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As industries around the world further utilise digital practices and platforms, it’s little surprise the mining sector is heading firmly in the same direction.
And given its fundamental role in so many aspects of modern society, it makes sense that mining makes use of every available tool to ensure it runs as smoothly as possible.
Through recent innovation in areas such as integrated automation, Internet of Things (IoT) solutions and detailed data analysis, mining operations have been able to increase productivity, safety and sustainability, while also reducing downtime, costs and maintenance work.
Investing in mining visionaries is one of the keys to creating digital solutions that will help operations continuously improve and grow.
Constant innovation means digital mining products and services are helping to achieve record productivity results, which ensure operations are on a path of continuous growth.
But what do we mean when we say, ‘digital mining’?
The answer, it turns out, is incredibly broad. From data security to autonomous machines to greater levels of connectivity and internet access, digital solutions can spread across pretty much every corner of a mining operation.
One of the more exciting aspects of the digital mining world comes in the form of artificial intelligence (AI). This is an area that has seen some mixed coverage in the news this year (and anyone familiar with the Terminator franchise is likely to raise an eyebrow at the idea of a machine
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making any important decisions), but AI has a number of interesting roles to play in mining.
According to Andrew Borthwick, Orange Business managing director for Australia and New Zealand, AI and machine learning can be used to help mining operations in many ways.
“We can help our customers make better use or their data and keep an eye on cost,” he said. “If a truck on a site has continued to break down, for example, we can help companies get down to the granular level of why this keeps happening through our technology.
“We help (mining companies) get hold of the data so they can make informed decisions at a broad level.”
Digital mining is not the future – it’s the present. Companies that innovate and adapt accordingly are the ones that will continue to thrive for years to come.
Orange Business, a division of the Orange Group, supports companies and organisations throughout their digital transformation. Its customers can benefit from the skills of more than 29,000 employees, who are experts in business-to-business challenges.
According to the company, its difference is built on four main pillars: Evolution platform (a modular platform); employee experience; customer experience; and operational experience.
What sets Orange Business apart?
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“We bring the rigour of a network and connectivity expert together with the agility of a global digital solutions integrator,” the company said. “We combine global presence with a local approach to unlock your innovation potential and support your economic growth in a responsible and sustainable way.”
Cover image: Orange Group
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20 INDUSTRY OUTLOOK
Australia: A clean-energy superpower?
It has long been a trusted mining partner of countries across the world, but there is urgency for Australia to expand its downstream capabilities as the world decarbonises.
24 DECISION-MAKER
Worth its weight in copper
Australian Mining was in the audience when BHP chief operating officer Edgar Basto spoke at Austmine 2023 about copper’s role in a low-carbon future.
26 DIGITAL MINING
Orange means business
Orange Business has grown from its telco roots to become a multi-level technology and service provider for the Australian mining sector.
32 DIGITAL MINING
Smoothing out complex operations
The Olive Downs Complex is shaping up to be a world-class producer of steelmaking
coal, and several companies are working together to make it run smoothly.
40 DIGITAL MINING
New tech to solve age-old problems
A computer-science revolution is enabling Orica to conquer operational problems customers had been wrestling with for decades.
48 MINE REHABILITATION
Unlocking abandoned mines
When Dendra Systems recently sponsored an event exploring the mining industry’s environmental future, Australian Mining was on hand to document the key takeaways.
58 WOMEN IN INDUSTRY
Driving change and breaking down barriers
The annual Women in Industry Awards recognise outstanding women across the industrials sector, acknowledging exceptional work and dedication.
64 AUSTMINE 2023
Transforming the future
Austmine 2023 showcased the leading technologies, ground-breaking innovations and transformative solutions provided by the Australian resources industry.
70 DECISION-MAKER
The rise of South32
Australian Mining sat in on a recent fireside chat with South32 boss Graham Kerr, where he spoke about the company’s unlikely journey to being the diversified miner it is today.
AUSTRALIAN MINING PRESENTS THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE BOARDROOM TO THE MINE AND EVERYWHERE IN BETWEEN. VISIT WWW.AUSTRALIANMINING.COM.AU TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH WHAT IS HAPPENING.
Stausholm touched on the company’s humble beginnings while celebrating its 2023 successes at the annual general meeting (AGM), held on May 4.
“Our very first project was the redevelopment of an ancient copper mine in the south of Spain that gave our company its name,” Stausholm said at the AGM in Perth.
“Buying a loss-making mine with a depleted resource in a country recovering from civil war was seen as mad at the time. But a group
Almost six months after former Fortescue chief financial officer (CFO) Ian Wells resigned, the iron ore major has appointed Christine Morris to the position.
Morris brings over 30 years’ experience to the table, spanning energy, media and telecom, manufacturing and technology industries.
“Christine is a very experienced CFO with a successful track record in aligning financial and corporate
opportunity. And on 29 March 1873, they formed the Rio Tinto Company to purchase and develop the mine.
“Their vision paid off, and they turned that run-down operation into one of the most profitable mines in Europe.”
This year the company celebrated its 150th year, delivering underlying earnings of $US13.3 billion and a return on capital of 25 per cent.
“As a result, the board has recommended a final ordinary dividend of 225 US cents per share,
to you, our shareholders,” Stausholm said.
“This represents a pay-out ratio of 60 per cent, in line with our policy and the second-largest ordinary dividend in our 150-year history.”
This year Rio Tinto hit several milestones, including acquiring the Platina scandium project in NSW for $14 million; expanding the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in Mongolia; and reaching separate agreements with BMW Group and Japanese conglomerate Marubeni
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Corporation to supply Rio’s aluminium to downstream manufacturers.
Stausholm also addressed the company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspirations.
“We have been working hard to implement meaningful change in the way we partner, especially with Indigenous peoples and the communities where we work,” Stausholm said.
“A real highlight was the agreement with the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura people to create the Juukan Gorge Legacy Foundation as part of the remedy for the destruction of the rock shelters in May 2020. This is a significant step forward, but we know it will be a long journey to rebuild trust.”
strategy and leading the finance divisions of global organisations,” Fortescue Metals chief executive officer Fiona Hick said.
“I look forward to Christine joining Fortescue as CFO of Fortescue Metals and working together to maintain Fortescue’s position as the world’s best, lowest-cost iron ore operator.
“During this critical time of growth and development, Christine will help lead the business to our next phase.”
Morris will take the helm from Wells, who resigned in January 2023.
Morris said she was delighted to be joining Fortescue and was dedicated to delivering the company mission of eliminating emissions profitably and leading heavy industry globally to decarbonise.
“My focus will be on continuing to provide exceptional value for Fortescue shareholders and maintaining and growing the strength of our iron ore and emerging critical
minerals business,” Morris said.
“I am pleased to be joining Fortescue, a hugely successful company that is undergoing significant transformation to become a global green energy and resources company.
“I look forward to working with the company’s exceptional leadership team to continue Fortescue’s strong track record of outstanding financial performance and disciplined capital management.”
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Core Lithium has announced the appointment of a new non-executive director.
Andrea Hall is an experienced nonexecutive director who is currently a member of the board of Evolution Mining and Perenti.
Hall has also previously held directorships at Automotive Holdings Group, the Western Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Lotterywest, Murdoch University, Pioneer Credit and Tap Oil.
Hall’s career in the financial service industry has spanned over 35 years, which the company board said will allow her to bring a strong skill set including risk management, finance, external and internal audit, and corporate and operational governance.
Other industries which Hall has experience working in include transport, healthcare, insurance, property and government.
The Western Australian Government allocated land for four projects across the Maitland strategic industrial area (SIA). Under the land allocations, the Maitland greenfield site will be transformed into a globally competitive, multi-product industrial precinct, supporting the diversification of the Western Australian economy and the creation of more jobs.
The Maitland SIA is located 24km west of Karratha and 39km south of Dampier Port, with the projects approved producing hydrogen and
ammonia to generate renewable power. Proponents allocated land in the Maitland SIA include:
• Fortescue Future Industries (FFI)
• Yara International
• Hexagon
• Perdaman Chemicals and Fertilisers. Fortescue subsidiary FFI recently joined forces with Kenya to develop a major green energy and fertiliser project while also supplying green electricity to Kenya’s grid. It is just one
Hall said she is excited to join the company as a non-executive director.
“I am delighted to join the board of Core Lithium, a progressive, young resources company, with a highly capable team, which is maturing into the next exciting phase of its corporate development as a producer of this critical commodity,” Hall said.
Core Lithium non-executive chair Greg English said the company is excited to have Hall on board.
“Andrea is a highly respected industry leader with a distinguished career as a company director and consultant,” English said.
“As Core Lithium moves from developer to established producer at the forefront of Australia’s critical minerals sector, Andrea’s skillset, industry experience and commercial acumen will be invaluable.”
Hall’s appointment was made effective as of May 18 2023.
“Land allocated in the Maitland SIA will enable a range of projects, including ammonia, hydrogen and renewable energy, which will aim to decarbonise emissions on the Burrup Peninsula,” then-WA Development, Jobs and Trade Minister Roger Cook said.
“This is exciting news for the Pilbara, and in particular for Karratha and Dampier.
“These projects will create a
Lands Minister John Carey said the projects would help to diversify WA’s economy.
“This is a major boost for regional WA, and in particular for the city of Karratha, as these projects create and sustain local jobs while strengthening and diversifying the state’s economy,” Carey said. “Land allocations in Maitland SIA will enable a range of projects that will aim to decarbonise emissions on the Burrup Peninsula and
The Federal Government has announced it will give out $50 million in grants to help boost the development of critical minerals projects.
The grants will go toward helping diversify supply chains, build domestic downstream processing and support new jobs and regional development.
“The successful projects will create jobs and opportunities across regional Australia and help Australia realise its ambitions to be a clean-energy superpower,” Minister for Resources Madeleine King said.
Successful projects are located across Western Australia, Queensland and New South Wales.
The majority of projects are located in WA, with a total of $29.15 million allocated to companies such as Magnium Australia to commercialise its CSIRO-patented technology for clean extraction of magnesium metal and Northern Minerals to support its Browns Range heavy rare earths project.
In NSW, $6.5 million has been allocated to Australian Strategic
support mining, separation and refining.
Over in Queensland, Evolution Mining has been allocated $2.2 million to support its Ernest Henry operation.
A total of 13 projects will receive funding across the three states.
“The 13 projects to receive funding under the Critical Minerals Development Program grants include plans to produce key inputs to lithiumion batteries for electric vehicles, and to support supply chains for advanced
energy and defence applications,” King said.
“The grants will support Australia’s new Critical Minerals Strategy, to be released shortly and which will outline how Australia can capture the significant opportunity of growing its critical minerals processing sector.
“Australia has remarkable potential to meet the increasing global demand for the critical minerals needed for clean energy technologies, such as electric vehicles and batteries, as the
BHP has officially become the parent company of OZ Minerals, with OZ removed from the ASX on May 3.
“This acquisition strengthens BHP’s portfolio in copper and nickel and is in line with our strategy to meet increasing demand for the critical minerals needed for electric vehicles, wind turbines and solar panels to support the energy transition,” BHP chief executive officer Mike Henry said.
“Combining our two organisations will provide options for growth,
bring new talent and innovation to unlock these resources in a sustainable way, and deliver value to shareholders and communities.”
The takeover will allow BHP to focus on safe and reliable operation of the Olympic Dam, Prominent Hill and Carrapateena assets.
OZ Minerals shareholders received $28.25 per OZ share, marking the implementation of the scheme of arrangement. This follows approval of the $9.63 billion deal by the Federal Court earlier this month.
The revised offer was an increase on the original $8.4 billion offer made in August 2022.
OZ Minerals has a number of operations in Brazil, including the Santa Lúcia iron oxide coppergold mineral deposit, the Antas copper-gold mine, and CentroGold, one of the largest undeveloped gold projects in the country. The acquisition gives BHP access to OZ’s significant portfolio of futurefacing minerals – namely copper and nickel – that are vital to the world’s push for clean energy.
In its final-ever quarterly report, OZ Minerals announced 31,362 tonnes of copper and 46,722 ounces of gold.
“As this is the final production report from OZ Minerals, the board and management would like to thank all our stakeholders for their contribution to the company’s success,” OZ Minerals chief executive officer Andrew Cole said. BHP has indicated it intends to retain the majority of OZ Minerals’ workforce, particularly at Prominent Hill and Carrapateena.
Schenck Process Mining has become part of Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions.
SP Mining & Sandvik share a deep passion for innovation. Our combined global footprint of R&D and
production facilities bring the expertise of our people even closer to our customers.
We are now better positioned than ever, to develop innovative solutions to the challenges of our industry.
Following the February rejection of the Bird In Hand gold mine in Adelaide’s Woodside region, Minister for Energy and Mining Tom Koutsantonis has committed to preventing further mining applications in the area.
The gold deposit area has now been proclaimed by the Governor at the request of the State Government, a mechanism that has been used in the past to protect the Mintabie town lease area and the Burra Monster mine historic area.
In February, Terramin, the developer of the proposed mine, submitted a mining lease proposal (MLP) following five years of community consultation.
This was rejected by Koutsantonis on February 9, citing broader state interests such as potential socioeconomic and amenity impacts as the reason for the rejection.
“This was an important and necessary step to protect against future attempts to mine this deposit,” Koutsantonis said, regarding the proclamation of the area.
“We want to ensure local tourism businesses – including world-class wineries – as well as the local amenity of this area remain protected.”
Terramin was advised of the proclamation plan in March and was invited to make a submission, but declined.
The proclamation will not restrict Terramin’s ability to undertake rehabilitation activities associated with previous exploration in the area.
“In circumstances where it is determined mining operations are not compatible with a particular area, it is
important to shift the primary control over any future potential applications to the Government,” Koutsantonis said.
“This mechanism will ensure full control by Government over the ability for anyone to make future applications for mineral tenements over this small area.
“That was the basis for my decision in February to decline Terramin’s application to develop this mine. By protecting the Bird In Hand mine area under proclamation, we will ensure that decision holds firm both now and into the future.”
Previously mined and discarded rock and earth will be searched for overlooked critical minerals to help accelerate Australia’s clean energy switch.
Geoscience Australia has developed an atlas of sites across the country that it believes may have critical minerals that were previously discarded, including minerals used in solar panels and electric vehicles (EVs).
Dubbed the Atlas of Australian Mine Waste, the search has been
created in collaboration with RMIT University, the University of Queensland and the geological surveys of Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Victoria and South Australia.
“Some of the minerals we need now, and into the future, may not just be in the ground – they’re also in rock piles and tailings on mine sites around the country,” Minister for Resources Madeleine King said.
“These minerals might not have been of interest when first extracted but could now be in hot demand as the world seeks to decarbonise – for example, cobalt in the tailings of old copper mines. This new Atlas puts these potentially lucrative sites on the map for the first time and may open up new sources of critical materials.”
The Atlas has identified over 1000 sites across Australia to search for critical minerals.
“Our resources sector is the key to our net zero future – and this is another tool developed by Government to help facilitate the discovery of critical minerals in a more efficient, sustainable way – and to the highest standards,” King said.
“Reprocessing rocks and earth that have been previously excavated during mining operations can give new life to old mining towns, create jobs and rejuvenate local economies.”
Gina Rinehart was recently announced as this year’s Western Australian of the Year.
Rinehart is the executive chairman of Hancock Prospecting, an independent, privately owned Australian company that shares a proud history with the Pilbara region in WA and the iron ore sector.
Rinehart has been recognised for her contribution to the WA economy, as well as the overall Australian economy. She was also awarded the 2023 Business Award.
The Western Australian of the Year Awards celebrate exceptional Western Australians making extraordinary contributions in key areas such as arts and culture, the Aboriginal community, positive social, scientific and economic impact, sport and the overall WA community. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the awards.
As reported by used her acceptance speech to reflect on what the company has achieved.
“It’s actually a very long way from where my family company was 30 years ago, and I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved in this time for our company and what we’ve been able to contribute to West Australia and our country and our future,” Rinehart said.
Rinehart also called for the state and federal governments to help keep Australian businesses competitive within a global market.
“We must ensure that our country is not left behind by short-sighted decisions and encourage policies that welcome investment in our wonderful state,” Rinehart said.
Coal miner Glencore recently sold its CSA copper mine in Cobar, New South Wales, to Metals Acquisition Corp (MAC) for $US1.1 billion ($1.64 billion).
CSA is an established, high-gradeproducing, long-life underground copper mine with an estimated mine life of over 15 years, and MAC has identified opportunities to further extend it, subject to exploration success.
The sale is the another indicator of copper’s growing importance, after Evolution Mining extended its Ernest Henry mine life to 2040 earlier in May.
Similarly, South32 has been looking to grow its portfolio, identifying a copper mine that could
be an M&A fit. The copper outlook continues to be supported by the rising decarbonisation narrative, with the commodity a highly efficient conduit for renewable energy systems such as solar, wind, hydro and thermal energy.
