BHP has reportedly opted to place part of its Kambalda nickel concentrator in Western Australia on care and maintenance. Asset president Jessica Farrell told Reuters that it made the decision after its ore supplier Wyloo Metals announced it would pause mining operations on low nickel pricing. About 20 jobs will be impacted by the transition. BHP has not indicated how…
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Whitehaven considers selling Blackwater stake
Australian miner Whitehaven Coal is reportedly looking at options to sell a 20% stake in the Blackwater mine to global steelmakers as it works to finalize a US$3.2 billion deal for the asset and fellow Bowen Basin mine, Daunia, according to Bloomberg. “Interest is very, very strong” in relation to a stake in Blackwater, CEO Paul Flynn recently told analysts.…
Read MoreRegulator orders Russell Vale to cease mining operations
The New South Wales Resources Regulator has prohibited Wollongong Resources’ Russell Vale Colliery to mine coal due to ongoing safety concerns, reported ABC News. The Mining and Energy Union told the news service that there have been at least five significant frictional ignition events at the underground mine in the past eight months. “The prohibition notice will remain in place…
Read MorePossible negligence led to deadly smelter fire: Indonesia
The Indonesian government said there was a strong indication of a standard procedure violation and negligence in the implementation of safety requirements that allegedly led to a deadly fire at a nickel smelter in December, reported Reuters. The fire broke out on 24 December at a smelter furnace operated by Tsingshan Stainless Steel Indonesia, a unit of China’s Tsingshan Holding…
Read MoreBHP confirms death at Bowen Basin coal mine
BHP has suspended operations at its Saraji met coal mine in Australia following an incident that killed one of its contractors. The miner said 16 January that the worker, whose name was not released, was involved in a vehicle incident at Saraji the day prior. “Emergency services responded to the scene and RSHQ was notified. We are working closely with…
Read MoreZijin meets 1Mt copper output milestone
Global metals miner Zijin confirmed it produced more than one million tonnes of mined copper 2023, and now has the distinction of being the first Chinese miner to do so. In total, the company said its production was 1.01Mt, or 54% of the total output of China, 1.87Mt, in 2022. In addition to copper, Zijin also said it had a…
Read MoreShandong Gold Group enters order with Epiroc
The Epiroc Scooptram ST1030 loader is at the heart of a large equipment order placed by Shandong Gold Group in China for use at three of its operations in the country. Epiroc confirmed the deal specifically includes the Minetruck MT2200 hauler, Scooptram ST1030 and Scooptram ST3.5 loaders, Boomer 282 face drilling rig and Boltec S1K rock reinforcement rig to expand…
Read MorePricing at core of Grants lithium pit suspension
Following a strategic review intended to ‘preserve business value in…weak market conditions”, Core Lithium has confirmed it will temporarily suspend mining at the Grants open pit near Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. It acknowledged the decline of spodumene concentrate, which has dropped 85% in 12 months and 50% since the end of October 2023, and noted that it will reduce its…
Read MoreIndia sees success in coal auction
Since launching in June 2020, India’s Commercial Coal Mine Auction has successfully sold 91 coal and lignite mines. Six of these mines have already started producing coal and three more are expected to begin production in a couple of months. The Ministry of Coal has so far completed seven rounds of the transparent online auction. It said the ongoing eighth…
Read MoreOperations restart at CSH gold mine
China Gold International said overall operations at its CSH gold mine in Inner Mongolia have returned to full production, effective 3 January, following slope maintenance. The Canadian-based miner reported in November that the mining rate was reduced at the end of the third quarter and into the fourth quarter in order to enhance the management and maintenance of open pit…
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