Queensland supports women in technical mining roles

Rehabilitation at Ranger uranium mine continues The Federal Government has issued a new rehabilitation authority to Energy Resources Australia (ERA) to continue rehabilitation activities at Ranger uranium mine in the Northern Territory. The authority will allow ERA, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO), to progress a staged rehabilitation strategy that focuses upon adherence to objectives as stated in the authorisation to operate to allow the site to be returned to the Mirarr Traditional Owners. This strategy will be achieved through the application of best practice and the use of technology within a risk-based framework. ERA’s long-term vision is to return the disturbed area to a viable ecosystem in line with its obligations to its stakeholders and regulators and the expectations of the community. Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King comments on the authority. “This new authority means that ERA will be able to continue with its obligation to restore Ranger uranium mine to a condition similar to the surrounding Kakadu National Park,” she said. Mirrar Traditional Owners have worked closely with the Northern Land Council and ERA on a new land access agreement. Indigenous Australians Minister Malarndirri McCarthy approved the agreement under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act (Northern Territory). “I thank the Mirarr Traditional Owners, Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation, Northern Land Council, ERA and Rio Tinto for their collaborative efforts in establishing this new authority and land access agreement,” she said. “We want to see rehabilitation completed and for the land to be returned to the Mirarr Traditional Owners.” Rehabilitation and closure planning began soon after the Ranger mine began producing uranium oxide in 1981.  Operations at Ranger ceased after ERA failed to secure permission from the Mirarr Traditional Owners and the Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation to continue mining the sire.  ERA increased its estimated rehabilitation provision to $830m in 2019, a major increase from the $526m estimate recorded in 2017. 

Fortescue (ASX: FMG) has commenced construction at its largest solar development at the 440MW Solomon Airport solar farm in the Pilbara. Anticipated to be completed during 2028, the project is set to become the largest solar development in WA, with about 671,000 solar panels to be installed during the build and will supply about a third of Fortescue’s solar capacity required to achieve its net zero goals.  Fortescue metals and operations chief executive Dino Otranto says across the Pilbara, Fortescue is using the region’s sun and wind to generate green power for our sites. “We’re building the solar and wind farms, connecting them through our high-voltage transmission network and backing them with battery storage to provide 24/7 firm power,” he said. “Importantly, each successive solar project is being delivered more efficiently than the last. As technology improves and we gain scale, our installed capital intensity continues to come down — strengthening the economics of replacing diesel and gas with renewable energy.” A proposed 644MW solar farm at Turner River is also anticipated to commence construction later this year.  Together with the existing 100MW North Star Junction solar farm, the Solomon, Cloudbreak and Turner River projects will deliver about 1.3GW of solar capacity — equivalent to powering about half a million Australian homes each year. Construction is also underway at Fortescue’s 133MW Nullagine wind farm. Through Pilbara Energy Connect, Fortescue has already constructed more than 480km of high-voltage transmission lines across the Pilbara. Once complete, the network will extend to more than 620km, physically linking Fortescue’s energy assets to its operations and rail network.   

Liebherr-Australia’s fabrication team sets new recordIn December, Liebherr-Australia set a new annual production benchmark when its fabrication team completed its 50th mining excavator bucket for 2025.Completed at the company’s Adelaide, South Australia facility, the achievement marks a 16% increase on the 43 buckets fabricated in 2024.Liebherr-Australia manufactures buckets for its comprehensive range of mining excavators entirely in-house — enabling it to deliver purpose-built attachment solutions engineered specifically for Australian mining conditions, while maintaining full control over quality, safety and delivery timelines.Liebherr-Australia mining fabrication manage Steve Smith says what the Adelaide team’s achievement is outstanding.“As well as setting new manufacturing benchmarks, the team also achieved the highest possible result in our internal global audit for excellence in fabrication and welding, compliance with Liebherr global requirements and rigorous quality standards,” he said.“This outcome reflects the team’s strong governance, technical rigour and commitment to Liebherr’s global quality standards.”Building these 50 buckets involved more than 60 employees across the fabrication team putting in a collective 92,600 productive hours, highlighting both the scale of output required to meet customer demand and the depth of expertise across the workforce.Automated welding technology has been implemented at the Adelaide facility in the form of a collaborative robot, or ‘cobot’, which supports the fabrication team with high precision welding tasks, improving consistency in the welding process while also reducing reliance on manual welding hours.With the introduction of this technology, welding speeds at the Adelaide facility are now six times faster, which saved more than 2000 labour hours in 2025 — the same time it takes to fabricate an entirely new R 9600 bucket.“This investment strengthens Liebherr-Australia’s ability to deliver high-quality attachments at scale, while upholding rigorous quality standards, supporting workforce safety and building long-term fabrication capability,” Mr Smith said.

Metso acquires MRA Automation Metso has acquired MRA Automation, a leading provider of automation and digitalisation technology solutions for ports and terminals worldwide.The privately owned engineering company based in NSW specialises in providing engineering, automation and software solutions for bulk material handling operators. Its offerings combine proprietary smart automation services with Axo33 Smart Software products.Metso stands at the forefront of the bulk material handling industry, backed by more than a century of expertise and more than 8000 bulk handling installations and, as a result of this acquisition, customers will benefit from integrated end-to-end solutions and advanced technologies designed to enhance efficiency, safety and support throughout every stage of bulk material handling operations.Metso grinding, bulk, pyro and smelting services senior vice president Jonathan Allen says MRA complements Metso’s electrical and control system capabilities, acquired in 2023, extremely well.“We are excited to welcome our new colleagues to Metso. Their expertise and innovative approach to stockyard equipment align seamlessly with our ambition for growth in bulk and port solutions,” he said.“With MRA’s advanced software platform and services, we are expanding our offering to serve bulk and port customers, strengthening our presence in important Australian markets and accelerating our global reach.”MRA Automation managing director Rodney Devetak says the company is excited to join Metso.“This acquisition not only strengthens the value for customers worldwide but also creates opportunities for our team to grow and contribute within a world-class organisation," he said.