The Glencore/MAC deal has been on the table for some time, with the companies entering into an agreement back in March 2022.
“The acquisition of CSA represents a strong strategic fit for MAC. Our management team’s operational expertise, understanding of regional operations and relationships with local stakeholders uniquely position us to identify and realise the full potential value of the asset,”
MAC chief executive officer Mick McMullen said at the time.
“We believe that copper has favourable fundamentals that will continue to support an elevated copper price.
“Copper is expected to play a key role in the global energy transition ‘megatrend’, with approximately one million tonnes per annum of new supply required from 2024 onwards in order to meet the surging demand forecast.
“With few new projects globally in the pipeline, increasing permitting issues and jurisdictional risk, and declining copper grades across the industry, we believe that there are significant challenges ahead to close the projected supply deficit.”
MAC acquired 100 per cent of the issued share capital of Cobar Management from Glencore. Cobar Management owns and operates the mine.
The company has made arrangement for the copper streams with Osisko Gold Royalties in the US.
“CSA is a high-grade, long-life asset, with significant upside that can be unlocked by the MAC management team,” Osisko president and chief executive officer Sandeep Singh said.
“We are pleased to see this important transaction nearing completion, and look forward to having both the silver and copper streams contribute to our near-term cash flows.”
Greatland Gold and Rio Tinto have entered into a farm-in and joint venture agreement to accelerate exploration across highly prospective tenure across the Paterson south project.
The Paterson South project is located in the Paterson region of Western Australia, which is one of the most prospective frontiers in the country for the discovery of multicycle, Tier 1 gold-copper deposits. a 75 per cent joint venture interest in the project tenements under the twostage farm-in arrangement.
Stage 1 states that Greatland is entitled to earn a 51 per cent joint venture interest in the Paterson project by incurring at least $7.1 million of exploration expenditure and completing 7500m of drilling within four years.
Stage 2 states that Greatland is entitled to earn an additional 24 per cent joint venture interest in the Paterson project by spending
The eastern group of the Paterson project tenements host several underexplored magnetic anomalies. These targets are within proterozoic sediments and are considered by Greatland to be the closest to a Havieron look-alike within the Paterson Province.
The Havieron project is a joint venture between Greatland and Newcrest.
Greatland managing director Shaun Day said the project is an opportunity with high-priority, high-prospective and heritage-cleared drill targets.
“We expect that some of these targets can be incorporated in our 2023 drilling campaign,” Day said.
“Our farm-in and joint venture with Rio Tinto is consistent with our strategy of continuing to invest in exploration success, and aligns
BHP is looking into initiatives to grow its iron ore production to 300 million tonnes per annum.
In his speech to the Bank of America Securities 2023 Global Metals, Mining and Steel Conference, BHP chief executive officer Mike Henry said the company’s Western Australian iron ore business was designed with an initial capacity of 240 million tonnes per annum, but is currently producing 280–290 million tonnes.
“We’re now looking at initiatives to grow our production to 300 million tonnes per annum over the mediumterm,” Henry told attendees.
“This low capital intensity volume increase involves further debottlenecking our port and rail systems, the rollout of autonomous haulage trucks, and ongoing productivity enhancements.”
Eventually, Henry said, BHP would like to grow iron production to 330 million tonnes and has developed
studies to assess how this could be done. The studies are expected to be concluded in 2025.
In terms of potash, which includes mined salts that contain potassium, Henry said BHP had accelerated studies on its Jansen Stage 2 project in Canada to process an extra four million tonnes per annum.
“We are really excited about the pipeline of growth projects that we have ahead of ourselves in potash,” Henry said.
“Jansen Stage 1, the first stage, remains on track and on budget and, in fact, we have been able to accelerate first production from 2027 into late 2026.
“We have recently started blasting and excavation works at the bottom of the shaft, and we’re looking forward to a productive summer construction season, with a continued focus on civil and mechanical construction activities on the surface and underground.”
KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST EXECUTIVE MOVEMENTS ACROSS THE MINING SECTOR, INCLUDING AT FORTESCUE, ANGLO AMERICAN, NEWMONT AND MORE.
Fortescue Metals Group has appointed a new chief financial officer (CFO) almost six months after former CFO Ian Wells resigned.
Christine Morris has been appointed in Wells’ place, bringing over 30 years’ experience to the table, spanning energy, media and telecommunications, manufacturing and technology.
“Christine is a very experienced CFO with a successful track record in aligning financial and corporate strategy and leading the finance divisions of global organisations,” Fortescue chief executive officer Fiona Hick said.
Morris said she was delighted to be joining Fortescue and was dedicated to delivering the company mission of eliminating emissions profitably and leading heavy industry to decarbonise globally.
“My focus will be on continuing to provide exceptional value for Fortescue shareholders and maintaining and growing the strength of our iron ore and emerging critical minerals business,” Morris said.
Anglo American recently announced several changes to its senior management team and organisation as the company reorganises how it manages its production businesses.
“We are building on the significant progress we have made in recent years to further improve our portfolio of
world-class assets and deliver our growth potential – in service of our commitments to our shareholders, employees and stakeholders, as a responsible producer of future-enabling metals and minerals,” Anglo American chief executive Duncan Wanblad said.
“We have been refreshing the executive team steadily over the last 12 months and we welcome this new generation of Anglo American’s leadership. As a team, we are embarking on our next phase of sustainable value creation.”
The changes will see Anglo American’s production businesses consolidated into two regions: Africa and Australia; and the Americas. Themba Mkhwanazi was named regional director Africa and Australia, while Ruben Fernandes has been appointed as regional director Americas.
Anglo American has also installed a team to support the regional directors, including finance director, technical and operations director, strategy and sustainability director, and people and organisation director roles.
Newmont Corporation recently announced the appointment of Karyn Ovelman as executive vice president and CFO.
Ovelman is a highly experienced financial professional who will focus on Newmont’s financial discipline, maintaining a robust and flexible balance sheet to support the company’s
capital allocation strategy, and will be responsible for Newmont’s global finance functions.
Ovelman brings extensive global leadership experience to the role. She has previously held CFO roles for highly complex and capital-intensive companies in the resource and energy sectors, including Flowserve, LyondellBassell Industries, and the now defunct Petroplus Holdings.
Aurelia Metals has appointed former OZ Minerals executive Bryan Quinn as its new managing director and chief executive officer (CEO).
Quinn had led the growth, strategy, exploration, sales and marketing businesses at OZ over the past 12 months and spent more than 27 years before that at BHP, where he was employed in various president and general management roles.
The appointment coincides with the departure of Andrew Graham who had served in an interim CEO role since November 2022.
“Quinn’s extensive experience in business improvement, operational excellence and project delivery is an ideal background to help Aurelia deliver on its exciting development pathway for Federation and Great Cobar, whilst optimising value and performance of our existing assets,” Aurelia chair Peter Botten said.
“With the refreshed management team and a competitive and flexible
financing package now in place, Aurelia is well positioned to deliver on its valueadding growth trajectory.
“This represents a pivot point for the company and we look forward to providing our shareholders with reliable value enhancement.”
Shaun Ren has retired as managing director of Richmond Vanadium Technology (RVT) and will be succeeded by Jon Price.
Price was most recently managing director of Horizon Minerals and is currently a non-executive director of Richmond Vanadium. He has also held senior management and executive positions at the likes of Gold Fields and Phoenix Gold.
“We thank Shaun for his expertise, dedication and invaluable contribution to the growth of our business, including recently as the managing director of the company’s initial public offering in late 2022,” Richmond Vanadium nonexecutive chair Brendon Grylls said.
“As a metallurgist with a masters in mineral economics, he (Price) brings with him a deep understanding of the project and a passionate advocacy to build a new industry for Australia.
“With the world facing unprecedented change and looking towards renewable energy to combat the effects of climate change, we believe that Jon is the ideal candidate to build on Shaun’s work and lead RVT through the next phase of its journey.” AM
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IT HAS LONG BEEN A TRUSTED MINING PARTNER OF COUNTRIES ACROSS THE WORLD, BUT THERE IS URGENCY FOR AUSTRALIA TO EXPAND ITS DOWNSTREAM OPTIONS AS THE WORLD DECARBONISES.
Any new industry can present a race to the top, with early adopters best placed to capitalise on new market share and gain a competitive advantage.
This is certainly the case in the context of decarbonisation, where more and more countries are recognising the commercial opportunities that come with establishing the net-zero power sources of a cleaner future.
The situation represents a oncein-a-generation opportunity, and Australia is beginning to understand the role it can play in supporting the green transformation.
Having established itself as a mining superpower, Australia is already a key supplier of materials driving renewable energy technologies. But the country can be more than the world’s greenenergy quarry, with opportunities to look downstream and establish vertically integrated renewable industries onshore.
One avenue could be to develop a local battery supply chain, something the Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre (FBICRC) sees as a particularly urgent commercial pathway.
“The clean-energy transition is moving faster,” FBICRC chief executive officer Shannon O’Rourke told Australian Mining.
“Government spending on clean energy has increased 30 per cent in the past two years.
“Greater subsidies are driving electric vehicle (EV) demand and increasing commodity prices and volumes. In the past 18 months, the opportunity for Australia has doubled.”
FBICRC released a report in March suggesting Australia’s battery opportunity could contribute $16.9 billion to the country’s economy by 2030.
is the result of Australia’s abundant lithium reserves and mining capacity, which creates natural synergies with downstream applications.
Some Australian companies are already harnessing onshore lithium
HAVING ESTABLISHED ITSELF AS A MINING SUPERPOWER, AUSTRALIA IS ALREADY A KEY SUPPLIER OF MATERIALS DRIVING RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES. BUT THE COUNTRY CAN BE MORE THAN THE WORLD’S GREEN-ENERGY QUARRY, WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO ESTABLISH VERTICALLY INTEGRATED RENEWABLE INDUSTRIES ONSHORE.”
The report, Charging Ahead –Australia’s Battery Powered Future, highlights Australia’s mining and geological upside, particularly in the production and endowment of critical minerals, and how this can support capabilities further downstream.
This encompasses not only battery manufacturing but other segments in the value chain, such as refining and active materials.
“Australia is cost-competitive across the entire value chain,” O’Rourke said. “We are eight per cent cheaper than Indonesia to produce advanced materials and five per cent cheaper than the United States to produce cells.”
Australia also has a significant advantage in refining, with the potential to be the world’s cheapest producer of lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM) through upstream integration in the supply chain. This
hydroxide opportunities, with Mineral Resources (MinRes) and IGO producing the refined product from their downstream processing facilities in Kemerton and Kwinana, respectively.
The Kemerton plant sources spodumene concentrate – a raw lithium material – from the Greenbushes lithium mine in WA, which is part owned by MinRes’ Kemerton partner, Albemarle Corporation.
IGO’s Kwinana plant, which it owns in partnership with Tianqi Lithium Corporation, also sources spodumene from Greenbushes.
The lithium hydroxide produced from Kemerton and Kwinana is then shipped offshore for further processing before it is upgraded to active materials such as lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) or nickelcobalt-manganese (NCM) – two key cathode inputs for renewable batteries.
But demand for Australia’s upstream products is not coming solely from
overseas, with a growing local renewable energy sector seeking more materials than ever.
“Australia’s local demand is skyrocketing,” O’Rourke said.
“Bloomberg reports that Australia has the largest pipeline of energy storage projects behind China, and a recent Sunwiz report shows that Australia’s behind-the-meter battery storage market is up 55 per cent year-on-year.”
The Australian Government is funding the construction eight largescale batteries, storing renewable energy and reducing the reliance on fossil-fuel power generation. Project locations extend from Victoria’s surf coast to Queensland’s tropical north.
Building independent capabilities is important, but for Australia to effectively
“Building an ecosystem is like trying to solve the chicken-and-egg problem,” O’Rourke said.
“A healthy ecosystem needs multiple suppliers, customers and producers, supported by service companies, a flexible workforce, the research sector, and government.
“Building that incrementally could take
linear and needs to be supported by trade and accelerated by domestic support.
“Australia is in a good position. It has multiple projects either announced or operating across all elements of the value chain, including refining, materials, (and) cell and system manufacturing.
“We have a complete value chain today, including cell manufacturers. The
FBICRC believes Australia can be competitive all the way from refining to manufacturing, but the country must find its sweet spot.
“We do not need to match China’s scale; rather, we need to achieve minimum economic scale,” O’Rourke said. “Our minerals strength, our secure supply and our ESG (environmental, social and governance) credentials help sharpen our competitive edge.
“Australia has two cell manufacturing projects which meet this minimum scale: Recharge Industries’ 30-gigawatt-hourper-annum project in Avalon (Victoria) and Energy Renaissance 5.3-gigawatthour-per-annum project in Tomago (New South Wales).
“The NRF (National Reconstruction Fund) and other support mechanisms can help Australia’s lighthouse projects get to scale and develop their supporting industries to build a competitive ecosystem.”
The Australian Government introduced the NRF in October 2022,
contributing $15 billion to transform several future-facing industries, including renewable energy and downstream opportunities within the resources sector.
Federal support has also been flowing via the Critical Minerals Development
‘mine-to-market’ graphite strategy in WA, and $4.6 million for IGO’s integrated precursor cathode active material (pCAM) facility in WA.
IGO is developing its downstream project in partnership with Andrew Forrest-backed Wyloo
“There is a strong collaborative spirit supporting our cathode precursor production pilot plant facility, where we are currently manufacturing high-performance materials to world standard,” O’Rourke said.
“Four universities and 18 other businesses have come together to build and demonstrate an Australian manufacturing capability.”
Key mining industry players such as BHP, Allkem, IGO, Cobalt Blue, Lycopodium and BASF have come together with FBICRC to further Australia’s understanding of the active materials industry.
Program, which recently provided close to $50 million in grants for emerging upstream and downstream projects. This included $6.5 million of funding for Australian Strategic Materials’ Dubbo rare earths project in NSW, $4.7 million for International Graphite’s
Metals, demonstrating the power of collaboration in Australia’s downstream ventures.
Collaboration is also a key aspect of FBICRC’s work and underpins its own pilot plant, which is exploring the local production of NCM cathode materials.
Australia’s battery opportunity is there for all to see, and there are enough developments to suggest that an integrated supply chain could be established.
But the country must be firing on all cylinders for that to happen, with stakeholders right across the battery supply chain working together to make this dream a reality. AM
BUILDING AN ECOSYSTEM IS LIKE TRYING TO SOLVE THE CHICKEN-AND-EGG PROBLEM. A HEALTHY ECOSYSTEM NEEDS MULTIPLE SUPPLIERS, CUSTOMERS AND PRODUCERS, SUPPORTED BY SERVICE COMPANIES, A FLEXIBLE WORKFORCE, THE RESEARCH SECTOR AND GOVERNMENT.”THE KEMERTON AND KWINANA LITHIUM HYDROXIDE PLANTS SOURCE ORE FROM THE GREENBUSHES MINE IN WA.
AUSTRALIAN MINING WAS IN THE AUSTMINE 2023 AUDIENCE WHEN BHP CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER EDGAR BASTO SPOKE ABOUT COPPER’S ROLE IN A LOW-CARBON FUTURE.
Still riding the high of its $9.6 billion purchase of OZ Minerals – its first such acquisition in a decade – BHP looks set to lead the global push toward a net-zero future.
BHP chief operating officer Edgar Basto took to the stage at Austmine 2023 in May to deliver an opening speech on the company’s current growth corridors and opportunities.
And high on that list was futurefacing commodities, or resources that can help to meet the demands of decarbonisation, electrification and population growth.
“The world needs good companies to develop these resources and that presents a huge opportunity for us and for the entire industry,” Basto said. “The demand for copper is on the rise.”
Basto said BHP estimates that electric vehicles (EVs) could account for nearly 60 per cent of global annual car sales by 2030, and nearly all car sales by 2050.
EVs use three-to-four times more copper than petrol-based cars, making it clear that BHP’s acquisition of OZ Minerals, and its considerable copper portfolio, could not have come at a better time.
“We have added to our copper assets in South Australia with the acquisition of OZ Minerals, bringing the Carrapateena and Prominent Hill mines into our portfolio,” Basto said.
“And, in March, we received environmental approval for our next phase of exploration at Oak Dam, which is around 65km south-east of Olympic Dam.”
“Oak Dam is an exciting prospect and potential growth option,” Basto said. “We’re undertaking further exploration to better define the resource and inform our future planning.
potential synergies to build a copper province that could put SA on the global copper map.”
Basto referenced South Australia’s copper strategy, which he said aligned
production of one million tonnes of copper each year by 2030. BHP has similarly committed itself to educating the next generation of copper mining professionals.
