Mineral Resources mothballs Bald Hill mine

Following a strategic review, Mineral Resources has decided to place its Bald Hill lithium mine in the Goldfields region of Western Australia on care and maintenance due to market conditions.  “Placing Bald Hill on care and maintenance is a prudent decision but one not made lightly. The decision aligns with the work we have done across the company in recent…

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MinRes pioneers on-site mental health push

Western Australian miner Mineral Resources (MinRes) has become the first resource company in the Australian state to send out a team of mental health counsellors to its mine sites. In a model it hopes will set the tone for others in WA, MinRes said the move will offer services to all of its employees, including the 7,500 it has working…

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MinRes to shut down Yilgarn iron ore hub

After completing a comprehensive viability assessment, Mineral Resources (MinRes) has decided to cease iron ore shipments from its Yilgarn hub in Western Australia by 31 December 2024. The miner said the outcome was influenced by several factors, including the limited remaining mine life across five operating mines at the hub and the significant capital cost and lead time required to…

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One dead at Phakisa mine in South Africa

Harmony Gold reported a fatality at its Phakisa mine in the Free State province, South Africa, following a blasting incident on May 21. All blasting operations have been temporarily suspended. The relevant authorities have been informed and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, labor representatives and mine management will investigate the cause of the incident. “The safety of our…

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Cannon Resources advances Fisher East exploration

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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Fully autonomous road trains closer to reality

Mineral Resources (MinRes) said it recently handed over the keys to the first custom off-road triple road train to partner Hexagon AB – a milestone in the development of a fleet of fully autonomous road trains. Hexagon will use technology developed by its engineering team to convert the customised Kenworth C509 prime mover to autonomous operation. Starting in January, 10…

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Fortuna completes Chesser Resources acquisition

Canadian producer Fortuna Silver Mines confirmed 20 September it had met completion of its takeover of Chesser Resources, which it said will boost its presence in a key region, West Africa. The deal was first announced on 8 May. Following completion of the transaction, Chesser now is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fortuna. Among Fortuna’s new additions in the region: the…

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Saudi mine regulators inspect 2,000 sites

The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources (MIM) conducted inspection tours of more than 2,000 mining sites during the month of July. According to a report in the Saudi Gazette, the agency visited 2,013 locations across different regions of Saudi Arabia, issuing a total of 101 penalties on establishments found to be violating the provisions of the Mining Investment Law.…

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Methane explosion kills 31 in South Africa

candle flame

Authorities reportedly revealed late last week that 31 illegal miners at a shuttered South African gold operation perished in a methane explosion – an incident that occurred nearly a month ago, brought to light only when family members reported them missing. According to an Associated Press report, all of the workers – believed to be from the county of Lesotho…

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Kareevlei resumes operations after regulatory inspection, suspension

BlueRock Diamonds has resumed mining at its Kareevlei diamond operation in South Africa after an inspection by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy had halted work. The Northern Cape province miner said 26 January operations commenced again the prior day without disruptions, about a week after the DMRE visited the mine unannounced and instructed the operator to suspend activities…

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