News Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Industry Link Media Blog

January 13, 2023

What you missed in the news this week

Hancock Energy has increased its offer to buy Warrego Energy from $0.28 cash per share to $0.36 cash per share, totalling $447m if the offer is approved.

Three of the Four Warrego directors have recommended shareholders accept the deal over an offer made by Strike Energy, offering one Strike share for every Warrego share.

Great Western Exploration will extend its Firebird Gold Project after gold anomalism was found at their Greenstone Belt site, located near Wiluna.

The announcement saw a 4% share price increase for Great Western Exploration to $0.052.

Fortescue CFO Ian Wells has announced his resignation in order to spend time with family and friends.

Wells is the ninth executive in two years to resign, not long after Guy Debelle resigned in November last year.

Wells said that despite his resignation, “Fortescue is in a strong position to be able to deliver on short-, medium- and long-term growth options through the Iron Bridge magnetite project, Fortescue’s decarbonisation, and FFI’s (Fortescue Future Industries) portfolio of opportunities.”

Everest Metals Corporation’s share price jumped 20.87% to $0.110 per share after an initial drilling program at their Mt Edon mining lease saw positive pegmatite levels, causing EMC to push to exercise its exclusive farm-in option to acquire the right to 100% interest in the Mt Edon Project.

Chief Operating Officer, Simon Phillips said “EMC is pleased to announce its decision to exercise its right to farm into the Mt Edon LCT Pegmatite Project, subject to Shareholder approval. The company is pleased to have the opportunity to take the next step towards 51% ownership in a project with such an extensive array of pegmatite outcrops over six kilometres. The recent reconnaissance drill program gave EMC the data it needed to commit to the next stage of exploration at this highly fertile pegmatite field as part of the Company’s commitment to its Battery Minerals project development strategy”

Lithium Power International has commenced its drilling program at its East Kirup Lithium Prospect this week.

East Kirup is located in the Greenbushes region, Southwest of Collie.

LPI Executive Director, Andrew Phillips said ““The results of this drilling program will be used − along with previously completed environmental surveys − to prepare a CMP to allow drilling on new tracks, the commencement of phase three.

The intention is to hit the ground running in 2023, and we are pleased that the commencement of the program is so early in the year.”

The S&P/ASX 200 started off the week slow at 1,178 points before falling to 7,126 points on Wednesday. The market picked up again, increasing 202 points to finish off at 7,328 points.

The All Ordinaries finished at 7,540 points. The top performing stocks where Poseidon Nickle and Andromeda Metals.

Gold had a slow rise this week, starting at $1,882.00 USD and rounded the week off at $1,898.90 USD at the close of the ASX.

Silver was more turbulent, falling from $24.30 USD to $23.89 USD on Tuesday, raising again to $24.17 USD on Wednesday, then falling again on Thursday to $23.88 USD before finishing off the week at $23.94 USD.

December 20, 2022

12 Months of Mining Recap

A lot has happened in 2022 so we’ve compiled some of this year’s biggest mining news:

January

Rio Tinto expects the introduction of battery-electric powered trains in the Pilbara will help them halve their emissions by 2030.

They hope the trial will pave the way for its entire fleet of 220 diesel locomotives to go electric.

Fortescue Metals Group also plans to replace diesel-powered vehicles by 2030 in their plan to decarbonise.

Then FMG chief executive Elizabeth Gaines said to achieve carbon neutrality: “we will have to replace our mining fleet, our rail fleet, shipping, all of those areas that are mobile that rely on the use of diesel.”

February

Lynas has received approval from WA Environment Minister Reece Whitby to build $500m rare earths refinery at Kalgoorlie.

The plant is scheduled to begin production next year and is expected to create over 120 jobs.

Kalgoorlie-Boulder Mayor John Bowler said he hopes the plant will operate for decades: “This is the next big metal, something totally different from gold and nickel … it’s a big occasion and great day for Kalgoorlie-Boulder.”

May

Ron Sayers, West Australian mining tycoon who founded the Perenti Group, has died after his battle with stomach cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Sayers began as a fitter on Kalgoorlie’s Golden Mile before founding his company Ausdrill in 1987.

Today the ASX200 listed company employs more than 8,000 employees across 12 countries.

Construction has begun on a 580km pipeline in WA that will take gas from the Perth basin to the Goldfields.

The $460m pipeline will form part of the Northern Goldfields Interconnect pipeline, aimed to significantly increase the volume of gas available inland.

June

The United States Department of Defence has awarded Lynas Rare Earths a $120USD contract to build a processing facility on the Gulf Coast in Texas.

