Category: Features

MINExpo - What Happened in Vegas… In the case of MINExpo International 2024, what happened in Vegas should definitely not stay in Vegas. This enormous expo brought together an eclectic mix of equipment, technology, innovation and sheer brute strength at an unprecedented scale. To put that scale into perspective, the exhibition covered over 850,000 square feet. That may not mean a great deal to us in Australia but that equates to 7.8-hectares or over 19.5-acres. Spread across this vast floor area were over 2000 exhibitors representing every facet of the mining industry, from...

Keeping cobalt competitive: midstream processing in Australia In the fourth instalment of the Australian Mining Review’s critical minerals series, we speak with Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO Futures manager Beni Delaval and CSIRO chief research scientist Chris Vernon for a deep dive into emerging mid-stream processing pathways for cobalt as highlighted in the agency’s From Minerals to Materials: An Assessment of Australia’s Critical Minerals Mid-Stream Processing Capabilities report. According to the IEA, cobalt demand is expected to increase from 171.6kt in 2022, to 524.7kt in 2050, driven by emerging clean energy technologies, specifically the use of cobalt in lithium-ion batteries. Australia has the opportunity to capitalise on this swell in demand, while enabling global divestment from the cobalt dominating the...

Fortescue’s Iron Bridge: a future forged in green metals Fortescue has found its stride at its Iron Bridge project in WA, the company’s first foray into magnetite operations. Now, the company is looking to ramp up the project’s high grade magnetite production to nameplate capacity, ensuring it stands as a testament to what can be achieved in a net zero future. The Australian Mining Review speaks with Fortescue (ASX: FMG) Iron Bridge operations director Graham Howard about the unique features of Iron Bridge, renewable energy initiatives and the company’s development plans. AMR: Iron Bridge signifies Fortescue’s entry into the high-grade segment of the iron ore market, providing an enhanced product range while also increasing annual production and shipping capacity. Will...

Energy evolution requires Australia to face inconvenient truths Evolution Mining (ASX: EVN) executive chairman Jake Klein spoke on the challenges Australia must face to meet the demands of the energy transition and make the most of its resources boon at the WA Mining Club October luncheon. The state of play for Australia is rapidly changing, driven not only by the energy transition, but also by the realisation of Australia’s wealth of key resources and transforming trade connections with China. Mr Klein says a lot has changed since he first got into mining. “When I first started working in the mining industry 30 years ago, and China emerged as Australia’s largest customer, the iron ore price was around $25 per tonne...

Iron willed: what it took to build Australia's largest private company The Australian Mining Review speaks with Hancock Prospecting executive director Tad Watroba about Gina Rinehart's journey to establishing her late father's business as a bastion of Australian mining. With a history dating back to 1955, the story of Hancock Prospecting is one of a family-owned business that went on to become a juggernaut of the Australian sector. The names Lang Hancock and Gina Rinehart are synonymous with the Australian mining industry and rightfully so – their influence on the industry over the course of almost 67 years has been profound and...

Big caps zip to net zero with Zenith As we move into 2025, the net zero goalposts don’t seem so far away. With the energy transition milestone fast approaching, mining needs to dig into its reserves, potentially its renewable ones, to advance past the final hurdles. But what are net zero goals actually asking mining companies to achieve? Australia’s net zero target defines the floor for the country’s emissions ambitions as a 43% reduction below 2005 levels by 2030. The target additionally defines a multi-year emissions budget from 2021 to 2030. According to the Federal Government’s 2023 emissions projections, Australia is set to achieve a 37% reduction on 2005 levels by 2030,...

Greatland all-in on Australian gold As Australian gold giant Newmont (ASX: NEM) turns to give full attention to its tier one assets, London-based hopeful Greatland Gold is cutting a clear path to renewing a major mining complex in WA. With its planned acquisition of 100% of the Telfer mine and the remaining 70% of its neighbour, Havieron, for about $723m (US$475m), Greatland Gold is heading straight to the ASX. The company says it intends to establish dual listing within six months of acquisition completion. Why is the company going all in on its Australian assets? Greatland Gold chief executive Shaun Day says it’s about getting the best of both worlds. “We were...

Sustainable smelting at Tomago Aluminium 100% renewable energy by 2035 The aluminium industry is at a crossroads — although a key enabler of technology critical to the energy transition, the subsector itself is also energy hungry. The smelting process, where alumina is turned into aluminium metal, is a significant source of Scope 2 or indirect emissions, driven by electricity generation. As Australia’s largest aluminium smelter, Tomago Aluminium operates round-the-clock to produce 590,000tpa of aluminium, using around 10% of the NSW power supply each year....

PhotonAssayTM: minerals analysis technology delivers exciting results Since 1851, Australia has contributed $1t in gold, making it the third largest producer in the world, according to the Minerals Council of Australia. Although we’ve come a long way since the initial gold rush, accurate mineral analysis technology has been largely static, meaning the true value of gold and the essential metals that copresent with it, such as silver and copper, could still be unrealised. According to Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, gold processing plants may only recover between 65-85% of the gold present in mined rock. This means hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of gold and related metals are going to waste....

Shining a light on Sunrise Dam With gold prices reaching an all-time high of $3935oz (US$2685oz) in September 2024, gold mining companies are reaping the benefits as demand for this precious metal remains elevated. One such company is AngloGold Ashanti, owner of the Sunrise Dam operation which lies 205km north-northeast of Kalgoorlie and 55km south of Laverton in WA. Open pit production began in 1997 and was completed at the main pit in 2014 to a final depth of 500m below surface. After the Golden Delicious open pit was depleted last year, the main source of ore comes from the Vogue and Frankie zones, both of which are underground operations. Underground operations and production from Golden Delicious, while it was...

Mining in the Pilbara: A cut above the rest Not only is WA’s Pilbara region known for its stunning landscapes, but it’s also home to the world’s largest and most economically significant iron ore deposits. While copper, gold and iron ore deposits were identified in WA in the 1880s, the mining industry only started to develop in the Pilbara around the 1950s – 1960s. One of the first major discoveries in the Pilbara, the Goldsworthy iron ore deposit, was discovered in 1938 and extensively surveyed in the 1950s by the Mines Department (now known as the WA Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety). In a call for tenders to develop Goldsworthy, the State Government invited further exploration for...