“I’m deeply passionate about new people joining our industry and taking opportunities to grow and pursue rewarding careers,” Basto said. “We’re investing heavily in skills and training.”
BHP runs a number of apprenticeship and trainee programs, including the FutureFit Academy, which offers a purpose-built learning centre to support mining industry newcomers.
“At the end of 2020 we pledged to fund 2500 new trainee and apprenticeships across Australia over the next five years,” Basto said.
“To date, we’ve welcomed 800 new students and more than 350 have graduated.”
BHP also runs the Olympic Dam Underground Mining School of Excellence, which creates opportunities for people without mining experience.
The school started in 2018 and consists of a tailored five-week course of theory and practical training, including haul truck driving simulators to give students a feel for what they might be driving once in the workforce.
“Around 300 people complete the program each year and enter into roles at Olympic Dam,” Basto said.
“Our people are paid to train and move into roles with BHP when they graduate.
“These programs, in addition to our graduate and intern programs, ensure that we’re reaching all the big
per cent of Australia’s mined copper production,” Basto said.
“The world needs more copper supply to be brought to the market more quickly. We are part of the start of that supply chain. We must grow the supply of these commodities safely and more sustainably.”
Basto said the company would like to develop a mining hub centred around a smelter that would bring more of South Australia’s copper to global customers.
Although there are no plans in motion for this ambitious goal yet, Basto said BHP would continue to work with governments and local stakeholders to drive better performance.
Chief among this work is water stewardship.
BHP is also looking at new ways of finding and extracting copper, including executing the largest-ever hard-rock 3D seismic survey in 2023.
“In partnership with some new startups and tech firms, we’re testing new ways of breaking and separating mineral particles to reduce energy consumption and improve throughput of our mills, which are a high energy consumer for the Olympic Dam operation,” Basto said.
“The Carrapateena team partnered with Australian companies on a world-first trial to use battery-electric trucks for heavy haulage across long distances.
thinkers and bright minds to open up opportunities here in SA.”
BHP expects that Olympic Dam will produce 200,000 tonnes of copper in 2023, with an additional 115,000 tonnes coming from Carrapateena and Prominent Hill.
But more can be done.
“Here in South Australia, we have nearly 70 per cent of Australia’s copper resources but we produce just under 30
“Here in South Australia, one of the challenges facing greater development in the Gawler Craton is the potential impact on local water resources,” Basto said.
“We are working closely with the South Australian government on the Northern Water Supply project.
“This would reduce the reliance on the Great Artesian Basin and the River Murray and provide a sustainable source of water for a range of industries, supporting more jobs and investment in the region.”
“The batteries being trialled can be exchanged within five minutes and retrofitted into any prime mover to reduce greenhouse gas emissions when combined with power from renewable or other low-carbon sources.
“This could potentially be the future of modular batteries on all mine sites. The opportunity in front of us is huge.
“I see the potential for great prosperity as we collaborate to discover the commodities of the future … faster, more efficiently and more sustainably than ever before.
“There is an exciting path ahead. South Australia has the potential to be a global leader in the race for critical minerals.” AM
THE WORLD NEEDS GOOD COMPANIES TO DEVELOP THESE RESOURCES AND THAT PRESENTS A HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR US AND FOR THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY. THE DEMAND FOR COPPER IS ON THE RISE.”THE OZ MINERALS ACQUISITION SAW BHP GAIN CONTROL OF THE CARRAPATEENA COPPER MINE IN SA.
ith news of business-related hacks and cyber-attacks so prevalent in recent Australian headlines, it can be concerning to think about the same fate happening to mining networks.
Technology that keeps hackers at bay is often only found in the corporate world, but Orange Business is working to expand these systems into the mining sector to help ensure that all businesses can run their operations with peace of mind.
“The run state of mines is under threat, because it can be hacked,” Orange Business managing director for Australia and New Zealand Andrew Borthwick told Australian Mining
“Technology and electronics have evolved at such a rate that someone can hack into the system and create real explosions.
W“I don’t mean to be dramatic, but that sort of thing has to be secured in some way, shape or form.
“The technology and services we provide actually secure that environment for that particular customer of that particular mining organisation.”
Orange Business has been serving mining organisations in Australia for decades and is committed to continuing to provide digital services that secure its customers’ organisation.
A mine’s supervisory control and data acquisition systems (SCADA) are at particular risk of being hacked, as the systems gather and analyse data that controls equipment and deals with critical and time-sensitive materials or events.
“Your SCADA networks can be hacked in exactly the same way corporate IT systems can be hacked,” Borthwick said.
“So what we’re doing is, we’re starting to provide those services to ensure we secure all environments; for example,
a malware device to protect the OT (operational technology) environment.”
Beyond security, Orange Business is also helping mine sites to upgrade their tailings dams.
Used to store the waste or by-products of mining operations, these facilities are sometimes not well constructed, leading to dam failures and potentially catastrophic results.
“If the dam wall bursts, we know the consequences,” Borthwick said. “They’re horrendous, horrific – not only from an ecological perspective, but from a livelihood perspective.
“We’re working with some of the big mining companies to upgrade the sensors that go on the dams that pick-up shifts in weather patterns or whether the dam wall is moving.
“The sensors also pick up any potential breaches, any potential movement of the sediment inside of the water itself, and they can then push the sediment way from the dam wall.
which can, over time, push against the dam wall.
“Now, tailings dam management is not just done for the life of the mine, it’s
for the life of the entire program of work, including rehabilitating the site.”
Australia currently has over 3000 dams, weirs, catchments and tailings dams in operation in mines across the country. Orange Business wants to work with operators to ensure there is a broad solution in use across all sites.
“If you have this technology in place, you’re looking after the dam and managing it, and it’s not just the sensors that do this,” Borthwick said. “It’s the data visualisation and the understanding of when and how failures occur.
“We can even go as far as to monitor the weather patterns and use that to determine future weather patterns to ensure companies are managing their environment well.”
Offering these solutions is relatively new territory for Orange Business, but it has approached the challenge head-on.
“We were originally a traditional telco – we provided pure connectivity, globally, to hard-to-reach places,” Borthwick said. “That was our catchphrase: global presence with local leadership, local partnership.
“What we’re doing now is actually flipping the conversation and saying it’s not about the technology – we’re more interested in you and your business requirements.”
to make their sites run more smoothly.
“We can help our customers make better use of their data and keep an eye on cost,” Borthwick said.
“If a truck on a site has continuously broken down, for example, we can help companies get down to the granular level of why this keeps happening through our technology.
“We can help manage the cloud environment for customers and consult them about AI capabilities in a secure environment.
“We help them get hold of the data so they can make informed decisions at a broad level.
“In our space, we need to innovate to meet different business requirements as technology advances. We do that through new technology or services that deliver outcomes for our customers.
“But what does that deliver for the business? It delivers more budget that they can go and focus in on other areas. For example, they may choose to look into predictive AI, so they can start to predict maintenance for haul truck fleets or the likelihood of potholes for particular routes.”
The Orange network covers more than 220 countries and territories. With its teams present in 65 countries, the
and in Australia we’ve really doubled down on the mining and resources sector,” Borthwick said. “That may include a tailings dam solution, a completely customised global network, cybersecurity or integrating applications and services into existing IT systems.
“We’re moving into the systems integration space, rather than the oldschool version of people buying some internet from us.
“Yes, we have telco roots; however, we are now very much a digital service organisation partnering with our customers to deliver business outcomes.” AM
in iron ore may not translate to a machine operating in coal,” Geographe sales manager Matt McDonald told Australian Mining. “Machines have vastly different requirements due to the environment they work in. We consider this in all developments and actively engage our customers to help with the commercial viability of a product.”
Geographe’s brand has grown to include Specialised Tooling to aid in the installation and removal of components, as well as a fourth extension called Geographe Asset Optimisation.
Asset Optimisation employs a holistic approach to the entire maintenance
“In this approach, we work back from the customer’s safe work procedure, and in most cases attend a mine site to watch the maintenance task take place,” McDonald said. “This allows us to first understand what should occur, followed by what actually occurs. In a perfect world, there should be no variance in the two, but sometimes this isn’t the case.
“Being on-site allows us to solicit comment from the front-line workers and allows us to accommodate, where possible, their thoughts and ideas. We’ve found that discussions like these often lead us to the best user-friendly
practice that has been used over many years and widely accepted as a common maintenance practice to remove seized or stuck components.”
The Geographe Asset Optimisation team commenced the elimination of hot works and thermal lancing projects in 2019, engaging miners across Australia with the aim to understand problems and the appetite for change.
“It didn’t take long for our first project to kick off, where a large iron ore miner reached out to us to say that they were having trouble with the rear suspension pins and sway bars becoming seized on their Komatsu 830e fleet,” McDonald said. “In this instance, when thermal lancing is used, a single boilermaker can take five-to-eight hours to remove the two pins required to disconnect one rear suspension cylinder. This process can lead to prolonged downtime and subsequent decreases in productivity.”
In response, Geographe manufactured a specific Collated Pin Assembly (CPA).
The CPA eliminates the need for thermal lancing by addressing the root cause of seizure by incorporating a tapered collet system to create a self-wedging effect between the pin and frame bores. This fundamentally changes how the component is retained in position, supporting an in-built
removal method that removes pin seizures and the risk of thermal lancing from the maintenance task.
The CPAs were successfully trialled in a truck on a mine for over 12,000 hours.
“We looked to optimise the product a little further,” McDonald said. “In our first installation, we found areas for improvement so we made some changes to create the installation and removal tooling kit to suit the Komatsu 830e haul trucks. We are now rolling this out across multiple mine sites and working on several other developments for larger haul trucks.
“These types of products are what allow us to have business sustainability in the market. It’s what we’re good at and it’s what we’re designed to do.
“It’s why we all come to work; no one just wants to recreate the same thing day in, and day out. We want to innovate, and we want to make things better.
This commitment to innovation, according to innovation project manager Ryan Hyder, shows Geographe is a solution-based company.
“We want to be in relationships with our customers that allow us to produce a product that solution-based, solving safety and productivity issues,” Hyder told Australian Mining. “Creating a safer environment for people to work in.” AM
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The mining industry has never been more scrutinised, with stakeholders calling on the sector to operate more responsibly. It’s a matter of regulation, social trust
now leaving irresponsible miners out in the cold. The environmental, social and governance (ESG) movement is in full force, and wise mining companies are establishing dedicated divisions to improve their accountability and
One of these opportunities is a miner’s social license to operate, where companies are becoming more vigilant in terms of monitoring and improving their relationships with local communities to improve connections
To support miners on this journey, SRK Consulting has established its Project 4D data visualisation tool, which models potential environmental and safety risks on a mine site.
The tool projects data sets onto a 3D printed topography of a mine site and its surrounding environment, forecasting how potential risks such as floods, dam breaches or erosion could eventuate based on a mine’s unique topography.
For example, how quickly will floodwaters move given a site’s terrain? And how will this affect local communities adjacent to the mine?
With the help of Project 4D, communities can accurately understand the pace and nature of potential water run-off from a neighbouring mine and develop clear action plans if floods occur.
Until now, outputs such as this have typically been limited to static images on a PDF.
“Project 4D extracts more information from modelling than typical outputs,” SRK senior civil engineer Heather Thomson told Australian Mining
“We run dam breach models to simulate how tailings would flow out of a failing dam, and then typically extract particular data that a client might be interested in and present that in a report.
“With Project 4D, we can now clearly visualise the evolution of the dam breach over time rather than a simple static image.”
These outputs can then be clearly communicated with stakeholders.
“The Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) calls it ‘meaningful engagement’,” Thomson said.
“Engagement needs to be conducted in a way that everyone can understand – a mining company can’t just show stakeholders a technical report and expect them to know what they’re talking about.
“And with one of the core components of the GISTM being public disclosure, it’s not a guideline but a requirement that mining companies must disclose certain information.”
The GISTM was established in August 2020 following the Brumadinho dam failure that devastated communities adjacent to the Córrego do Feijão iron ore mine in Brazil.
Members of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) have until August this year to conform to the GISTM for tailings facilities with ‘extreme’ or ‘very high’ potential consequences. All other tailings facilities have until 2025 to conform.
Project 4D can help with GISTM compliance, enabling companies to visualise their tailings landscape and clearly and accurately communicate this information with their stakeholders.
Thomson explained the inspiration for Project 4D in more detail.
“Project 4D was just going to be something fun that we could take to conferences and have in our office to project multidisciplinary data sets, such as water, tailings, geotechnical data, closure data or environmental data,” she said. “Anything we could come up with, we could present on Project 4D.
“But after we got it up and running, everyone we’ve shown it to has come up with new data sets that can be added to it.
“So what started as a fun, engaging tool for conferences has become quite a powerful solution.”
One SRK client suggested Project 4D could be used for emergency response planning, while tailings deposition modelling has also been suggested as an idea. Thomson’s colleague and Project 4D partner Jason Beltran is harnessing the technology for mine closure modelling.
The beauty of Project 4D is that it can be easily adapted to a range of mining applications.
“As long as you have the data set, you can project anything. And there’s potential to further extend the solution,” Thomson said. “Someone had the idea
that project deliverables should come with a Project 4D file that you can plug into your model, which could be accessed on your computer or via an app to enable you to see the outcomes of your study.”
Project 4D may not only be the future of risk management and mine planning, but also the future of ESG and achieving social harmony with stakeholders.
It’s a simple, easy-to-understand tool with the potential to grow and evolve with the companies that use it, supporting smarter and more proactive mining operations in the process. AM
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The Olive Downs Complex is no small operation. Sitting in the heart of Queensland’s Bowen Basin – the coal-mining mecca of Australia’s east coast – this greenfield mine has a yield of up to 15 million tonnes of product per annum for steel production.
Located almost 40km south-east of Moranbah, the Olive Downs Complex is home to an open-cut metallurgical coal mine and a coal-handling and preparation plant. With approximately $1 billion having already been invested in the site, it’s estimated to deliver 500 construction jobs and 1000 operational jobs to Queensland.
There are also plans for an automated train-loading facility to be constructed, with the ability to load 10,000 trains.
A new rail spur will provide connection to the existing Norwich Park Branch Railway system for the transportation of coal product to the port facilities.
Coal will be transported to the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal for which capacity is secured for stage one of the project. Linear infrastructure corridors will provide for power, road, water and rail services to the project site.
The Olive Downs Complex has been wholly owned by Pembroke Resources since 2016, when the company acquired 100 per cent interest in Olive Downs South, which began construction in 2019, and Willunga, which will begin construction in 2027.
Olive Downs South and Willunga are both domains which make up the project, along with associated linear infrastructure corridors.
The operation of the Olive Downs Complex is made easy through Pembroke’s strong relationship with Thiess, Hastings Deering and Liebherr.
“Thiess is a Tier 1 mining contractor that has a lot of experience in mining, with strong foundations in safety, innovation and sustainability,” Pembroke Resources operations manager Jamie
Vaughan told Australian Mining. “They have a proven track record of success operating at large-scale operations in the Bowen Basin.
“Thiess is well positioned to continue to assist in the growth of the Olive Downs Complex.
“Hastings Deering and Liebherr have delivered new heavy earthmoving equipment on schedule to Thiess to enable the assembly and commissioning of the machinery on-site.
“The Thiess senior leadership team on-site has already delivered on achieving mobilisation milestones safely.”
Pembroke hired Thiess to deliver fullservice mining operations to the Olive Downs Complex.
These operations include mine planning, overburden removal, drill and blast, load and haul, water management, and rehabilitation, as well as the construction of mine infrastructure, and provision of all mobile plant and equipment. Thiess is also the statutory operator at the Olive Downs Complex.
Thiess general manager of mining
Vikesh Magan emphasised the strong working relationship between Thiess and Pembroke, highlighting their collaborative approach
and shared commitment to achieving sustainable outcomes.
“The partnership comes in many forms,” he told Australian Mining
“Pembroke Resources relies on us to optimise mining operations, including identifying optimal mining locations and implementing proven efficiencies to enhance safety, minimise environmental risk and achieve maximum productivity sooner.
“Pembroke supplies the core infrastructure, while Thiess provides the capital for mobile plant, along with the people, processes and equipment needed to deliver safe mining operations.”
Magan said Thiess and Hastings Deering are enabling autonomous operations at the Olive Downs Complex, which includes the supply of autonomous Cat 794 AC trucks.
Hastings Deering resource industries business manager Brad Scholz said the company has an obligation to meet strict deadlines at the Olive Downs Complex.
“Hastings Deering provides quality equipment to Thiess in line with production dates set by Pembroke Resources,” Scholz told Australian Mining
Not only do we supply the new equipment, we also carry out a pre-assembly at our Mackay and
Rockhampton business centres prior to the equipment being transported to site, where the final assembly and commissioning takes place.
“Once equipment is fully assembled, we then calibrate it and get the technologies, such as command for haulage and command for drilling, up and running.