The production of the facility aims to reduce the US’ reliance on China for rare earth minerals.

Lynas managing director Amanda Lacaze says the deal demonstrates the priority that the US is placing on “ensuring that supply chains for these critical materials are resilient and environmentally responsible”.

July

Australian mining company Lucapa has unearthed a rare 170-carat pink diamond, one of the biggest pink diamonds ever found.

“The Lulo Rose” is believed to be the largest found in 300 years.

October

Two people have died in 72 hours in separate mining incidents in WA.

The first died after a rock fall at the Hamlet underground mine at Saint Ives near Kambalda.

The second died at the Capricorn Metals’ Karlawinda gold mine near Newman when his vehicle was run over by a large dump truck.

November

A $750m community investment trust funded by WA’s big fish in mining has been set up by the state government to help fund infrastructure in remote communities and legacy projects.

The government hopes to eventually have $1b in the fund, so far Rio Tinto and BHP have contributed $250m each, Hancock Prospecting has contributed $100m, Woodside $50m, Chevron $50m and Mineral Resources has contributed $50m.

Projects to be funded include an Aboriginal Cultural Centre for Perth’s CBD, the refurbishment of the Perth Concert Hall and upgrades to the Perth Zoo as well as several projects in remote WA.

Swedish company, Epiroc, has agreed to acquire Kalgoorlie Boulder company, Remote Control Technologies Pty Ltd.

RCT was founded 50 years ago and provides automation solutions to mining companies.

RCT is the second Kalgoorlie Boulder company acquired by Epiroc this year, after their acquisition of JTMEC earlier in the year.

The acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

December

St Barbara and Genesis Minerals have announced their merger to create Hoover House,

St Barbara will acquire 100% of the shares in Genesis. Genesis shareholders will own 41% of Hoover House, with St Barbara shareholders owning 38%.

Hoover House will have a production target of over 300,000oz of gold per annum.

St Barbara chair, Tim Netscher, said: “The merger with our Leonora neighbour, Genesis, to create Hoover House, will accelerate our Leonora Province Plan. Shareholders will reap the benefits of more production at lower cost and lower risk from this prolific mining district.”

Genesis Managing Director, Raleigh Finlayson, said: “By combining with St Barbara, we are creating Hoover House, the premium Australian gold company we envisaged, with sustainable, high-quality production.”

Elizabeth Gains is stepping down as CEO of Fortescue to become their ambassador for their global green hydrogen brand. Gains will remain a non-executive director.

Gains will be responsible for promoting green hydrogen, green ammonia and green energy.

Since Gains began leading the company in 2018, Fortescue’s share price has quadrupled, and shareholders have grown from less than 35,000 to 170,000.

“ I don’t see this as a departure of any shape or form. I think it’s just the opportune time for Fortescue who are genuinely transitioning,” Ms Gaines said.

December 16, 2022

What you missed in the news this week

St Barbara and Genesis Minerals have announced their merger to create Hoover House,

St Barbara will acquire 100% of the shares in Genesis. Genesis shareholders will own 41% of Hoover House, with St Barbara shareholders owning 38%.

Hoover House will have a production target of over 300,000oz of gold per annum.

The federal government has announced a cap on gas and coal prices as part of its Energy Price Relief Plan.

The plan includes the 12-month emergency gas price cap, a targeted energy bill relief for households and businesses, and investment in cleaner, cheaper and reliable energy.

Anthony Albanese said the action is designed to “provide all Australians with a buffer in unprecedented times.”

A South African researcher has developed a new way to remove contaminates from water used in mining.

The process involves small polystyrene beads that chemically bond with pollutants as the water passes through, cleaning the water and collecting the pollutants for reuse.

Ed Hardwick, owner of Cwenga Technologies said the beads extract valuable materials from the water: “What has been identified in some streams, especially coal mining streams, is that the acid that’s produced from the mine waters actually dissolves out some rare earth materials.”

Aruma Resources has announced its recently completed diamond core drilling program at their Salmon gums Gold Project has expanded the project’s Greenstone footprint to over 75km².

The drilling, located at their Norseman Gold Camp was designed to provide a deeper geological understanding of the project and opened up the potential for the project to host multiple horizons.

Kin Mining has completed their first deep diamond drill-hole at Helens-Rangoon Fault – which saw wide zones of shallow gold – to test an Induced Polarisation anomaly.

The drilling was completed at their Cardinia Gold Project near Leonora and has intersected significant zones of gold mineralisation.

