Australian miner South32 has agreed to sell its Illawarra metallurgical coal business for $1.65 billion, exiting the coal market to focus on copper and zinc opportunities, reported Reuters. Illawarra is being sold to a consortium led by Golden Energy and Resources and M Resources. The deal comprises an upfront cash payment of $1.05 billion at completion, and a deferred cash…
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The Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia (MRIWA) has released new technology for the advancement of bolt safety in underground mines. In the new report overview of In-situ Rock Bolt Behaviour Underground, the group outlined its extensive lab testing to understand rock bolt behaviour under complex load conditions. “Physical models were prepared to simulate the shearing in underground opening with…
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Private equity firm Kinterra Capital said its portfolio company, Cannon Resources, has made significant advancement in expanding the resource at its Fisher East nickel project – the largest undeveloped high-grade nickel sulphide asset in Australia not owned by a major miner. Cannon saw an increase in its independent JORC Resource to 13.1 million tonnes of Indicated and Inferred mineral resources.…
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BHP said its board of directors recently approved the Western Ridge Crusher (WRC) project, located on the traditional lands of the Nyiyaparli people, approximately 21 kilometres southwest of Newman, Western Australia. The project is a sustaining tonnes proposal for the miner’s Newman Operations, which consists of two mining sites. BHP WA Iron Ore Asset President Tim Day said this was…
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Zijin Mining has received local government approval for the second phase expansion of its Julong copper mine in Tibet, reported Reuters. The expansion will raise the total capacity of the mine to around 350,000 metric tons of copper per day, and will require an investment of around 17.5 billion yuan (US$2.43 billion). “After the Julong Phase 2 Project is completed…
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Hexagon has partnered with Rio Tinto to deploy more than 200 of its Collision Avoidance Systems (CAS) at the Oyu Tolgoi mine in Mongolia – the first deployment of its kind in the Asian country. “The integrity of Hexagon’s product development is why we chose to build a partnership,” said Khorolsuren Ganzorig, superintendent, Mine Support, Oyu Tolgoi. “Since deploying CAS…
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Rio Tinto confirmed it has signed a power purchase agreement, the largest ever for Australia, to energize its Gladstone operations in central Queensland. The miner has agreed to buy the majority of electricity from Windlab’s planned 1.4-GW Bungaban wind energy project, making it the biggest industrial buyer of renewable power in Australia. Rio Tinto officials called it a major step…
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The New South Wales Minerals Council reported that its latest member Expenditure Survey revealed 28 member mining companies supported record levels of mining jobs and direct spending in NSW. According to the survey, in the last financial year, participating mining companies supported over 31,500 full-time equivalent jobs, an increase of more than 600 on the previous year. It is the…
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Western Australia-based South32 said its subsidiary South32 Eagle Downs has agreed to divest its 50% interest in the Eagle Downs metallurgical coal project in Queensland to a Stanmore Resources subsidiary. The miner, which owns the project along with China Baowu subsidiary Aquila Resources, is divesting its interest for US$15 million. The transaction is expected to be completed by year’s end.…
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International Graphite, in a first for Australia’s minerals industry, has commissioned a new micronizing plant in Collie, near Perth. The qualification-scale microniser, with a capacity of 200 tonnes per annum, is the largest in Australia and a milestone in the development of a domestic graphite industry. It will be the first to produce graphite products in Australia for customer acceptance…
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