According to Dean Morgan, Hastings Deering technology site performance manager, the benefits of automation spread far in the resources sector.
“Automation in mining enables a real step change in safety, productivity and efficiency,” he told “In fact, automation is the only system that eliminates risk to truck operators in the mining environment.”
Morgan said Caterpillar has more autonomous fleets throughout the world than any other original equipment manufacturer (OEM).
“Hastings Deering and Caterpillar provide a fully engineered end-to-end solution for all Cat equipment,” he said.
A wide array of Cat equipment will be used at the Olive Downs Complex, including the 15 Cat 794 AC trucks.
The truck also features an electric drive powertrain that Caterpillar has designed and integrated.
In addition, the Olive Downs
Morgan said Hastings Deering’s broader portfolio can also provide safety, productivity and efficiency.
“The results are game-changing,” he
And when it comes to the success of the Olive Downs Complex, relationships are key.
“Our relationship with Thiess has spanned a very long time,” Scholz said.
“We work well together, collaborate well and, at the end of the day, we try and put a solution in place for Thiess that’s going to meet their expectations, as well as their clients.
“Not only do we sell the equipment, but we also provide support through the life of the asset.
“We have product-support personnel on the ground at the Olive Downs Complex. If there’s any issues or concerns, we’re able to act swiftly to ensure we can get that product back to work.”
Scholz believes being involved with the Olive Downs Complex is a prime opportunity for Hastings Deering to display its autonomous trucks and blasthole drills.
“Olive Downs is going to be a flagship site because majority of the mobile fleet is part of the Caterpillar brand,” he said.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to be able to demonstrate and provide awareness far and wide as to what we’re capable of, (including) collaborating closely with our customers to ensure they are successful.” AM
FIVE YEARS AFTER THE COMPANY OFFICIALLY OPENED ITS DOORS, EACON MINING HAS MADE A NAME FOR ITSELF IN THE AUTONOMOUS DRIVING SOLUTIONS MARKET.
Eacon Mining was founded with a vision: making transportation easier.
Encompassing algorithms and software for autonomous driving, Eacon is responsible for the integration and commission of the whole autonomous driving solution, from start to finish.
The company has enjoyed a wellearned ride to the top since its opening, operating three mines in China and developing a fleet of over 70 autonomous trucks.
“As a new entrant in the industry without additional resources or project endorsements, we reached out to many mining enterprises to promote our autonomous driving solutions,” Eacon Mining director of overseas strategy Elaine Jin said.
“After a year of testing, debugging, refining and iterating our autonomous driving solutions, we succeeded in making one fleet of trucks that can perform all haulage tasks together with our dispatching platform.
“The fleet was deployed in a real mine site in 2020.”
After another two years of production and deploying its autonomous haulage fleet in China, Eacon decided to expand into the Australian market.
“Mining is a pillar industry in Australia, with vast opportunities for autonomous haulage,” Jin said. “Australia is at the forefront of autonomous haulage.
“There are also excellent mining schools in Australia that have trained outstanding engineers, so we have a strong confidence in the technical cooperation between the two countries.” Australia has hit the ground running when it comes to adopting autonomous haulage solutions, with entire mines
making the switch from traditional fleets to unmanned options.
Traditional mining trucks can be retrofitted with autonomous haulage technology, something that Eacon is particularly keen to do for Australian clients.
“The retrofit includes retrofitting the truck into a drive-by-wire version and the installation of autonomous driving software and hardware, collaborative systems for on-site mobile equipment, and cloud-based dispatching and management platforms,” Jin said.
“Our vehicle engineering team of over 30 people possesses experience in wholevehicle design and has successfully retrofitted over 200 mining trucks.
“In terms of safety, we have implemented complete fault-diagnosis strategies which monitor the vehicle’s status and initiate back-up activation, deacceleration, or braking procedures where necessary.”
Automation also comes with larger goals in mind. Reducing emissions and hitting net-zero by 2050 is a longterm goal for most companies, and Eacon is no different.
“It is crucial to replace fleets with zero-emissions trucks, because carbon emissions from haulage trucks account for 50 per cent of the overall Scope 1 emissions that come from mine sites,” Jin said. “Autonomous driving systems can be set up to ensure the truck takes the best route to reduce unnecessary travel time and avoids unnecessary braking, which will all help to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions.”
Having unmanned trucks on a mine site is a safer and more environmentally friendly than traditional fleets, while also helping to improve efficiency.
“Our solutions can adapt to various working environments, particularly
crowded sites and complex routes,” Jin said. “Using Eacon’s system, trucks can bypass or go over obstacles and will always adjust to the right of way based on its situation.
“The remote driving function also helps trucks out of trouble, which improves overall operational efficiency.”
With a mine’s permission, Eacon can use data gathered from the autonomous haulage trucks to improve future algorithms and boost productivity for the individual miner, or all mines depending on the terms.
Information on factors such as weight, material type, truck speed, and dumping cycle can be collected to help Eacon stay on top of its solutions. The data can also be used by the miner to check maintenance or servicing needs.
Now that it has amassed such an impressive portfolio in a short amount of time, what’s next for Eacon?
“Eacon’s goal is to be a top autonomous haulage company,” Jin said. “We hope that autonomous driving technology can be applied across the globe so all mines can benefit from it.
“We aim to do away with rigorous and harsh mining environments and make mining safer and more environmentally friendly.” AM
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Leading mining companies need the best in network infrastructure and data connectivity to ensure operations run smoothly. So when a large magnetite project in WA found itself needing reliable connectivity, it was only natural that Intellect Systems, the company responsible for delivering the integrated operational technology solution, turned to Moxa’s networking devices and technical know-how.
“We provided end-to-end operational technology solutions, and for the project this encompassed a large part of the communications, electrical and control systems infrastructure,” Intellect Systems managing director Jason Monzu said.
“We were also a key technology partner of choice for the systems integration component, which included the control systems software development, acceptance testing and commissioning.”
This was not the first time Intellect Systems had partnered with Moxa, a leading provider of industrial networking, computing and automation solutions.
“We’ve been working with the Moxa product for over a decade now, and over that time we have built a vast knowledge
base on how to specify, install and integrate their products,” Monzu said.
“We have a transparent and supportive relationship with the factory at Moxa as well as the local distribution channels.”
Moxa and Intellect Systems were joined were joined on the project by Colterlec, an electrical engineering distributor company.
“Moxa and Colterlec worked very closely to not only overcome any supply and demand challenges, but also any design changes,” Colterlec national general manager – Moxa Shahwar Khan said. “Intellect helped Colterlec with timely design changes, various approvals and providing new timelines.”
“It was important to accommodate the customer and contractor’s requirements of different models.
“Our planning and close coordination between Intellect Systems, Colterlec and Colterlec/Moxa made it possible to meet these deadlines.”
Colterlec also conducted a Moxa specialised network training for the end customer, consultants and the wider Intellect System team of engineers at its premises in Perth.
Moxa, which has been a trusted automation partner for the mining
industry for almost 20 years, understands the time constraints and strict requirements that a large project demands.
“Because of the scale of the project, we had a large amount of work to do in a short amount of time,” Monzu said. “We worked with Moxa to find innovative ways to deliver .
“We were in discussions very early in the project phase about how we could deliver the solutions in accordance with the mine’s schedule and meet the requirements of the project.
“It was a great opportunity to be involved in and, from a project point of view, see Moxa’s networking solutions bring value to the technology infrastructure and process.”
The project is one of the biggest magnetite resources in Australia. Development of the project was initiated in 2010, with first magnetite production commencing in May 2023.
There is little doubt the mine is one of the largest mining projects ever seen in Australia; up to May of 2023, the work hours at the operation stood at 20 million – before magnetite had even been produced.
In this type of large-scale mine, just a short window of downtime can be the difference between a productive quarter and a slow one.
Founded in 1987, Moxa has built its reputation in the industry through thousands of successful networking deployments and solid project collaboration with its partners and customers.
Larry Wang, Moxa sales manager of the Australia/New Zealand region, said one of the most important considerations of the installation was ensuring the system would work at all times, regardless of the pressures it is put under.
“The system needs to work 24–7 and have longevity,” Wang said. “When a company adopts a network solution, they want to use it for the next 10 to 15 years.
“Replacing a system every couple of years is a frustrating and unsustainable process.
“Moxa has a long history of providing network solutions that last. And we always have a team ready in case a company needs technical support or troubleshooting.”
In the current mining climate, pretty much everything from vehicles to safety systems runs automatically, and cybersecurity is also major concerns for operators in remote sites.
Moxa has been following the development of the IEC 62443 standard for more than six years and has designed its products in accordance with its guidelines.
“Our next-generation ethernet switches EDS-4000/G4000 series is the world’s first IEC 62443-4-2 certified networking devices by IECEE,” Wang said.
Recognised by IEC 62443-4-2 and IEC 62443-4-1 certifications, Moxa’s solutions aim to unite networking and operational technology (OT) cybersecurity with layered defence-indepth protection.
When stepping into digitalisation, connecting legacy devices is another challenge.
“In a way, we are not just providing a networking solution – we are also providing solutions for legacy devices that can connect an entire mine together,” Wang said.
“We provide comprehensive communication and connectivity solutions that meet a variety of connectivity requirements from edge to control sites to ensure we keep the production efficient in every processing step.” AM
MATRIX DESIGN GROUP’S IECEX-CERTIFIED INTELLIZONE PROXIMITY DETECTION SYSTEM ENRICHES THE SAFETY OF MINERS WITHOUT COMPROMISING PRODUCTIVITY LEVELS.
The mining industry continues to evolve in response to a variety of changes in technology, and workplace safety should always be at the forefront of that growth.
With headquarters in the US, as well as Australian offices in Queensland and New South Wales, Matrix Design Group provides its underground mining customers with sophisticated safety solutions that include the award-winning IntelliZone proximitydetection system (PDS).
The IntelliZone PDS, which features Matrix Design Group’s patented SharpZone technology, is designed for use on various types of underground mobile equipment, allowing users to create multiple customisable zones, such as caution, shutdown and operator zones.
IntelliZone technology detects workers in low-visibility or obscured line-of-sight locations with zones automatically extending or contracting based on mobile equipment speed.
It has been fully IECEx-certified (International Electrotechnical Commission explosive atmospheres) for underground coal in Australia since 2018.
The system has been a genuine success, with Matrix winning the 2021 US National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety’s Mine Safety and Health Technology Innovation Award for its enhanced IntelliZone system, which is now standard on the PDS.
zones that are for high-interference environments.
“We can create a safe zone or an operator zone within a no-go zone, all done through software, requiring no additional hardware. IntelliZone can even create zones off of the machine, should an application arise,” De Klerk told Australian Mining.
“IntelliZone also has the ability to change the shape or the size of the zones dynamically with inputs from the machine. We can extend or reduce the zone for the machine’s direction of travel with a speed input, for example, or enable custom zones for various modes of operation, such as tramming, cutting and bolting.
“The more machine inputs we have, the more customisation we can do.”
“With our ability to shape the zones, there are less inadvertent stops to the machine, which allows for continuous production,” Chitwood said. “This allows a site to stay operating longer without people having to get in the way.”
IntelliZone integrates especially well with various types of underground mobile equipment, Chitwood said, and its installation techniques are accessible and easy to understand.
“Unlike competitors, IntelliZone’s design and compensation process allow IntelliZone equipment to be installed inside the body of the machine.” he said. “This process reduces exposure to system-critical components, making for a more seamless integration.”
According to Matrix Design Group Australia and New Zealand general manager Pieter De Klerk, IntelliZone is among the most unique digital safety solution on the market due to the different dynamic zones it can create.
IntelliZone can create sharp zones that are highly customisable and radial
Matrix vice president of international operations Wes Chitwood told Australian Mining that the IntelliZone is the most implemented PDS solution in the US, with a market share of approximately 90 per cent, which he believes demonstrates IntelliZone’s adaptability and is evidence of its reliability and repeatability.
De Klerk said the limited downtime associated with the IntelliZone is due to the way the equipment is designed – it is commissioned through software rather than hardware.
“The mechanical protection we implement is only part of the low downtimes widely associated with IntelliZone,” he said. “The software configurations are stored on the machine so that if critical components are changed, no additional configurations
WITH OUR ABILITY TO SHAPE THE ZONES, THERE ARE LESS INADVERTENT STOPS TO THE MACHINE, WHICH ALLOWS FOR CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION.”THE INTELLIZONE ALLOWS USERS TO CREATE CUSTOMISABLE ZONES IN AN UNDERGROUND MINING ENVIRONMENT.
are required … it’s plug and play, so to speak.
“We don’t have to recalibrate the magnetic output from a replaced electromagnetic field driver or reset zones, for example. This isn’t the
case with competitive systems, which require physical recalibration of zones, costing downtime and zone inconsistencies.”
Another appealing feature of the IntelliZone is its rich data log, which
can provide detailed insights into a mining operation’s downtime and uptime.
“We create and collect hundreds, sometimes thousands, of data points from the system,” Chitwood said.
“Then we can give detail reports back to the customer, providing unmatched insights into events.
“We can even give customers a graphical animation of where personal wearable devices were around the machine at the time an event happened.
“Every time that locator moves, we’re collecting hundreds of data points per minute. We can tell where it moved in relation to the machine.”
The recorded data can be used to train personnel on best practices in an effort to prevent future accidents from happening and to learn from any accidents that have already taken place.
“Mine operators will have a look at the data from the previous days and weeks and see where personnel have breached zones, providing insights into what was previously operationally unknown,” De Klerk said.
“They use that data to update their site-specific procedures for safety, and operative procedures as well.”
On top of lower costs, less maintenance and limited downtime, IntelliZone from Matrix Design Group is easy to configure, while the solution’s relatively simple componentry is designed to enable repairs to be easily made by a mine’s on-site personnel.
“IntelliZone has less downtime and failures but also best in-class service and support,” Chitwood said. “Because of this, the total cost of ownership is lower and the impact to production is at an absolute minimum.” AM
When Orica chief executive officer Sanjeev Gandhi spoke at a Melbourne Mining Club luncheon in early June, he discussed the company’s commitment to enabling decarbonisation through innovation.
“Our purpose is to sustainably mobilise the earth’s resources,” he said. “Put simply, how can we help our customers responsibly extract the resources critical to supporting a better future for us all?”
Having supported the Australian resources industry with commercial explosives and blasting solutions for over a century, Orica has a unique opportunity to incite the industry’s new frontier – where digitalisation, automation and electrification are the key change-drivers.
It has historically been difficult to control the outcomes of a blast, leading to potential ore loss and dilution, but Orica has developed a
suite of solutions designed to put this quandary to bed. The OREPro 3D Predict and FRAGTrack digital blasting solutions can support improved pre-blast preparation and post-blast analysis and planning, ensuring customers get the most out of every blast, leading to better outcomes downstream.
“Before the ore gets to the crusher and subsequent downstream processes, we want it to be at a particle size distribution (PSD) level where it maximises the throughput for our customers,” Orica senior manager –AusPac digital solutions David Reyes told Australian Mining.
“So what we’re doing is providing customers with access to controlled variants as available within the operational workflow. This ensures they can process more tonnes with the same inputs of energy, water and diesel.”
OREPro is a software application that accurately models blast movement without hardware or surveys, supporting iterative blast design and improved grade control.
Orica senior manager – digital products Matthew Craft explained the solution in more detail.
“Historically, ore and blast movement has been reactively measured and modelled,” he told Australian Mining “What we wanted to do with OREPro was move towards a predictive and estimation state so we can forecast what will happen when a blast occurs.”
“OREPro enables us to pull levers and run scenarios to forecast blast performance.
“Explosives are chaotic by nature; however, there are factors that can be controlled. So we want to predict what will happen and then adjust to get a tailored outcome.”
Craft said the ability to predict a blast “opens up a multitude of other doors”.
“If we can forecast, we can optimise for the preferred outcome,” he said.
A COMPUTER-SCIENCE REVOLUTION IS ENABLING ORICA TO CONQUER OPERATIONAL PROBLEMS CUSTOMERS HAD BEEN WRESTLING WITH FOR DECADES.OREPRO 3D PREDICT IS A SOFTWARE APPLICATION THAT ACCURATELY MODELS BLAST MOVEMENT WITHOUT HARDWARE OR SURVEYS. FRAGTRACK GANTRY ANALYSES A LOAD BEING CARRIED BY A HAUL TRUCK.
“Then we can start to play around with intelligent blast design, optimisation, and things like artificial intelligence (AI), where we have an automated prescriptive data analytics capability.”
Through OREPro, mining companies and contractors can achieve the specific blasting outcomes they desire, while having the ability to plan blasts more readily and prepare downstream operations accordingly.
Reyes said Orica’s digital solutions –including OREPro – are creating new workflows and concepts that customers could not previously access.