Kin Mining Managing Director, Andrew Munckton, said: “This represents a strong start to the 5‐hole diamond drill program, which is designed to test the first generation of deeper targets at Cardinia with the aim of uncovering new, high‐grade discoveries within the exciting Eastern Corridor.”

S&P/ASX 200 markets started out the week a little lower, at 7,163 points before climbing to 7,253 points at the end of Wednesday. The markets saw a sudden drop Friday morning, falling from 7,209 points to 7,122 points before making a slight comeback to finish the week.

The All Ordinaries followed a similar trajectory, falling 91 points to 7,304 points Friday morning, before climbing again throughout the day.

Gold peaked at a 3-month high of $1,813.70USD on Wednesday, before dropping again to $1,787.85USD to round out the week.

Silver saw a 6-month high of $24USD on Wednesday before a slight decline to $23.35USD to end the week.

December 9, 2022

What You Missed in the News This Week

IGO’s Nova Mine will cease operations for several weeks after a fire started in the diesel engine room.

No one was injured in the fire, but the West Australian mine safety authorises have launched an investigation into the incident.

The mine is located in the Fraser Range, 160km east of Norseman.

IGO’s acting chief executive, Matt Dusci said “We are thankful that all our people are safe and unharmed. We have activated our contingency plans and will work to re-establish operations at Nova as quickly and safely as possible.”

The Saint Barbara Festival took place last week in Kalgoorlie.

The annual event consists of the Miners Memorial Service on Thursday 1^st December and the St Barbara’s Parade on Sunday 4^th December.

Codrus Minerals has announced high grades at their Niobium-Rich Karloning REE Project in north of Mukinbudin in the Wheatbelt.

Codrus Managing Director, Shannan Bamforth said: “We are excited by the high grades returned from 3 samples that exceeded the upper detection limit in the original assaying. Seeing grades for heavy REE elements of this magnitude is very positive, particularly given that these metals are intrinsically linked to the decarbonisation thematic.”

The S&P/ASX 200 closed on a lower note this week. Starting at 7,321 points on Monday, before finishing at 7,213 points on Friday.

Champion Iron and Sandfire Resources were top performing shares, gaining 5.15% and 4.81% respectively.

The All Ordinaries finished on 7,406 points, falling from the high of 7,551 from Monday.

Gold dropped on Tuesday from $1,810.70USD to $1,7744.54USD before rising again over the last few days to finish up at $1,798.80USD.

Silver also fell significantly on Tuesday from $23.49USD to $22.63USD but gained it back during the week to $23.44USD

December 2, 2022

What You Missed in the New this Week

Surbiton Associates has announced Australian gold production for the September 22 quarter is down 9% from the June 22 quarter.

The September quarter saw 76 tonnes compared to the 83 tonnes from the June quarter.

Surbiton Associates director, Dr Sandra Close said gold production for the quarter is somewhat disappointing and stated “some wet weather and Covid-19 problems affected output adversely” but is confident these effects are slowly receding.

Gold Fields has awarded their Barren Lands open pit project to establish a new mine at their Agnew Gold Mine, 150km Northwest of Leonora to MLG Oz.

The project will run alongside their current St Ives cooperation.

MLG founder and managing director Murray Leahy said “we are very proud to continue to support Gold Fields at their St Ives and Agnew operations extending what has, and continues to be, a long and rewarding relationship.”

Metal Hawk Limited has announced diamond drilling at their Berehaven Nickel Project has commenced.

The project, located 20km Southeast of Kalgoorlie Boulder, continued after high grade nickel sulphide was discovered in the area last year.

Minerals Resources is offering starting salaries of over $140,000 to New Zealanders in an entice them to Perth. The campaign is set to see several hundred New Zealanders over the next 6 months.

The S&P/ASX200 stumbled slightly on Monday before recovering to start the month on a high of 7,372 points yesterday. The markets finished off the week on 7,302 points, dropping 0.72% from yesterday.

The All Ordinaries peaked at 7,572 points yesterday, finishing at 7,504 points today.

Gold was relatively stable at the start of the week, before picking up on Wednesday to finish the week at the biggest high since August at $1,802.25USD/oz.

Silver followed suit, starting stable before reaching the biggest high since June at $233.04USD/oz.

November 18, 2022

What You Missed This Week in the News

BHP has offered Oz Minerals a takeover offer of $28.25/share, including $9.6B, three months after their initial unsolicited offer.

BHP offered a$25/share, $8.4m takeover offer in August, which Oz Minerals rejected, saying it failed to properly value the company’s portfolio.

