WA Government supports renewables growth

By Samantha Bawden

Thursday, 5 February 2026

Industry FocusNews

Ngarluma Aboriginal Corporation (NAC) are collaborating with Perdaman and the WA Government to establish a 50MW solar farm at the Ngarluma green energy park on NAC's native title determination south of Karratha.

The MOU supports Metallium’s plan to develop a national network of e-waste processing facilities, strategically located near major e-waste collection hubs, rapidly expanding U.S. data centre industrial parks and regional industrial corridors with strong logistics and waste generation.

Rehabilitation at Ranger uranium mine continues

Industry FocusNews

Rehabilitation at Ranger uranium mine continues

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.

Loaded haul truck roll at NSW coal mine

Industry FocusNews

Loaded haul truck roll at NSW coal mine

The NSW Resources Regulator has issued a safety alert following a truck rollover involving a Hitachi 3500 haul truck at Boggabri opencut coal mine.The roll occurred when the operator failed to comply with designated crest and ramp speeds while descending an in-pit ramp.The operator was wearing a seatbelt and was not injured, though they had to be extricated from the rolled truck.NSW Resource Regulator coal principal inspector Bill Barraclough says the hazards of not following site procedures when operating equipment in open-cut mines resulted in the roll over.“Following site procedures when operating equipment is crucial to keeping workers safe,” he said.The haul truck was recovered to allow truck monitoring systems to be downloaded, which identified the operator’s non-compliance to the site’s crest and ramp speed limits.Additional recommendations from the incident suggest mine operators conduct regular crest and ramp speed audits and review speed monitors.

Metso achieves certification ahead of schedule

Industry FocusNews

Metso achieves certification ahead of schedule

Metso achieves certification ahead of schedule Metso has achieved the internationally recognised ISO 27001 certification for its information security management system (ISMS), marking a significant milestone in the company’s cybersecurity capabilities.The certification was awarded to Metso IT ahead of the original Q2 CY2026 target, demonstrating the company’s strong commitment to protecting information assets and meeting rising customer and regulatory expectations.ISO 27001 provides a globally accepted framework for managing information security risks and ensuring the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data. By meeting the standard, Metso confirms that its security processes and controls are systematically designed, implemented and continuously improved to meet international best practices.Metso IT risk and compliance director Janne Mennala says achieving this certification signals credibility and discipline, but it is only the beginning of a continuous improvement journey.“With our ISMS now aligned with ISO 27001, our security practices are more transparent and easier to demonstrate to partners and customers,” he said.The certification covers Metso IT’s global functions and strengthens the basis for further security development within the company’s business segments.Throughout the certification process, Metso worked in close partnership with Cyberismo, a Finnish cybersecurity company and long-standing expert partner. Their support has been instrumental in ensuring that Metso’s ISMS aligns with industry best practices and future requirements.“We are truly proud of what we have achieved together. The success confirmed that we have been moving in the right direction for much longer than this project alone,” said Mr Mennala.

Liebherr-Australia’s fabrication team sets new record

Industry FocusNews

Liebherr-Australia’s fabrication team sets new record

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.

Rio awards $167m contract to NRW

Rio awards $167m contract to NRW

NRW Civil & Mining, a subsidiary of NRW Holdings (ASX: NWH), has been awarded a contract for works at Rio Tinto’s (ASX: RIO) Brockman Syncline 1 mine in the Pilbara region of WA. Under the contract NRW will be responsible for the construction of earthworks, roadworks and drainage associated with the primary crusher, overland conveyor and non-process infrastructure at the site located within the Brockman mine hub. NRW will also be responsible for the construction of haul roads, access roads and concrete structures. The scope of the works includes drill and blast as well as supply and construction of the mechanically stabilised earth run-of-mine wall, two precast concrete overpass tunnels and in-situ concrete foundations for the primary crusher. The project…

$135m for Nyrstar critical metals

$135m for Nyrstar critical metals

Nyrstar has secured transitionary funding from the Federal, South Australia and Tasmania Governments for its critical metals processing operations in both states. The funding will enable the company to maintain its ongoing operations while progressing engineering planning to allow assessments of a significant rebuild of its Australian smelters and fast track feasibility studies into critical metals production. The company’s focus will initially be directed towards accelerating an antimony pilot plant in Port Pirie, South Australia before shifting to critical metals studies to explore what is needed to modify its operation to produce antimony and bismuth at the plant and germanium and indium in Hobart, Tasmania. The support provided will also be put towards asset integrity projects including critical scheduled maintenance…

300 jobs on the line at Australia’s largest power station

NewsPeople & Workforce

300 jobs on the line at Australia’s largest power station

300 jobs on the line at Australia’s largest power station Negotiations between Origin Energy and Centennial Coal over a coal supply contract for the Myuna mine in NSW have stalled after Origin put forward a short-term proposal that fails to secure the future of the mine or its workforce.The dispute comes after Origin announced it would extend the life of Eraring power station until at least 2029 to support the electricity grid as the station moves towards retirement.Origin Energy proposed a new 12 month extension of the mines operations, maintaining their current agreements, which Centennial rejected on the grounds of being commercially unviable.The mine employs about 300 direct staff, along with hundreds more across the supply chain in Lake Macquarie and the Hunter region.Myuna Colliery was built solely to supply coal to Origin’s Eraring power station and without a viable contract, faces an uncertain future.Federal Member for Hunter Dan Repacholi says Myuna was built to supply Eraring and there is no alternative market.“Origin’s offer yesterday was disgraceful,” he said.“It was spin, not a solution. A short-term, take-it-or-leave-it proposal that provides no certainty for workers, their families or the local community is not good enough.“If Origin walks away, this mine closes and that is a deliberate commercial choice, not an unavoidable part of the energy transition.”Community anger and concern continue to grow, with strong local campaigns backed by unions pushing for Origin to take responsibility for the future of the mine and its workers.Origin energy supply and operations head Greg Jarvis says the offer provides Centennial time to implement employee support initiatives as part of the Energy Industry Jobs Plan that the Net Zero Economy Authority is currently finalising, along with other state and federal government support.“Eraring plays an important role in keeping the lights on for NSW households and businesses, and we are committed to operating it reliably through to its scheduled closure in April 2029,” he said.“However, it is extremely disappointing to see workforce related issues being brought into our commercial negotiations with Centennial. We remain of the view that Centennial’s focus should be on helping its workers prepare for their futures through the energy transition.“We’ve stepped up and demonstrated how we’re supporting our people as we approach Eraring’s retirement, and we now need Centennial to come to the table and confirm its support for its workforce through this transition period.“We believe workers and the community deserve greater transparency from Centennial Coal on how it will support them through the full implementation of the Energy Industry Jobs Plan, if the Net Zero Economy Authority recommends it be required.”

Gallium confirmed in rare earths product at North Stanmore

InternationalNewsPolitics & Regulation

China suspends ban on exports to US

China’s Commerce Ministry announced it has suspended a ban on approving exports of dual-use items related to gallium, germanium, antimony and super-hard materials to the US.