“Customers now have the computing power to model a full blast in a couple of minutes, or even seconds, depending on the size of the blast,” he said.
“Geology and drill-and-blast teams can now have a back-and-forth interaction, where the two can quickly communicate and agree on the best blast outcome or what the parameters need to be.
“This couldn’t happen in the past because it would take hours, even weeks, to run blasts with previous technologies. So we’re creating new collaboration workflows to really strive for the best possible outcomes for what is a chaotic event.”
OREPro 3D Predict is complemented by Orica’s globally recognised FRAGTrack technology, an automation fragmentation measurement tool designed to provide rapid insights into blast outcomes, including for downstream applications.
FRAGTrack has been used to support fragmentation measurements for shovels, haul trucks, loaders and conveyors, where the optimisation of factors such as particle size distribution is key to the efficiency of mining plant.
As one of Orica’s most trusted technologies, FRAGTrack has evolved from being a historical analysis tool that enabled operators to reflect on blast performance and develop related strategies, to what is now a realtime solution.
“We’ve turned FRAGTrack into a technology that autonomously triggers and processes fragmentation samples without having an impact on the haulage operation,” Reyes said.
“New developed extensions such as FRAGTrack Gantry, where a haul truck carrying blasted material drives under a gantry-mounted machine vision system. This not only captures and develops an automated profile of fragmentation, giving us accurate and quantifiable feedback of blast performance, but it also detects oversize in real-time.”
Orica has seen operators experience significant downtime due to oversized blast fragmentations blocking and jamming crushers.
“This refreshed version of FRAGTrack now gives us both the historical analysis and the real-time alerts, tapping into the operational needs of the mine,” Reyes said.
“We’re not only evaluating what the previous blast’s performance was, but also ensuring our customers don’t
experience any crusher downtime, which can have significant economic impacts due to lost productivity.”
Advances in computer science are inspiring a technology revolution, and this has supported the evolution of FRAGTrack to be the multi-faceted solution it is today. It has also enabled Orica to become a globally recognised technology pioneer.
But the job’s not done yet.
“The computer-science revolution has seen the emergence of capabilities such as practical AI and cloud compute,” Craft said.
“This is what we’re trying to apply to the mining market.
“We’re interested in pioneering technology that helps solve age-old problems. Blast movement has been an issue for years and high-volume fragmentation data has been a desire for decades.
“It’s only now that we have the computing power to solve these problems in practical ways.
“Blast movement and fragmentation modelling has been possible in the past, but it’s never been practical. But with high-volume, high-resolution datasets now available due to modern technology capabilities, this is enabling Orica to conquer problems customers had previously wrestled with for decades.” AM
FORTY-FIVE YEARS AFTER ITS INCEPTION, CSE UNISERVE CONTINUES TO ADDRESS CHALLENGES FACING THE MINING INDUSTRY, UNVEILING TAILORED BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE AND CONTROL SOLUTIONS.
Alot can be achieved in 45 years.
In the case of CSE Uniserve, the company spent its time since 1978 providing high-quality engineering design services, support, and technically advanced products and systems to mining sites across Australia.
And the CSE Global company isn’t slowing down any time soon, as evidenced by the introduction of its new battery energy storage and control solutions. A battery energy storage system (BESS) refers to a device that enables energy such as solar power to be stored and later released when it is needed to fuel heavy machinery.
As the world transitions to green energy, mining operations will be at the front of the line for technology that will aid in facilitating that change.
This is where CSE Uniserve’s local expertise and tailored solutions, created in partnership with IndriveTec and Wolong, will be especially useful.
The BESS range consists of four key systems, starting with the fact a customer can buy either the single container or dual containers.
Both are compact and versatile and come with an enclosure, inverter, battery system, energy management system, and CSE Uniserve’s control solution.
Along with the BESS containers, CSE Uniserve’s IndriveTec FlexConvert power control system (PCS) is a flexible power-conversion system for energy storage designed to help operations save on fuel costs, which are currently rising higher than ever.
To enhance the BESS, CSE Uniserve’s specialist engineers integrate intelligent controls to monitor, forecast load, control, and optimise the performance.
In providing this service, CSE Uniserve ensures security and helps reduce CO2 emissions, fuel and maintenance costs to provide a comprehensive solution.
The battery energy storage and control solutions from CSE Uniserve offer a number of additional positive outcomes for customers, such as reduced fuel dependency and costs, continuous power supply and peak lopping.
According to CSE Uniserve major
BACKED BY MORE THAN 130 YEARS’ MINING INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE, ABB IS FINDING NEW, MORE ACCESSIBLE
he mining industry is rapidly advancing to meet performance expectations and competitive pressures. Companies are finding innovative ways to improve efficiency, increase output, and enhance
By completing a task faster and using fewer resources, miners can emit fewer greenhouse gases and limit costs, supporting bottom lines and capital
The need for efficiency has never been more multi-faceted, and digitalisation has opened the door to new ways of unlocking productivity while
However, implementing a digital transformation is a process that takes time and can be daunting for some mining companies. Sanjit Shewale, global head of ABB’s Digital for the Process Industries division, acknowledges the challenges companies
face in adopting digital technologies.
“Since the mid-2010s, the digital transformation has undergone cycles, prompting some companies in the mining industry to adopt a wait-andsee approach for stabilisation,” Shewale told Australian Mining. “The process can be overwhelming, and previous attempts, like pilot projects, that didn’t yield desired results have left companies lacking confidence. However, those experiences belong to the past.”
To simplify the digital transformation process, Shewale emphasises the importance of patience.
“The biggest problem in a digital transformation is the change management process within a company, and you need to show some success,” he said. “So you need to start small; you need to prove something out, show the success and ride the wave of that success.”
ABB leverages its more than 130 years of experience in the mining industry to
DIGITALISATION AVENUES FOR ITS CUSTOMERS.THE ABB ABILITY OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. GLOBAL HEAD OF ABB’S DIGITAL FOR THE PROCESS INDUSTRIES DIVISION, SANJIT SHEWALE.
provide electrification, automation and digitalisation solutions.
The company’s digital transformation blueprint is built on five value pillars: sustainability, asset performance management, process performance, operational excellence, and a connected workforce, focusing on cybersecurity across the five value pillars.
ABB’s solutions are accessible to both large and small mining companies, enabling them to embrace a digital transformation. Shewale advises mapping out a digital transformation roadmap once initial successes are achieved and change management processes are embraced.
“In the last few years, we’ve seen successful implementations of digital transformations, and within the mining industry, we implement a proper roadmap with our customers,” he said.
A digital transformation roadmap helps visualise the transition in stages and provides a clear path for companies to follow.
Starting with data, companies need to ensure they have relevant data that reflects the right understanding of realworld applications. Understanding the operational landscape and integration points is crucial for successful implementation.
Shewale said the data needs to “speak the language of the mining operators” where it can be easily understood on the ground. Then a company must understand its operational landscape and integration points.
“There are many different systems on one site, and there are integrations – some might be homegrown solutions, some might be from ABB or another vendor, incorporating many different systems and applications,” Shewale said.
“What further complicates it is when you take that same company but a different site, and the company has procured another application from another vendor,” Shewale said. “When corporations try to standardise, it becomes challenging when different sites have different applications.
“It’s important that first, a company needs to define what data they want. Then they need to map out their landscape and integration points, which can lead to an overview of a site highlighting low-hanging fruit, which is easier to work on first. You start there,
initiatives.
“If I go back about five years, for example, there were substantial initiatives – an asset performance management (APM) solution across a significant number of a company’s assets, for example,” he said. “Today, that one APM deployment years ago may have turned into 10-to-20 different use cases where a single use case would be for a set of critical assets for a specific process.
“You may have a roadmap with a series of use cases – this ties back to starting small and showing success, and
Shewale said a digital transformation doesn’t have a start and an end; instead, it is a continuous journey that becomes the nature of the business.
“You get the roadmap in place, analyse use cases, work on high-value projects first, and then as you get confidence, you start incorporating your roadmap into larger projects,” he said. “You can continue to build on your applications as technology keeps evolving.”
Having successfully delivered digital transformations for mining customers, ABB has a proven method to get customers where they need to go. And
DECODA’S LATEST DIGITAL SYSTEM IS CHANGING THE WAY ALL ASPECTS OF A MINING VALUE CHAIN COLLABORATE TO GET THE BEST OUTCOMES.
An Integrated Performance Management (IPM) solution may sound complicated, but Decoda’s new system has made it easy for mines to get the most out of their operations.
Decoda IPM’s specifically designed software allows operators to visualise their mine value chain as a cohesive system, reducing financial risks and becoming a single source of truth, pinpointing exactly where any drops in productivity are occurring.
“IPM is a set of tools and processes that help mining companies close any performance gaps between what is actually being delivered and what the potential is,” Decoda chief technical officer Ian Hollingworth told Australian Mining
“It collects data from various systems used in day-to-day operations and allows different parts of the mining operation to understand what is driving performance.”
There are a number of reasons a mine might experience a drop in productivity. Human aspects such as a limited understanding of the factors that drive overall system performance can contribute, as can inadequate appreciation of the risks
that are inherent to mine plans and schedules.
But the overarching reason a mine might not be producing to its best potential is invariably a lack of collaboration across related aspects of the operation. And that’s where Decoda IPM can really shine.
“If your end-to-end process is complicated and difficult to manage, then it’s natural to break it up into different operational and functional silos,” Hollingworth said.
“But the only way we can get a system that is adaptive and will change to unexpected events is to have collaboration between the different parts of the system. And that typically is not what happens now.
“So we’re seeing a sort of chasm between the planning people and production, different aspects of production, and so on; (and) because of this, a lot of mine plans aren’t met – and people ask why.
“IPM provides a mechanism to show operators what was planned to happen and what actually did happen, and it shows why and where the change occurred.”
Decoda IPM is designed to foster that all-important collaboration between the planning, production and maintenance departments.
With its simulation capacity, the system can give teams insights on the likelihood of achieving their targets based on historical performance, aligning all teams to an established common goal.
“Generally speaking, mining is a difficult operation to control tightly,” Hollingworth said.
“You have staff turnover, geological uncertainty, the need to extract and manipulate solid materials, deep market cycles, and these all contribute to a greater propensity to experience variations in performance (compared with other industries).
“Uncertainty about the fine-grained geology of a mining operation makes things difficult to predict and plan, and you’re extracting and manipulating large amounts of solid material in a way that is very hard to control in a fully automated fashion.
“Good progress is being made to move toward fully automated operating equipment for some aspects of mining, but there’s certainly no end-to-end automation.”
Decoda IPM aims to shift the burden off mining companies when it comes to understanding end-to-end performance by systematically recording shift events in overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) terms, highlighting discrepancies
between actual and planned outcomes and their subsequent downstream impacts.
This information is extremely valuable as it enables supervisors and managers to address performance gaps through targeted improvements, better aligning planning assumptions with actual capabilities, or a combination of both.
“It’s fairly normal for a mine to achieve productivity levels of 20–40 per cent below their best potential,” Hollingworth said. “That’s a big gap compared with other industries.”
Decoda is currently testing the IPM with a pilot customer and is hoping to deploy the IPM across many more mine sites in time.
“While we are in the very early days of trialling Decoda IPM, we have spoken to various companies and industry veterans to really make sure that the way IPM works makes sense,” Hollingworth said.
“It really is a new category of system, so we made sure to get that feedback from the industry.
“At the moment, there are a lot of tensions and differences in perspectives across the mining value chain on every site. We’re seeking to change that through Decoda IPM while hopefully helping operations become more efficient, productive and collaborative.” AM
BlastWeb is designed to enable the modern miner to digitally command blasting operations from a central point and give the user the ability to control important functions such as ventilation, vibration, seismicity and shift patterns. AECI Mining Explosives made the system flexible to allow the safe initiation of electronic as well as shock tube systems.
WHEN DENDRA SYSTEMS RECENTLY SPONSORED A CPPA EVENT EXPLORING THE MINING INDUSTRY’S ENVIRONMENTAL FUTURE, AUSTRALIAN MINING WAS ON HAND TO DOCUMENT THE KEY TAKEAWAYS.
Queensland has long been a bastion of Australia’s mining industry, supplying key materials for the world’s continued development and industrialisation. And with any mining activity come legacies, as well as the responsibility for companies and stakeholders to prepare sites for life after mining.
Queensland has an established workforce dedicated to supporting the state’s mine closure and rehabilitation practices. Financially backed by the Queensland Treasury and the financial provisioning scheme (FPS), the workforce involves practical and technical support from the Department of Resources.
Dendra is also a key player in Queensland’s mine remediation, providing technology, data and domain expertise to accelerate and smarten ecosystem analysis.
The environmental technology company leverages its timely and actionable ecosystem insights to develop restoration strategies for relevant stakeholders.
Dendra Systems was recently joined by the Queensland Treasury and Department of Resources at a networking event run by the CPPA (Closure Planning Practitioners Association) in Brisbane, where three speakers discussed the current state of play for mine remediation and abandoned mines management in the state.
The financial provisioning scheme commenced in April 2019 to manage Queensland’s financial risk and exposure to resource projects that have not complied with their environmental management and rehabilitation obligations.
The FPS provides a source of funds to the Department of Resources to carry out rehabilitation projects, remediation activities and research –this is what we know as the financial provisioning fund.
Queensland Treasury’s acting scheme manager for the FPS, Peter Fox, discussed the nuts and bolts of the scheme, while executive director technical services at the Department of Resources, Andrew Grabski, elaborated on how the state is implementing FPS funds.
Three FPS-funded projects include the Jumna, Golden Gate and Chariah tailings storage facilities.
“We were allocated $2 million out of the financial provisioning scheme in 2022, which we directed to three separate tailings storage facilities,” Grabski said.
“Jumna is an old reef tin mining processing facility with quite a large tailings dam, as well as acid mine drainage, heavy metals and various other things.
“We have allocated $1 million to this project, where we’re undertaking all the necessary investigations to come up with a concept of engineering to apply for further funds to fully decommission the tailings facility.”
The Department of Resources has allotted the remaining $1 million of its FPS budget to assess and remediate the Golden Gate and Chariah tailings storage facilities.
“Golden Gate is a fairly large gold mine and tailings dam near Croydon (in western Queensland),” Grabski said.
“There are significant problems (there), including with existing decommissioning works, so half a million dollars will be used to undertake investigations to understand the cause of the remediation failure and develop detailed designs to rectify the issues.
done on Chariah’s tailings dam, but there is still a large adjacent footprint where tailings, process water and other contaminants are present.
The Department of Resources has allocated $500,000 from the FPS to explore options to remediate contaminated material downstream from the rehabilitated Chariah tailings storage facility.
Beyond its FPS-funded projects, the Department of Resources has had some wins elsewhere as part of its Abandoned Mines Lands Program (AMLP).
This includes the Goondicum remediation project near Monto, northwest of Brisbane, which was abandoned in October 2020. Goondicum was an ilmenite mine located in the headwaters of the Burnett River.
“The Burnett River is quite a sensitive catchment, and the Goondicum mine was left in a pretty poor state with remnants of various gear, instability around pipes and heavily erodible material,” Grabski said. “So we carried out lots of initial care and maintenance and did plenty of work with the landowner. There was some fantastic work done by the team to get the site under control.
“As for Chariah, this is another tailings facility near Charters Towers (south-west of Townsville), which has acid mine drainage, heavy metals and various other problems in relation to nearby creeks and waterways.”
Grabski said there has been a significant amount of rehabilitation
“We also dealt with on-site infrastructure, and then progressively moved towards what we call the rehabilitation of the eastern domain.
“We got this project done in a couple of years.”
Another successful project was the Collingwood tin remediation project near Cooktown in far north Queensland,
THE BURNETT RIVER IS QUITE A SENSITIVE CATCHMENT, AND THE GOONDICUM MINE WAS LEFT IN A PRETTY POOR STATE WITH REMNANTS OF VARIOUS GEAR, INSTABILITY AROUND PIPES AND HEAVILY ERODIBLE MATERIAL.”DENDRA PROVIDES TECHNOLOGY, DATA AND DOMAIN EXPERTISE TO SUPPORT QUEENSLAND’S MINE REMEDIATION PROJECTS.
which was abandoned in 2015 and transferred to the Department of Resources in 2017.
This site was successfully rehabilitated in recent years and saw the restoration of traditional lands for subsequent use by the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people and local communities.
“All of the rehabilitation was done in consultation with the Traditional Owners, which is the Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation, and then a sub-committee of elders which signed off on the closure plan for that site,” Grabski said.
Located adjacent to the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, the Collingwood remediation project saw contaminated water storages removed and contaminated mine waste materials capped, with 87 per cent of project expenditure going to local and regionally based businesses, 62 per cent of which were Indigenous-owned companies.