The offer comes after the two renewed talks on Thursday, and Oz Minerals board have accepted the offer, OZ Minerals Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Cole said: “BHP’s Revised Proposal is a clear reflection of OZ Minerals’ unique set of highly strategic, quality assets in quality jurisdictions. We look forward to working with BHP in a collaborative way to progress the Revised Proposal in the best interests of OZ Minerals’ and its stakeholders.”

MetalsGrove Mining has announced that drilling contractor Topdrill has mobilised its drill rig in preparation to commence the inaugural drilling at their Upper Coondina Lithium Project.

The project is located 100km south of Marble Bar, near Port Hedland.

BHP, Curtin University and Greening Australia have partnered to trial vegetation barriers to improve air quality and capture dust in the West End scheme in Port Hedland as part of BHP’s Pilbara Air Quality Program.

Phase 1 which involved planting 80,000 seedlings, has been completed and another 80,000 is scheduled to be planted in the next few months.

The ”What’s Down the Track” Forum was held in Kalgoorlie Boulder on Thursday. The event, run by the Kalgoorlie-Boulder Chamber of Commerce, provides a 12-month forecast into the drivers that support the growth and opportunities that exist within the region.

The event included speakers and exhibitions from BHP, Kai Rho Contracting, Deep Yellow Limited, St Ives, Northern Star, Lynas Rare Earths, Evolution Mining and Epiroc.

The S&P/ASX200 markets stumbled at the beginning of the week, starting off on the month’s high of 7,196 points before falling to 7,106 points on Wednesday. The markets made a comeback to finish the week at 7,152 points. Oz Minerals was the top performing stock, up 3.92% after their takeover offer from BHP.

The All Ordinaries us up too, finishing the week on 7,355 points.

Gold is trading at $1,765.52USD after a stable week, and silver at $21.35USD, after peaking early on Tuesday at $22.28USD.

November 11, 2022

What You Missed This Week in the News

Mining magnate Twiggy Forrest at the Egypt COP27 climate summit this week, is pushing to restrict seabed mining until it has the same protections as land mining.

In sentiments echoed by conservationist groups, Forrest voiced concerns about the environmental impact of seabed mining – which could begin as early as mid 2023.

“The deepest seabed supports some of the least understood ecosystems on the planet.” He said and argues that seabed mining should not commence “until we can match existing regulations placed on mining on land.”

QX Resources is scheduled to commence drilling at their Turner River hard rock lithium project by the end of the month. The project is located in the Pilbara Region, Southeast of Port Hedland.

OD6 Metal’s share price skyrocketed on Wednesday by 97.84% to $0.459 after announcing outstanding results from their recently completed drilling campaign at their Splinter Rock project northeast of Esperance.

BHP have announced record shipments from their iron ore in WA for the third year running. In their AGM this week, BHP released their income figures, including $33.9B EBITDA from iron ore.

In the AGM, BHP CEO Mike Henry and Chairman Ken MacKenzie also announced their commitment to a total elimination of sexual harassment, racism and bullying in BHP workplaces.

“That is why I want to apologise to all those who have experienced or continue to experience, any form of sexual harassment, racism or bullying anywhere at BHP,” MacKenzie said.

“We are determined to eliminate these harmful behaviours. At BHP, we are committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and supportive workplace culture where everyone can bring the best of themselves to work.”

The S&P/ASX200 jumped sharply today to 7,143.10 points, jumping 2.79% (194.0 points). The markets rounded out the week by following the upward trend that started on the 11^th of this month.

All Ordinaries followed suit, gaining 204.40 points (2.86%) to 7,350.10

Gold had a good week, ending on a high compared to the start of the week. The spot price rose 2.45% from $2591.72oz t to $2655.23oz t.

Silver rose from $32.36oz t to $33.37oz t this week.

November 4, 2022

What you missed in the news this week 4 Nov 2022

Rox Resources announced a 110% increase of production to 187koz Au since 2018.

The increase is at their Mt Fisher and Mt Eureka gold projects in the Eastern Goldfields.

Rio Tinto and BHP have joined forces to for research into technology to increase water recovery from mine tailings.

They are currently trialling a large-volume filter unit to remove up to 80% of water in the trailing stream before it is deposited in a storage facility.

Removing more water would reduce risks associated with moisture in storage facilities, reduce the foot print of these facilities and allow them to productively reuse tailings are raw material.

After unsuccessfully suing the Western Australian Government, Clive Palmer is trying again, planning to sue the Commonwealth for billions in damages over his stalled iron ore mine in the Pilbara.

