The world’s largest iron ore export hub, Port Hedland in the Pilbara region of Australia, is in operation again after the passing of what has been named Cyclone Sean. According to a Reuters report, citing an interview with the Pilbara Ports Authority, the hub reopened Monday after being idled since Saturday, 18 January, as the storm arrived in the region.…
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Photo: MMG Ltd Hong Kong-based MMG resumed operations at its Dugald River MMG in MMG on January 14 after an approaching grassfire near its perimeter was contained, reported Reuters. The miner, which is backed by state-owned China Minmetals Corporation, said it does not expect any material impact on its full-year production outlook for Dugald River. In fiscal 2023, the mine…
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Australia’s Fortescue has signed a memorandum of understanding with Baowu Resources, a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Baowu Steel Group, to address challenges in decarbonising the global steel industry, reported Reuters. “We are committed to building a green iron supply chain,” said Fortescue COO Shelley Robertson. “The partnership with China Baowu will help further accelerate the development of green iron technology…
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Two of Australia’s major miners and its biggest steelmaker plan to develop the country’s largest ironmaking electric smelting furnace (ESF) pilot plant in the Kwinana Industrial Area, south of Perth, in Western Australia. The companies formed the NeoSmelt collaboration in February 2024, combining BHP and Rio Tinto’s deep knowledge of Pilbara iron ore, with BlueScope’s unique operating experience in ESF…
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Liontown has shipped its first cargo of spodumene concentrate, and also its largest load so far from Kathleen Valley in Western Australia, to LG Energy Solution under the pair’s long-term offtake agreement. The miner said the shipment left the Port of Geraldton on 10 December aboard the MV Bunun Queen. The shipment comprised of two separate Liontown cargoes, totalling about…
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Peabody Energy, which is working on redevelop its Centurion mine in the Bowen Basin region of Queensland, has shipped first product from the hard coking coal property. The inaugural shipment was delivered to the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal and loaded for export to a customer in Asia the week of 9 December. Centurion is undergoing a ramp-up at the mine…
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Two class action lawsuits filed in the Federal Court of Australia, accuse BHP and Rio Tinto of knowingly placing female staff into environments where they faced systemic sexual harassment and gender discrimination, reported Bloomberg. Under the Anti-Discrimination Act an employer is liable if they “permit” a woman to work in an environment where they will likely be exposed to sexual…
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Rio Tinto will sell a 30% stake in its Winu copper-gold project in Western Australia to Japan’s Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. for $399 million, reported Bloomberg. “This is a unique opportunity to derisk our investment,” said Katie Jackson, Rio’s chief executive of copper. “We look forward to working more broadly as strategic partners to find new ways to deliver value…
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The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced a A$10 million grant to Fortescue to develop a six-megawatt fast charger unit for heavy mining equipment. The funding has been awarded under the Australian Government’s Industrial Transformation Stream, part of the Powering the Regions Fund. Building on an existing 3-MW prototype, the ‘Fast Charger for Heavy Battery Electric Vehicles’ project will…
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The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia said it welcomed an announcement of a relief package for the state’s lithium producers. “Falling lithium prices have forced a growing number of lithium operations to suspend or cease operations over the past 18 months,” said CME Chief Executive Officer Rebecca Tomkinson. “However, we know lithium remains a key commodity for…
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