“It was very significant for us to work so closely with the Aboriginal people up there,” Grabski said. “It was important to ensure the safety of the site for the Traditional Owners and the local
communities, and to protect sensitive receptors such as the Annam River.”
Dendra – which has been a key contributor to Queensland mine remediation projects like Goondicum and Collingwood in recent years –has unlocked new techniques and capabilities for ecosystem restoration.
Dendra regional sales manager Rhonda Bulmer explained the company’s offerings in more detail at the CPPA networking event.
“We have a wide range of capabilities to help our customers achieve their rehabilitation goals,” she said. “We do this through a unique remote sensing data collection, which we couple with AI and a technology-led approach.
“This enables us to deliver more successful mine rehabilitation outcomes for our customers.”
Bulmer said stakeholders, now more than ever, need actionable information to be able to make informed business decisions. This is where technology is critical.
“Some key environmental technology outcomes that Dendra provides, such as trend metrics, intervention management,
ecology-aware machine learning and automation, each of these supports the abandoned mines program in Queensland,” she said.
“We support our customers by becoming a partner, meaning we actively collaborate with them to achieve end results. Our technology can enable customers to generate information to prepare regulatory reports, while allowing them to monitor their operations accurately and coherently in real-time.
“We’re able to collect tens of thousands of hectares of actionable information, which can be quickly digested and allow stakeholders to put their attention where it needs to go.
“This supports better insights, more targeted interventions and also significantly reduces costs, which we know is a big factor in the choices needed to be made in the environment.”
Bulmer said Dendra’s holistic suite of technology offerings support more effective mine rehabilitation at a lower cost.
“We understand the challenges abandoned mines face,” she said.
“But through the information we collect through our closure criteria and progressive rehabilitation practices, all the services we offer support a collaborative remediation process to ensure the best outcomes for all stakeholders.”
Through the collaborative work of the Queensland Treasury, Department of Resources and environmental technology innovators such as Dendra, Queensland has developed a focused approach to remediating the state’s abandoned mines and strategising for future mine closures.
So the industry can likely expect plenty more mine rehabilitation wins to come out of Queensland in the years to come. AM
REVEGETATING A HISTORIC MINING AREA MAY SEEM LIKE A DAUNTING TASK, BUT FOR GLOBAL SOIL SYSTEMS IT WAS AN EXCITING CHALLENGE.
With more than 15 years of experience in hydromulching and revegetation, James Nebauer is not one to shy away from a professional challenge.
So when Glencore approached the Global Soil Systems general manager to assist with revegetation works at its Liddell Open Cut operation in the Hunter Valley, New south Wales, Nebauer was only too happy to help.
“We’ve been working with Glencore for many years now,” he told Australian Mining. “The Mountain Block at the Liddell operation was one of the bigger projects we’ve worked on, and one that required a lot of input.
“We were one of the first revegetation specialists in the Hunter Valley and we’ve worked on pretty much every coal mine in New South Wales at some point in time.”
The Mountain Block is a historic mining area set on a steep hillside within Liddell Open Cut. The area had experienced erosion over time and required revegetation.
The challenging landscape of the Mountain Block meant Global Soil Systems had to get creative in its revegetation solutions.
In order to reach the area’s steeper slopes, the company developed a new process of aerial hydromulching, using a helicopter to apply hydromulch on the areas inaccessible by truck.
“The most challenging aspect was the size and scale of the job,” Nebauer said. “In some areas, steep slopes meant there was limited access to complete the work.
“But that gave us the most rewarding part of the job, which was the opportunity to innovate and develop a new method of application.”
Where accessible, the slopes were hydromulched using Global Soil Systems’ custom-built hydroseeder, purpose-built for working on mine sites.
Incorporating fertiliser and a tailored pasture mixture, the hydromulch was applied at a rate of five tonnes per hectare to provide surface stabilisation across the slopes.
Global Soil Systems also aerially applied liquid gypsum. Sprayed over the landscape, liquid gypsum improves structure and addresses issues associated with dispersive soils such as erosion.
Along with the helicopter, Global Soil Systems used multiple hydroseeders,
loaders and a recirculating pump system to complete the job.
“Due to the scale of the project, it was a logistical challenge to coordinate materials and machinery,” Nebauer said.
“Extensive testing with the helicopter was conducted to ensure we were able to provide even coverage
with Liddell Open Cut to develop an operations procedure and conduct extensive risk assessments to ensure safety. The operations procedure was the first of its kind in the Hunter Valley.
“Seeing all of our work come to fruition at the end of the project was a great moment,” Nebauer said.
“We had a very successful result both for Glencore and for us at the end, and that was the most important thing.
“We have pioneered quite a few different methods and techniques over the years and the relationships that we have built over time have also been special to us.
“We really take the time to make sure each job is done correctly, and we ensure that everyone in our team is across every aspect of the project.
“Our attention to detail and passion for our work is what enables us to consistently deliver positive environmental outcomes.” AM
IMPACT AND SLIDING WEAR ARE CONSTANT CHALLENGES WHEN HANDLING ABRASIVE AND CORROSIVE MATERIALS, BUT THEJO ENGINEERING’S RHINOCER-HD LINERS ARE CHANGING THE GAME.
Moulded with rubber or polyurethane, RHINOCERHD impact- and wear-resistant ceramic liners offer heightened performance, extended lifespan, enhanced safety, and numerous environmental, social and governance (ESG) benefits.
Impact- and wear-resistant ceramic liners find wide applications across various industries, including mining, mineral processing, cement production, power generation and steel manufacturing.
They are used to line chutes, hoppers, conveyor systems, transfer points and other high-wear zones where bulk materials flow or encounter impact. These liners provide a high level of protection against abrasive and high-impact forces, helping to ensure extended equipment life and reduced maintenance downtime.
Mining is no doubt a demanding industry, but the wear resistance of RHINOCER-HD liners allows them to withstand even the most rugged operating conditions, ensuring prolonged service life and reduced replacement costs.
Combining ceramic tiles with rubber or polyurethane provides heightened impact resistance, absorbing and dissipating impact energy, preventing
material degradation, and minimising the risk of equipment damage.
RHINOCER-HD liners are designed to last, with the ceramic block ensuring that five surfaces of ceramic elements are well bonded with the polymer, further ensuring a good chemical bond that allows the wear panel to stay intact through the entire lifespan.
The liners are also significantly lighter when compared to traditional steel liners, reducing equipment strain and enabling safe and easy installation and maintenance.
Holding the entire wear matrix in position, the steel back plate on the RHINOCER-HD liners ensures mining operations aren’t plagued by unnecessary replacements from cracking or breaking.
The implementation of ceramic liners improves workplace safety by minimising the risk of equipment failure, unplanned downtime, and personnel injuries caused by material spillage and blockages.
The strong wear resistance and impact absorption capabilities enables RHINOCER-HD liners to contribute to a safer working environment by way of reducing inspection and maintenance intervals.
The combination of ceramic with rubber or polyurethane dampens
In addition, the lighter weight of the ceramic liners helps to minimise energy consumption during transportation and installation.
Manufacturing ceramic liners moulded with rubber or polyurethane is a complex and precise process that requires specialised equipment and skills.
The process starts with the selection of high-quality ceramic tiles that are engineered to a specific size and shape for an application. The tiles are then bonded to a rubber or polyurethane matrix using a proprietary manufacturing system that ensures a strong and durable bond between the ceramic and matrix.
The resulting liner is then subjected to a quality-control process to ensure it meets the required standards before it is shipped to the customer.
RHINOCER-HD liners offer multiple benefits that go beyond safety and ESG concerns. For example, their long lifespan reduces maintenance costs and downtime associated with frequent liner replacements.
By reducing material build-up, the liners also improve material flow
and minimise blockages, resulting in improved operational efficiency and increased throughput.
A consistent material flow translates to improved product quality, which allows a mine to get more for its hard work while preventing contamination or degradation during handling and transfers.
RHINOCER-HD liners can also be customised to suit specific equipment, ensuring mines can benefit from their use.
According to Thejo, the advent of its RHINOCER-HD ceramic liners marks a significant advancement in wearprotection technology.
“With their exceptional wear and impact resistance, reduced material build-up, enhanced safety features, and various ESG benefits, these liners provide superior performance and cost savings for industries handling abrasive materials,” the company said.
“By extending equipment life, enhancing efficiency, and promoting a safer and more sustainable work environment, these ceramic liners are revolutionising wear protection solutions across various industrial sectors, especially the mining industry.” AM
AIMEX is the destination for the mining sector to collaborate and hear from industry thought leaders. AIMEX provides an unmatched opportunity to connect and do business with some of the best mining suppliers from around the world, while sourcing solutions to boost productivity and meet sustainability goals. New at AIMEX this year are the Transformative Technology Pavilion and the Decarbonisation Zone.
industry connections 6,000+ local and international suppliers
250+ expert speakers 50+
Aproud Gija woman, Kia Dowell is dedicated to working towards a better future for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Dowell will take the stage at AusIMM’s Life of Mine Conference, to be held in Brisbane from August 2–4.
The Life of Mine Conference addresses current and future challenges that impact the mining value chain, presenting leading examples of sustainability in mining and showcasing the industry’s latest innovations.
One of the seven experts who will be presenting keynotes at the conference, Dowell will share her experience working as chair of Gelganyem Limited.
Gelganyem manages the Sustainability Fund and the Law and Culture Fund under the Argyle Participation Agreement on behalf of the Traditional Owners and businesses.
The Argyle Participation Agreement concerns the Argyle diamond mine in WA, owned by Rio Tinto, which was in production for almost 40 years before it shut its doors in November 2020.
In September 2004, the Miriuwung, Gija, Malgnin and Wularr Traditional Owners and Rio Tinto signed a participation agreement that recognises Traditional Owners as the landlords of the mining lease, establishing a long-term relationship between the parties.
“My family saw me as someone who could represent our collective voices and also ensure that any concerns or ideas are carried forward in a respectful way through our role as custodians of that site,” Dowell told Australian Mining
“I was first nominated to the board five years ago and, to my surprise, I was appointed as both a director and as chair on the same day.”
Having been chair of Gelganyem when Argyle was shuttered, Dowell has first-hand experience with the life and closure of a mine. She counts the developing relationship between Gelganyem and Rio as one of the proudest moments of her career.
“One of the most empowering parts of being chair of Gelganyem Limited has been strengthening our relationship and seeing how that is playing out as
the rehabilitation of Argyle continues,” Dowell said.
While Dowell’s speech at the Life of Mine Conference will not focus primarily on Argyle, she will discuss her experience working with key industry players to deliver successful mine closures in partnership.
“I really want my speech to be an invitation to the sector, the regulators and other Traditional Owner groups to both co-design and deliver really good mind closures,” Dowell said.
“Mine closures shouldn’t be thought of just at the end of a mine’s life, but as something that is thought about from the very beginning.
“I also want to touch on what’s required when things do go pearshaped, because it’s in those moments that your values and leadership are tested.”
Dowell said she was keen to get all aspects of the sector involved with the Life of Mine Conference.
“Historically speaking, there have not been many Tier 1 mine sites go all the way through to relinquishment,” she said.
“We’re really learning and building things as we go, so the Life of Mine Conference is a rare opportunity to get people together so they can learn from each other.”
Dowell has always known she would work to give back to country, even declaring as a child that her dream job would be to work as an environmental scientist for Greenpeace.
Her deep longing to contribute and care for country has led her to advocate for change in the way the resources sector approaches mine closures.
“We have a chance to change our approach to mine closure to something that continues to add value,” Dowell said. “It’s not about focusing on one mine and asking how we can close that one better, but it’s about looking at the bigger picture.
“I hope we are starting to listen collectively to ideas and not approach them with the view that we’re just closing mines for the sake of closing mines.
“We don’t want to just tick boxes, we want to work to ensure each mine closure is the best it can be.” AM
Following the successful completion of Regal Rexnord Corporation’s acquisition of Altra Industrial Motion, a globally renowned original
equipment manufacturer (OEM), Regal Rexnord chief executive officer Louis Pinkham spoke about how the two companies’ well-aligned cultures and shared values will provide the larger entity with strong market offerings.
While cultural alignment is critical to any fruitful acquisition, it also helps that the combined entities have the attributes to expand the offerings of the buyer.
This is precisely the case with Altra Motion.
“Altra’s automation and specialty platform transforms our existing automation portfolio into a meaningful, global automation solutions provider,” Pinkham said.
“Altra’s power transmission technologies business significantly enhances our power transmission portfolio, in particular our industrial
powertrain offering, by adding complementary products in brakes, gears and clutches.
“The combined power transmission, automation and powertrain capabilities of the new Regal Rexnord provides customers with a significantly enhanced value proposition across a wider range of end markets.”
Altra Motion brings the expertise and capabilities of 26 well-respected power transmission brands, including Svendborg Brakes, Twiflex, Marland Clutch, Wichita Clutch, Industrial Clutch and Stieber, to Regal Rexnord. Altra also brings a strong Australian customer base, many of which are key players in the Australian resources industry.
Altra Motion Australia managing director Junior Eltagonde told Australian Mining that while the acquisition provides an exciting future with expanded potential for the power transmission capabilities of the combined company, for now ‘it is business as usual’.
“We still need to remain focused on what we do well, and what we currently do well in Australia is market and service high-quality industrial brakes and clutches,” Eltagonde said. “It’s important that, as our organisation grows, we don’t lose that focus.
“From a strategic viewpoint, Regal Rexnord supports our existing growth initiatives that reinforce our commitment to developing and maintaining strong partnerships with our customers. Down the line, there’s obviously some synergies between the combined companies that we can leverage; however, particularly for us, we’re very much business as usual since Regal Rexnord has given us the autonomy to continue doing what we do best.”
Altra Motion remains focused on respecting and supporting its people, ensuring employees can reach their fullest career potential and satisfaction.
This philosophy is also shared by Regal Rexnord, as it promotes from within, utilising its team’s skills and
extensive market experience in the expanded organisation.
Altra Motion supports its Australian mining customers throughout the product lifecycle, not only as the OEM behind its 26 brands, but also by providing support from its after-market, engineering, sales and service divisions.
Alongside its Melbourne and Sydney offices, Regal Rexnord Australia operates facilities in Perth, Mackay and Newcastle, the customers’ first port-ofcall when issues arise or new parts or products are requested.
Mackay and Newcastle are in the heart of the mining-rich Bowen Basin and Hunter Valley regions of Australia, respectively, enabling Altra Motion to provide on-site support efficiently and seamlessly for our customers.
“In Mackay and Newcastle, we’re a key mining partner, especially for companies operating draglines and shovels,” Eltagonde said. “This is through our Wichita Clutch,
Industrial Clutch and Twiflex brands, where we offer the products and local service, engineering and sales to support this equipment.”
As for Western Australian, Altra Motion has engineers and service personnel located across the state to ensure customers are supported throughout this expansive mining region.
While Altra Motion has an established product range, the OEM is always evolving and expanding its
offerings through its innovative research and development (R&D) division.
“We’re always looking to improve our technologies,” Eltagonde said. “There are some new products we are currently introducing to the mining market, such as IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) solutions from Svendborg Brakes.”
Altra Motion Australia national sales manager Rex Sinclair told Australian Mining that while IIoT has been a focus for several years, the company believes
our customers in monitoring their equipment out in the field,” Sinclair said. “The data is stored in a cloud and can be readily accessed by the customer to assist them with preventive and predictive maintenance.”
IIoT solutions for Svendborg brakes and Marland backstops will be showcased in the Altra Motion stand at the AIMEX mining conference in Sydney this September.
Sinclair highlighted the Svendborg Brakes UC Case, which is a portable IIoT tool that allows the servicing, commissioning, and troubleshooting of customer braking systems.
“If a customer needs to troubleshoot from a remote mine site, we can send the UC Case to his site or have an Altra Motion technician deliver it onsite,” Sinclair said.
“The customer can connect to the system allowing us to troubleshoot from anywhere. If high-level support is needed, our engineers in Denmark can provide software upgrades or make adjustments to the brake system – all through the UC Case.”
“Altra Motion Australia may have a new owner, but we are the same Altra Motion that has supported the Australian mining industry with extremely reliable power transmission solutions and service for decades,” Eltagonde said.
“We are proud of this achievement and acknowledge this will continue as Regal Rexnord and Altra Motion collaborate and deliver their like-minded people, ideas and capabilities.” AM
OUR EXISTING GROWTH INITIATIVES THAT REINFORCE OUR COMMITMENT TO DEVELOPING AND MAINTAINING STRONG PARTNERSHIPS WITH OUR CUSTOMERS.”IIOT SOLUTIONS FOR SVENDBORG BRAKES WILL BE SHOWCASED AT AIMEX IN SEPTEMBER. THE SVENDBORG UC CASE IS COMPACT AND CAN SUPPORT BRAKE COMMISSIONING, SERVICING, OR TROUBLESHOOTING.
