resources projects and help Australia achieve net zero by 2050. Two research grants have been introduced to the CSIRO and the University of Newcastle for projects which will trial new technology that will tackle methane emissions from coal mines. The grants — $2.05m for the CSIRO and $2.3m for the University of Newcastle — come from the Resources Methane Abatement Fund and will be for projects that tackle ventilation air methane. The Methane Abatement Fund supports research organisations to undertake development, prototype verification and validation, and demonstration...

Cosmic rays and hyperspectral imaging in mining operations It sounds like something out of Star Wars, yet cosmic rays and hyperspectral imaging are a central feature in two mining technology projects backed by the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC), with major implications for safety and access to strategically important materials. mDetect is a Swinburne University spinout specialising in astrophysics research into muons, a type of subatomic particle that results from the Earth’s atmosphere being hit by cosmic rays, which fall harmlessly and constantly down on us1. They are sometimes described as the...

WA mid-stream processing gets jump start Pilbara Minerals (ASX: PLS) will receive $15m in grant funding from the WA Government’s Investment Attraction Fund for the Mid-Stream Demonstration Plant Project at the company's Pilgangoora lithium operation. A joint venture between Pilbara Minerals and Calix (ASX: CXL), aims to construct and operate a demonstration-scale plant featuring the world’s first industrial-scale electric spodumene calciner — decarbonising one of the most carbon-intensive processes in the battery materials supply chain. Delivering a more lithium-enriched mid-stream product has the potential for...