Metso benchmarks cooling towers with OKTOP

Onslow Iron transitions to gasOperations at the Port of Ashburton, a critical link in Mineral Resources’ (ASX: MIN) Onslow Iron supply chain, are now running entirely on natural gas.The complete transition from diesel to natural gas for port operations will reduce greenhouse gas emissions whilst streamlining operations through the removal of extensive diesel logistics and handling, according to the miner.The change will result in displacing about 60 million litres of diesel every year for power generation at the port.Site infrastructure includes a 14MW gas-fired power station which is now connected to the Wheatstone Ashburton West Gas Pipeline.MinRes power station operations manager Gary Stevens comments on the milestone.“The introduction of a gas-fired power station at the port represents a major step towards delivering cleaner and more sustainable mining and export infrastructure,” he said.“Bringing something of this scale together and operational is a huge piece of work and couldn’t be done without the team’s dedication, diligence and expertise.”The Port of Ashburton, located about 150km from Ken’s Bore mine site in West Pilbara, plays a critical role at Onslow as it is where iron ore is loaded onto purpose-built 20,000t transhippers for transfer to bulk carriers offshore.MinRes general operations and development manager Rowan Hill commented on the company’s commitment to investing into greener technologies.“We consider clean energy critical to the sustainability of our industry and the communities where we operate,” he said.“We’re continually exploring ways to reduce emissions across our operations and by connecting the port to the gas lateral, we’re reducing our diesel consumption and taking another positive step towards more cost-effective and cleaner operations.”

Fortescue (ASX: FMG) has delivered its first large-scale BYD Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) to North Star Junction (NSJ) in a move to decarbonise its Pilbara iron ore operations. As part of Fortescue’s larger Real Zero strategy, the NSJ BESS is the first in a planned 4-5GWh rollout of large-scale energy storage systems. The installation comprises 48 energy storage containers providing a total capacity of 250MWh and capable of delivering up to 50MW of power for five hours. Powered by BYD’s Blade Battery technology, the NSJ BESS will store renewable energy generated during the day and supply green power to Fortescue’s Pilbara Energy Connect (PEC) network overnight. Fortescue metals and operations chief executive officer Dino Otranto comments on the project.…

Westgold Resources (ASX: WGX) will divest the Mt Henry-Selene gold project in WA, closely following the announced spin-out of the company’s non-core Murchison projects.Alicanto (ASX: AQI) will acquire 100% of the 150moz project including all associated mining tenements, licences, heritage agreements, contracts and technical information.The Mt Henry project was acquired by Westgold in 2024 after being placed on care and maintenance in 2019 by Karora Resources. It hosts a combined mineral resource of 24.5mt at 1.2g/t gold for 915,000oz of contained gold and an ore reserve of 11.7mt at 1.3g/t gold for 478,300oz.Westgold will receive $15m cash and $19.6m via the issue of 19.9% of the ordinary shares in Alicanto post transaction close.Westgold says the transaction is aligned with its long-term strategic plans of focusing on larger, core operating assets rather than non-core assets such as Mt Henry.“This transaction delivers Westgold shareholders an attractive mix of cash, exposure to project upside via a large strategic shareholding and deferred consideration payable on specific project milestones,” Westgold managing director and chief executive Wayne Bramwell said.“Westgold is pleased to partner with Alicanto, whose board and management team are experienced and committed explorers and have a demonstrable record of rapidly advancing gold projects.“Westgold continues to progress discussions in relation to the potential sale of its Peak Hill and Chalice gold assets following strong inbound interest.”Alicanto interim executive chair Ray Shorrocks comments on the transaction.“The Mt Henry acquisition is an exceptional company-making opportunity for Alicanto,” he said.“It provides immediate scale, a high-quality, near-surface Resource and a clear platform for rapid growth and development.“The .9moz resource and pit shells were calculated when the gold price was one-quarter of its current level and the historic drilling data shows most holes ended in mineralisation.”The divestment follows Westgold’s recently announced demerger, with the company spinning out its non-core Reedy’s and Comet gold exploration assets to new stand-alone Valient Gold.The Reedy’s and Comet assets have a combined mineral resource of 15.6mt at 2.4g/t gold for 1.2moz.Both projects were previously in production before being placed on care and maintenance in FY23.“By establishing Valiant, we create an independent, well-funded gold company that can bring forward value from smaller assets such as the Comet and South Emu-Triton underground mines and unlock the exploration potential across the Reedy and Comet packages,” Mr Bramwell said.“Valiant will have a fast-track to cashflow with an ore purchase agreement (OPA) to be entered into with Westgold.“This collaborative, capital efficient model is proven, as demonstrated by Westgold’s investment and OPA with New Murchison Gold (ASX: NMG).“This model saw NMG transition from explorer to producer, with gold production from NMG’s Crown Prince deposit now delivering high grade oxide ore to Westgold’s Meekatharra processing hub.“Valiant can replicate this success. With several small underground mines in care and maintenance, a range of open pit opportunities and exploration upside, the Valiant team has multiple near-term restart and growth options to deliver near term cashflow.”Westgold will retain upside to exploration and production success through a substantial equity holding in Valiant.

WA-based company SRG Global (ASX: SRG) has secured major contracts with blue-chip clients across a range of sectors including water, defence and transport, energy, industrial and resources and health and education.