Recognising and celebrating the women who are driving change in the industrials sector is an important step in breaking down barriers and creating new possibilities for the next generation.
Each year sees the Women in Industry Awards seek to do just that – and the 2023 iteration was no different.
Held in Melbourne on June 8, this year’s awards celebrated nominees and winners across 11 categories.
The awards acknowledged the hard work and dedication of all women across industries such as mining, road transport, manufacturing, engineering, logistics, bulk handling, waste management, rail and infrastructure.
Recognising an individual who has created new growth opportunities for their organisation to expand and generate greater revenue, Stefanie Frawley was the worthy winner of this award.
Frawley is the director, portfolio management at TMX, an end-to-end supply chain consultant. She received
the award for her introduction of Excellence in Construction
This category recognises an individual who has made a positive contribution to one of the many facets of the construction industry.
Trudy Grimshaw, director at the Department of Treasury and Finance, Western Australia, took home this award for her contributions to construction in the public health sector.
Grimshaw has been involved in the construction of many major WA health projects, including Perth Children’s Hospital, Telethon Kids Institute and the Bunbury Hospital redevelopment. This category was proudly sponsored by National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC).
The award for Excellence in Engineering recognises an individual who has shown leadership in engineering, technological excellence and innovation.
Elsa Antunes took home the 2023 award for her work in pioneering lowenergy, cost-efficient and small-scale
“You know, this is not just about women, but how we are making an impact in society,” Antunes said in her acceptance speech.
As a senior lecturer in mechanical engineering at James Cook University, Antunes collaborated with Griffith and Flinders University to secure $600,000 in funding for the Australian Research Council Discovery project.
Discussing her nomination prior to the awards, Antunes thanked her mentors and colleagues.
“This was not possible without the support of my nominator Clair Stark, my mentors Rabin Tuladhar, Ron White and Colin Raston, my colleagues and especially the amazing work of my students and postdocs at James Cook University,” Antunes said in a LinkedIn post. This category was proudly sponsored by SEW-EURODRIVE.
Kristi Riordan, co-founder and chief executive officer of Harvest B, took home this award, which recognises an individual who has thought ‘outside the box’ to implement an outstanding personal contribution to their business and the wider manufacturing community.
Riordan co-founded Harvest B in 2020 as an Australian start-up that develops and manufactures wholesale plant-based meats.
work you do to recognise the important role of women across highly technical industries,” Riordan said.
“For 20 years, I’ve worked in industries around the world where women are underrepresented. As a society, we have moved the needle toward greater gender participation in highly technical and well-paid professions, and yet there is still much left to accomplish.
“Today, women make up only 27
create with more women leaders and a more diversified economy.
“Let’s keep telling the stories of women in industry to raise awareness, build confidence and grow access to bring more women into industries where they belong.”
This category was proudly sponsored by PACCAR Australia.
The Excellence in Mining award recognises an individual who has made a positive contribution to one of the
evening really embodies how I feel about resources. And as you can see, they spoke quite a lot to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
“And it’s something I’m very passionate about as an engineer ... and a PhD student in sustainable management in the mining sector.”
Moore has established cultural and
pioneering initiatives and exceptional talent of today and tomorrow,” the company said.
“The Women in Industry Awards align with Weir’s own global inclusion and diversity agenda to ensure we develop a culture where everyone’s voice is heard, and where we care for, respect and encourage each
loved it since day one,” Chapman said in her acceptance speech.
Chapman has spent time volunteering, advocating, mentoring and representing
their industry and/or helped to create a policy change that benefits those working in the sector.
Jemma Walshe, community and stakeholder relations manager at Fulton Hogan, took home this year’s award for her work across the construction
Having worked in the industry for more than 14 years, Walshe has driven several key outcomes for the sector, including positive community engagement outcomes, inclusive communications and physical and
Walshe is also a pioneer in establishing a “speak up” culture in the industry to encourage more people to speak out about potential
This award recognises an individual who has demonstrated a commitment to developing female talent within their organisation or wider industry.
Teagan Dowler was this year’s worthy
Dowler is the director and founder of the BWC, a business consultancy that specialises in equity, diversity and inclusion. Through the BWC, Dowell provides monthly online coaching and career development programs and free
She has dedicated her career to supporting women in industry, launching the Industry Chat interview series, which showcases the experiences and achievements of women across different sectors.
significant promise within their chosen industry or who has reached new goals at the start of their career.
This year’s winner was Sophia Kurianski, founder and chief executive officer of Jinolo, a 3D collaboration start-up that helps industrial design and engineering teams save time and money when working with external clients and suppliers.
At just 24, Kurianski has worked with more than 100 engineers and designers in Australia, the US and the UK, and remains committed to innovation and collaboration.
“Upon starting this journey into engineering, I realised that the stereotypes are still unfortunately very real,” she said.
“And a lot of my projects at university and in the workplace have been very male dominated. I’d like to say thank you and congratulate every single woman in this room. You’re doing really amazing things and I’m just so honoured to be in a room full of such amazing women in this industry.”
Category sponsor Atlas Copco said diversity is a key contributor to a businesses’ long-term success.
“The Women in Industry Awards is a special way in which we can show our commitment to advancing the gender balance in industry,” the company said.
“As a global company, Atlas Copco recognises the link between diversity and innovation and contributing to these awards is just one way that we can show that Atlas Copco recognises the talent and achievement of females across our industry.”
This category is proudly sponsored by
Giselle Phillips, HSEQ (health, safety environment and quality) advisor at Fredon, was named the Safety Advocate of the Year for her passion for health and
Phillips has been instrumental in pioneering change within Fredon by driving the use of technology to streamline compliance training and competencies, while also being proactive in delivering mental health and
“This is a celebration not only for me but for the team as well because we are making change in our field,” Phillips said in her acceptance speech.
“Women are not in competition with each other. We need to advocate and help each other to get where we need to be. So this is not only for me, but also for every woman that is in the room.”
Phillips was a double winner on the night, receiving the Woman of the Year award in addition to being named Safety
This category was proudly sponsored
JEMMA WALSHE, WINNER OF THE INDUSTRY ADVOCATE AWARD. TEAGAN DOWLER, WINNER OF THE MENTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD. GISELLE PHILLIPS TOOK HOME THE SAFETY ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR AWARD AND THE WOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD. SOPHIA KURIANSKI (R), TOOK HOME THE RISING STAR OF THE YEAR AWARD.
THIS SEPTEMBER WILL SEE AIMEX RETURN FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2019. AUSTRALIAN MINING TAKES A CLOSER LOOK AT ALL OF THE KEY HAPPENINGS IN STORE.
Asia Pacific’s International Mining Exhibition (AIMEX) is counting down to its return in Sydney this year.
Held at Sydney Showground from September 5–7, the trade exhibition and free-to-attend conference is Australia’s longest-running mining event.
For thousands of decision-makers, experts and suppliers, AIMEX is a destination to build networks and product knowledge. It represents the ultimate sourcing platform for business and operational needs.
Events like AIMEX always have a strong focus on mining’s contribution to the Australian economy, as well as a collaborative approach to knowledge-sharing.
Stephen Galilee, chief executive officer of industry body NSW Mining, believes the long-awaited AIMEX 2023 will live up to these standards.
“Mining is critical to the New South Wales economy, providing direct jobs for over 40,000 people while supporting thousands more jobs in more than 7300 mining supplier businesses in (the state),” he said.
“Australia is known for its mining expertise, professionalism and commitment to safety.
“This strong track record
“With hundreds of local and international mining industry suppliers expected to attend, AIMEX 2023 is a great opportunity to showcase the best
The free-to-attend conference, which runs alongside the extensive trade exhibition, will provide access to industry
THE EXHIBITION FLOOR AT AIMEX 2019. PANEL DISCUSSIONS AND KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS WILL BE A KEY PART OF AIMEX 2023.the industry and renewable integration
• Technical innovation – collaborative research and development (R&D) for technical innovation and the transformative impacts of technology
• Environmental, social and governance (ESG) – leveraging technology to advance ESG practices and extracting value from the circular economy
AIMEX exhibition director Samantha Martin said the 2023 conference will start conversations that have never been more relevant to the Australian mining industry.
“At AIMEX, we’ve always been proud of the way we bring up-to-date content and forward-thinking suppliers into the spotlight,” Martin said. “The fact is, mining will continue to play a strong part in the Australian economy as we gather the critical minerals needed for decarbonisation – which inescapably includes coal.”
“I’m particularly looking forward to this year’s conference, where experts will really unpack some key topics and help move the industry forward in a commercially sustainable way.”
In a similar vein, AIMEX provides an unmatched opportunity to connect and do business with some of the best mining suppliers from around the world. The exhibition, which will showcase over 250 leading local and international exhibitors, is a place where attendees can meet face-to-face, engage in live product demonstrations, stay abreast of the latest trends, and do business.
industry-leading products from the likes of Atlas Copco, Makita, Eaton, Motion Australia, Global Pumps, and more.
The popular Mining House Pavilion will return, giving attendees the opportunity to engage directly with major local producers. Glencore and Whitehaven Coal have already confirmed their participation.
Whitehaven executive general manager of people and culture Daniel Cram said participating in AIMEX 2023 was an easy decision, given the quality of attendees and the opportunities to have deep conversations around the future of industry.
“In such a tight talent market, it makes sense to maximise our opportunities to connect with both potential employees and suppliers, and AIMEX is a really convenient way to do exactly that,” Cram said.
Two new pavilions are also joining the exhibition this year: the Transformative Technology Pavilion and the Decarbonisation Zone. In parallel with the conference themes, these areas will house leading suppliers and experts, ready to discuss real solutions.
The Transformative Technology Pavilion will showcase exponential technologies such as augmented reality, virtual reality and data utilisation, providing an interactive opportunity for industry professionals to discover the technology that is being developed to address the growing needs of the mining industry.
This new pavilion is where the mining industry goes to evolve, adapt and improve their operations. Leading brands in the Transformative Technology Pavilion include Bosch Rexroth, Fleet Space Technologies, and CR Powered by Epiroc.
The Decarbonisation Zone will be added to this year’s exhibition floor to cater to the needs of mining companies looking for solutions that meet their ESG obligations, while boosting their business productivity and lowering operational costs.
Proudly supported by International Copper Association Australia, this new zone will showcase innovation and best
Categories in the Decarbonisation Zone include energy generation, energy storage and management, electrification, water, and waste treatment.
Alta Battery Technology, Batt Mobile Equipment, Yurika, XCMG Mining Equipment, Danfoss, the NMT Group, Gen Z and Commodore Australia will be exhibiting in the Decarbonisation Zone come September.
And what would AIMEX be without networking? The event will feature two major peer-to-peer events: an industry function hosted in conjunction with NSW Mining, and an Austmine networking event.
Austmine chief executive officer Christine Gibbs Stewart said AIMEX represents a brilliant opportunity for the mining equipment, technology and services (METS) sector to showcase its technological and innovation capacity.
“The operating environment in 2023 has become more challenging compared to the last AIMEX event in 2019, and opportunities like this to gather, learn and network are more valuable than ever,” Gibbs Stewart said.
“Australia’s exceptional reputation for expertise and innovation in mining and METS makes a showcase like AIMEX a must-attend event.
“The addition of the Transformative Technology Pavilion and the Decarbonisation Zone reflects our focus on the energy transition and the importance of our world-leading technologies in leading the way.”
As the longest-running mining event in the country, AIMEX is the ultimate destination for industry professionals to actively source mining products, technology, solutions and innovations that will lower costs, improve efficiency and boost productivity.
The free event provides attendees the opportunity to gain future-forward insights from internationally renowned industry experts and connect with Australia’s largest community of
“It focused on the what and the how, as it is only collectively that we can create a positive and proud legacy for generations to come.”
The first day of Austmine 2023 also featured a keynote speech from BHP chief operating officer Edgar Basto.
He said there were many opportunities in South Australia, especially in terms of copper production, and that BHP continued to support the Northern Water Supply Project, which he said was vital to BHP’s future success.
Basto expects global demand for copper to increase significantly as the world transitions to lower-carbon energy sources.
“We have in front of us the opportunity to provide a new copper province for South Australia that is globally first-class,” he said.
“It can bring new jobs, new skills, local business opportunities and economic growth for this state, but it requires us all to step up.”
Basto said BHP was particularly focused on future-facing commodities – resources such as copper that can help meet the demands of decarbonisation, electrification and population growth.
The world needs good companies to develop these resources and that presents a huge opportunity for BHP and the entire sector.
The ideas of decarbonisation and sustainability were common topics of discussion throughout the conference, and as an exhibitor FLSmidth was onhand to chat about what the company’s sustainability future looks like.
“The theme of the conference has really been decarbonisation and looking at ways of meeting this netzero target,” FLSmidth global product manager Lance Christodoulou told Australian Mining
“FLSmidth is committed to its own net-zero project or system, which is called MissionZero. That encompasses a number of technology adaptations that we have, like REFLUX Flotation Cell and coarseAIR, to help our customers with tools to have the ability to meet these net-zero targets in the future.
“The REFLUX Flotation Cell is a very low-energy machine, so we see a substantial reduction in energy input for every tonne of (material) that’s recovered.
“We’re reducing the amount of energy so that helps us to reduce the amount of CO2 per tonne of ore processed.”
Elsewhere at the conference, Fortescue director of decarbonisation Christiaan Heyning gave a presentation on the critical role that mining plays in the energy transition.
“Australia is a country of mining, and we must continue to mine,” he said in his presentation. “There is no way the world can survive without mining. For energy transition and sustainability in a broader sense, it’s critical. In fact, we need more of it for some minerals.
“At the same time, we should acknowledge we are part of the problem. We’ve been mining for centuries, and we’ve been polluting the planet while doing it. Fortescue alone uses half a billion litres of diesel, turning it into CO2.
“So the way forward, as we see it, is continuing to mine but do it in a sustainable way.
“Fortescue is driving a decarbonisation target of no more fossil fuels by 2030 with no offsets. This is a challenge and we’re not going to wriggle our way out of it through offsets.”
Across day one, panel discussions were held that tackled topics such as
‘Operating in Zero – What
Entails’ and ‘Critical Building Blocks to 2030 and beyond’.
Rae O’Brien, Centennial executive general manager mining excellence, was a speaker at the ‘Operating in Zero’ panel. She said the transition to a lowcarbon economy is going to drive the push for more electrification minerals, as the mining sector tries to mitigate and eliminate its own emissions.
“Australia has a very proud history of mining,” she said. “Australia is seen as the one (country) that does it best, does it smart. This is because we’ve had to deal with a lot of the hardships other countries have not had to deal with in terms of remoteness and logistics. A lot of existing resources close to infrastructure are being exhausted.
“The new frontier focus is on critical minerals.”
Christodoulou also spoke at the ‘Operating in Zero’ panel and said there was opportunity to reduce energy substantially by grinding coarser.
“I think the top priority to achieving net-zero is industry-wide mind shift change. We need to look towards innovating,” he said.
“In my career I’ve seen every change. I’ve seen the industry have a much bigger appetite for embracing technologies, so I think we’re on the right path. We’ll get there with the new generation coming up, for sure.”
Day two of the conference saw panel discussions centring around applications behind mining and technology adaption.
Professor Michael Goodsite started the panel discussion on technology by saying the industry is known for being very conservative and asked how it can create a culture that embraces disruption.
Dr Paul Lever, Anglo America head of innovation: mining, was also a speaker on the panel.
“I think we have to clearly put out a message that innovation and thinking about things and changing is part of your everyday job, and we need to reward and incentivise people to be part of the process,” Lever said.
The second day also saw industry leaders reflect on their time in the mining and mining equipment, technology and services (METS) industries. Facilitator Adam Broome, chairman Emeritus, began the discussion by introducing speaker Mark Cutifani, director and executive business advisor – non-executive director TotalEnergies and Laing O’Rourke.
Cutifani discussed environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives during his time at Anglo American that dramatically reduced fatalities and environmental incidents.
“We doubled productivity, our costs
SUSTAINABILITY WAS A MAIN DISCUSSION TOPIC AT THE CONFERENCE. (IMAGE: AUSTMINE)
and you then have responsibility for them,” he said.
“As your business gets larger, you become responsible for things in your community and the wellbeing of people in the community. This is very different to just running a business.”
Dominique Kesler, Kal Tire people and ESG manager, gave a presentation on how the industry can turn waste mining tyres into value.
“We could probably all agree that there has been a spotlight shone on the mining industry and its ESG performance,” Kesler said in her presentation.
“This spotlight, combined with possible regulation, is pushing our industry to take another look at the possibility of tyre recycling, whilst hopefully quelling that common misconception that tyre recycling is just an additional operating expense.
“But what is the problem with used tyres? The mining industry consumes an enormous number of tyres to move the required overburden and ore at site.