Palmer plans to bring the claim under the international courts through his Singapore-based company Zeph International.

If Palmer is successful, tax payers can expect to foot the bill of upwards of $32B.

Classic Minerals has commenced construction on their new Kat Gap gold mine, south of Southern Cross.

Classic Minerals has begun building internal roads and clearing space for the camp but has yet to receive processing approval.

They are hoping to have stage 1 open-pit mining before the end of the year.

Swedish company, Epiroc, has agreed to acquire Kalgoorlie Boulder company, Remote Control Technologies Pty Ltd.

RCT was founded 50 years ago and provides automation solutions to mining companies.

RCT is the second Kalgoorlie Boulder company acquired by Epiroc this year, after their acquisition of JTMEC earlier in the year.

The acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

MLG celebrates 20 years this week. The Kalgoorlie Boulder based company started with founder and managing director Murray Leahy and his truck to a business that services 29 sites across Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

S&P/ASX 200 peaked this week on Wednesday at 7,009.00 points, before taking a sharp fall to 2,849 points on Thursday. The markets rounded out the week at 6,893 points.

All Ordinaries followed suit this week, peaking on Wednesday at 7,194 points before plummeting to 7,015 points. The All Ords finished the week at 7,089 points.

Gold is sitting at $2,600.28oz t today, making a solid comeback from Tuesday’s fall. Gold is sitting at a similar position to how October started the month, with $2,567.36oz t on 3^rd October.

Silver finished off at $31.48oz t, finishing a little lower than yesterday’s $31.05oz t.

November 3, 2022November 3, 2022

Epiroc acquires another Kalgoorlie Boulder company

Swedish company, Epiroc, has agreed to acquire Kalgoorlie Boulder company, Remote Control Technologies Pty Ltd.

RCT provides automation and remote-control solutions for single machine and entire mixed fleets, and provides data and information systems, fleet and machine management systems.

RCT began in 1972 when Kalgoorlie Boulder based founder Bob Muirhead saw numerous fatalities and serious incidents accepted as a “side effect” of the mining industry, so he designed a fail-safe engine protection system. Today, RCT has spread to over 70 countries.

Epiroc provides safe equipment such as drill rigs, rock evacuation and construction equipment, and tools for surface and underground applications.

Epiroc’s president and CEO, Helena Hedblom said “Automaton is increasingly important for the mining industry to strengthen safety and productivity” and believes that Remote Control Technologies’ advanced solutions “complement Epiroc’s existing automation offering well.”

RCT is the second Kalgoorlie Boulder company Epiroc has acquired this year. In April this year Epiroc announced their acquisition of JTMEC, an electrification infrastructure solutions provider founded in 2005.

The acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

October 28, 2022

What You Missed This Week In The News

Buru Energy Ltd was dealt a blow in this week’s Federal Budget.

In April 2022, Buru was awarded a $7M Commonwealth Government Grant for Geovault, their offshore geological storage of greenhouse gas in the Carnarvon Basin.

The program that the grant was offered by has been cancelled in this new budget.

A revised grant will be offered which Buru says they will aggressively pursue.

Summit Minerals Ltd will start its maiden drilling campaign at the Stallion REE Project, east of Kalgoorlie.

Summit received approval from the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety for a 16-hole RC drill program and is expected to begin as early as next week.

Riversgold Ltd also announced its maiden 2,500M RC drilling program, which has commenced at their Tambourah Lithium Project in the Pilbara Region.

The project is Riversgold most advanced lithium project and will include up to 21 holes.

Koba Resources Ltd.’s share price has soared by 136% to $0.260 this week after it staked mining claims covering 145km² at its Whitlock Lithium Project in Canada.

WA1 Resources’ saw a significant jump in its share price this week after announcing the first results of its maiden West Arunta Project drilling program.

The share price rose by a whopping 542% to $0.94 after the revealing the drilling found the first Niobium deposits in the area.

The S&P/ASX Markets closed the day lower than yesterday, which saw the end of a 4-day streak. The markets fell by 58.60 points to 6,786.50 after setting a new 20-day high yesterday at 6,870 points.

The All Ordinaries also finished off the week on a lower note, dropping 0.98% to 6,973.40, but also saw a 20-day high yesterday.

Gold also finished lower at $2,566.62oz t, after peaking at $2,620.42 at the start of the week.

Silver has remained steady after the fall it had last week, finishing at $30.52oz t compared to the low of $30.02 last week.