“As many of you here know, used tyres create a significant waste stream for mining operations The problem remains – tyres don’t degrade.”
Kesler outlined the need for multiple solutions to deal with the various tyres used in the mining industry.
“Mining tyres are manufactured from the highest quality materials and have products worth recovering,” she said. “rCB, oil, steel and syngas – these recovered products can replace virgin fossil fuel derived materials and reduce future resource extraction. “
Sustainable solutions that work across all mine sites must be able to depend on a strong backbone of connectivity solutions.
Andrew Borthwick, Orange Business managing director for Australia and New Zealand, spoke to Australian Mining about how his company can provide just that.
“Ultimately, our DNA in Australia and New Zealand is in the mining sector,” he said.
“We provide miners global digital services – it’s not just about connectivity.
“When I say digital services, it’s managing their cloud environments, it’s managing and supporting them from a transition and transformation perspective about meeting their business outcomes using digital technology and services.
“Yes we have the telco roots; however, we are now very much a digital service organisation. At the moment, (Orange is) an unbelievable, unknown force in Australia.”
The forces of Australian mining were on display at Austmine 2023.
hen the board of Australian gold miner Newcrest gave the green light to a $26.2 billion takeover offer from US giant Newmont in May, it meant the local gold landscape was set to experience a shift.
gold mining corporation in the world, officially takes ownership of Newcrest
W(pending a shareholder vote), foreign ownership of Australian gold assets will exceed 50 per cent.
This is the assessment of mining analyst Sandra Close, managing director of Surbiton Associates.
According to Close, this tipping of
made an initial play for Newcrest earlier in 2023.
“It dropped to just under 30 per cent Australian control as overseas gold companies bought up Australian operations, and it was when the Aussie dollar was down around 50 (US) cents, so it was pretty cheap for them to buy the operations.
“Over time a lot of those operations were sold, so we’re currently looking at 60 per cent Australian control in the gold industry.
“But the recent announcement with Newmont and Newcrest … would mean Australian control would fall just below 50 per cent again.
“Whether we’d see yet another round of acquisitions as we did in the early 2000s is a pretty interesting question.”
Other foreign gold owners operating in Australia include Canada’s Agnico Eagle Mines, which wholly owns the Fosterville gold mine in Victoria; Gold Fields, which wholly owns the St Ives, Agnew and Granny Smith mines in WA; and AngloGold Ashanti, which wholly owns the Sunrise Dam gold mine WA and has a 70 per cent stake in the Tropicana gold mine.
Gold Fields and AngloGold Ashanti are both South African companies.
Notable Australian gold mining companies operating locally include Northern Star Resources, Evolution Mining and Gold Road Resources.
Surbiton released its 2022 analysis of Australian gold production in March of this year.
The numbers revealed that Australian gold production for 2022 totalled 313 tonnes and was worth about $26 billion, but the overall number was down from the 315 tonnes produced in 2021 and the record 327 tonnes in 2020.
Despite the small fall in production, Australia’s output has risen dramatically since 1982, when the country was producing fewer than 20 tonnes a year.
Given the $26 billion price tag, it comes as no surprise that Newmont did not make the decision to acquire Newcrest lightly. The Australian gold miner has a lot to offer.
Newcrest has a strong portfolio of assets the US gold giant is evidently keen to get its hands on. This includes local operations such as Cadia Hill in NSW and the Telfer mine in WA – both among Australia’s largest gold mining operations – and international sites like the Brucejack gold and silver mine in Canada, and the Lihir gold mine in Papua New Guinea.
Newmont already owns the Boddington mine in WA and the Tanami mine in the NT, so the takeover will put the company in control of four out of six of Australia’s largest gold mines.
But industry analysts from the Australian Financial Review (AFR) have speculated that not all of Newcrest’s assets will make Newmont’s cut, and will likely be divested before the dust settles.
Newmont chief executive officer Tom Palmer told the AFR that he especially favours Cadia Hill and Lihir.
“Those assets are Tier 1, world-class by any measure,” he said. “So they are firmly in the portfolio.”
Palmer also showed a keen interest in Newcrest’s Canadian assets, Brucejack and Red Chris, which are located close to its own Saddle North project.
“I would call (this) golden triangle a Tier 1 district,” Palmer said.
That’s not to say that everything else faces divestment, but it seems clear that Newmont will be considering its new assets very carefully.
“We are certainly looking for value over volume,” Palmer said.
“So as we work our way through understanding the portfolio, we will be making judgements about what our goforward portfolio is.” AM
rapCo”, “DudCo” and “RubbishCo” were three titles given to South32 when it was spun out from BHP in 2015.
It’s fair to say, however, that sentiment has long since changed.
The company was bestowed 12 assets, spanning thermal and metallurgical coal, manganese, lead, zinc, nickel, alumina and aluminium, across three different continents. About 45 per cent of its value was in Australia, with 35–40 per cent in Africa, and the balance in the Americas.
But what was seemingly a mixed bag of mines would be the foundation of the world’s next great major mining company.
“Within BHP, there were lots of assets that had a lot of opportunity for development in the future that weren’t quite getting the love or systems they needed,” South32 chief executive officer Graham Kerr said during a fireside chat at a recent Melbourne Mining Club luncheon.
“For me, the demerger was a great opportunity for both companies to be
“Cbetter than what they were together. And if you look at the share price of both companies since the time of demerger, they’ve both dramatically improved.”
About 75 per cent of South32’s value today is made up of base metals, and when the company brings its Hermosa project in the US into production, that number will push closer to 85 per cent.
Kerr said South32’s geographical split will see the majority of the company’s value in the Americas in five years.
This will include the Hermosa project in the Patagonia Mountains of southern Arizona, US, which comprises the Taylor zinc-lead-silver sulphide deposit and the Clark zinc-manganese-silver oxide deposit.
Hermosa is a celebration of mining’s socioeconomic capacity, with the project set to provide significant employment and income opportunities for one of the most disadvantaged counties in the US.
Kerr said South32 has the opportunity to lift the revenue generation of Santa Cruz county “probably tenfold”, but it first needs to lift Hermosa into production.
Taylor – the more advanced of the two deposits – is advancing through
South32 hoping to develop a mine that is intrinsically low-cost due to of the deposit’s multi-commodity profile and ability to generate by-product credits.
“At the moment, Taylor’s got 20-plus years’ worth of resource but it’s open laterally at depth and sideways, and I think that will continue to grow,” Kerr said. “It also produces zinc and silver, which are going to be critical minerals as part of decarbonisation.”
The Clark deposit has been benefited by the introduction of the US Government’s Inflation Reduction Act, which enables US electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers to receive a tax credit if they source critical minerals from the US or a country with which the US has a free-trade agreement.
Clark is set to produce manganese, a key ingredient in the nickel-cobaltmanganese (NCM) cathode chemistry used in lithium-ion batteries. And manganese’s role in the green-energy transition is only set to grow.
Tesla is exploring manganese-rich battery chemistries because of the mineral’s scalability. Manganese is a bulk commodity that can be mined in high
Alternative cathode chemistries such as lithium-manganese-nickel-oxide (LMNO), lithium-iron-manganesephosphate (LMFP) and nickelmanganese (NMx), are also entering the fray as battery manufacturers look to cut out cobalt to reduce costs.
South32 would be the sole manganese producer in the US if it gets Clark into production, and the US Government is already recognising the deposit’s importance, recently adding the broader Hermosa project to the FAST-41 process – a program that aims to create a more efficient and transparent process for complex, critical infrastructure projects.
FAST-41 endorsement could assist South32 in expediting federal permits for the development of the Taylor and Clark deposits.
“The only battery-grade manganese that gets produced today is out of China,” Kerr said. “This doesn’t mean other countries can’t do it, but they’re the only country that does it today.
“Certainly, the US Government is pushing towards domestic supply and security, and the view is manganese is going to make an important change in how batteries are developed and as a consequence it will probably – to some degree – replace cobalt.
“We have the only manganese-oxide deposit in the US. We have GEMCO (Groote Eylandt Mining Company) in Australia and South African Manganese; you can convert these (non-battery-grade operations) into battery-grade manganese. They have some impurities, but the other challenge is distance.
“We’re right in the backyard (with Hermosa), and as the US starts to build out these mega battery factories, they’re
SOUTH32’S HERMOSA PROJECT HAS A BRIGHT FUTURE IN SUPPLYING CRITICAL MINERALS FOR THE WORLD’S DECARBONISATION.
looking to do that in a corridor of the US where we can take advantage.”
While South32 has the potential to deliver the manganese the US needs to support its growing EV appetite, Clark still has a few years to go before it can enter production.
As for Taylor, Kerr said this deposit has similar attributes to the company’s
“We’re getting close to an investment decision by the end of this year (at Taylor),” he said. “We’ve done Cannington for 25-plus years, (which is the) same mining methods, same processing methods, same customers.
“The interesting thing for us is – even though it’s in the US – probably 80 per
Spanish, so that’s another adjustment we’ll have to make.”
While the mining industry has a key role to play in supplying materials for the world’s decarbonisation efforts, the sector’s reputation has been impacted in the past due to instances of poor human rights and environmental stewardship.
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Kerr said this provides an opportunity for the sector to change the narrative and highlight the applications that underline mining’s future importance.
“Every company and every industry association has to do a better job at reminding people about the advantages mining has around decarbonising the world,” Kerr said.
“I also think for individual companies in industries, it’s not about telling the same story over again, because we all have great stories about community impacts, it’s about how we get more people who don’t like mining to have a more challenging discussion, (asking them), ‘Why do you not like mining? What do you think we need to do differently? What are the discussion points we need to have?’.
“I think it’s a lot more around dialogue and conversation that we need to push much harder.”
As South32 evolves its portfolio to better support the world’s current and future development, the company is set on increasing its exposure to copper, nickel and zinc through organic and inorganic means.
Emerging projects such as Hermosa will enter production, not only yielding critical minerals for a net-zero future, but also providing economic stimulus for nearby local communities.
And South32 will continue validating its triumphant rise into mining’s top echelon. AM
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The weather, it seems, does not discriminate. And so it was in the Australian resources sector in the March quarter, with many mining companies reporting decreased production due to weather events, primarily unprecedented rainfall.
But the news was not all bad, with the first round of quarterly reports for 2023 also bringing with them some strong results.
Rio Tinto Rio recorded strong results in iron ore.
The major miner reported iron ore shipments of 82.5 million tonnes (Mt) and iron ore production of 79.3Mt in the March quarter.
Iron ore shipments were a 16 per cent increase compared to the 2022 March quarter, while production was an 11 per cent increase over the same period.
Rio Tinto chief executive Jakob Stausholm said these results were the highest-ever first quarter shipments achieved in the Pilbara iron ore business.
“We continue to make steady progress with our highest-ever first quarter shipments achieved in the Pilbara iron ore business,” he said.
The company also experienced production increases in aluminium in comparison to the March quarter of 2022.
Aluminium saw an increase in production of seven per cent, with 785,000t recorded for the 2023 March quarter. Rio also recorded 285,000t of titanium dioxide slag, a four per cent increase from the same time last year. However, Rio Tinto saw a decrease in bauxite production, with 12.1Mt produced – an 11 per cent decrease from the March 2022 quarter.
At the end of the March quarter, BHP reported operations were on track to meet 2023 production guidance for iron ore, and metallurgical and energy coal.
In particular, strong performances were seen at the Olympic Dam and Pampa Norte sites in South Australia and Chile, respectively; however, production guidance at copper operation Escondida, also in Chile, was lowered from 1.08–1.18Mt to 1.05–1.08Mt.
Given the strong performance at BHP’s other copper assets, the full-year total copper production guidance will remain unchanged at 1.635–1.825Mt.
BHP’s full-year nickel production was lowered from 80,000–90,000t to 75,000–85,000t.
The Western Australia Iron Ore operation achieved record production of 212.6Mt for the nine-month period to the end of the March quarter.
“Our WA Iron Ore business achieved record production, and total copper output for BHP was up for the nine months, while metallurgical coal volumes were down slightly due to significant wet weather,” BHP chief executive officer Mike Henry said.
“Overall copper production for the year remains on track; however, we’ve reduced production guidance at Escondida and at Nickel West (in WA).
“We continue to focus on safety, productivity and costs as we navigate ongoing challenges and inflationary impacts.”
The quarter also marked a key BHP milestone when the major miner completed its $9.6 billion takeover of OZ Minerals, with the acquisition officially implemented on May 2. OZ Minerals was removed from the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) on May 3.
Mined copper on a consolidated basis saw no change from the March 2022 quarter, with 145,000t produced.
The gold producer reported steady results from its Tomingley gold operations near Dubbo, New South Wales. The site produced 16,461 ounces (oz) of gold to meet the forecast for the
quarter, with operating cash costs of $990 per ounce.
These quarterly results brought yearto-date production to 54,431oz of gold at an AISC of $1446/oz.
Alkane clocked $53.4 million in gold sales at an average price of $2787/oz.
Alkane’s strong March results led to the company increasing its Tomingley production targets to 65,000–73,000oz from 62,000–70,000oz.
The copper producer’s Capricorn mine in Queensland was affected by unprecedented rainfall in early March, with operations suspended on March 8. The company has a phased restart planned to start in mid-September 2023.
Capricorn’s copper production was 2600t for the two months ending in February 2023, a notable decrease from the previous quarter of 5300t.
The low copper production was due to reduced milling rates to manage tailings capacity at the site and its planned maintenance, which was exacerbated by the extreme weather.
Chief executive officer (CEO) Peter Albert said weather dominated the results but he was proud of the Capricorn team’s efforts .
“During and after the extreme weather event, the team at Capricorn copper did a tremendous job managing safety and protecting the environment,” Albert said.
with our strategy to meet increasing demand for the critical minerals needed for electric vehicles, wind turbines and solar panels to support the energy transition,” Henry said.
In its final-ever quarterly report, OZ Minerals recorded 31,362 tonnes of copper production and 46,722 ounces of gold.
WHILE ADVERSE WEATHER WAS A PROBLEM FOR MANY, A NUMBER OF AUSTRALIAN MINING COMPANIES REPORTED SOLID RESULTS IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2023.BHP’S OLYMPIC DAM MINE IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. (IMAGE: BHP) RIO TINTO RECORDED THE HIGHEST EVER FIRST-QUARTER SHIPMENTS ACHIEVED IN THE PILBARA IRON ORE BUSINESS.
South32 lowered its production guidance for the year across a number of operations following a challenging March quarter.
“While we remain on-track to meet 2023 production guidance at the majority of our operations, group production was below plan in the March 2023 quarter due to adverse weather and other temporary impacts,” CEO Graham Kerr said.
Guidance was reduced by four per cent at South32’s Brazil alumina operations owing to a temporary conveyor outage, while the Cerro Matoso nickel operation in Colombia was reduced by seven per cent due to difficulties accessing higher grade ore.
Guidance at the Mozal aluminium operations in Mozambique was reduced by eight per cent to support a safe recovery plan following the deaths of two employees in November.
Zinc targets were reduced by six per cent at South32’s Cannington operations in Queensland as a result of wet weather.
The company reduced its metallurgical coal guidance by seven per cent at Illawarra, NSW, due to what it described as challenging strata conditions.
“Manganese ore production has increased by six per cent year-on-year, with Australia manganese achieving record production.”
Despite weather disturbances at its Ernest Henry mine in Queensland, Evolution Mining recorded strong operational results.
Highlights included gold production of 163,910oz and copper production of 9668t from the mine.
The company’s Red Lake operation in Ontario, Canada, improved by approximately 13 per cent in the quarter to 28,178oz of gold production.
Evolution said the impact of the weather event at Ernest Henry reduced gold and copper production in the March quarter by approximately 6400oz and 4100t, respectively.
Prior to the weather disruptions, the company was tracking to the lower end of group production guidance and below the AISC guidance of $1240 per ounce. In addition, copper production was tracking above the guidance of 55,000 tonnes by approximately 2000 tonnes.
CEO Lawrie Conway said the March quarter performance was solid despite the weather impacts at Ernest Henry.
to normal operating rates, Evolution will resume its sector-leading low-cost, highmargin position.”
Fortescue recorded a strong quarter, with iron ore shipments of 46.3Mt contributing to record nine-month shipments of 143.1Mt.
decarbonisation plan as we work towards transition to a global green metals and energy company and ensure all stakeholders continue to benefit from Fortescue’s success.”
The company also signed the mining convention for the Belinga iron ore project in Gabon, with first mining planned in the second half of 2023.
Belinga is set to initially produce up
Mining may seem a simple process; ore is dug up from the ground, processed and then used in anything from batteries and cars to fine jewellery.
But there are many other aspects of the mining process that operators must contend with, and one of the biggest is tailings.
Simply put, tailings are the by-product of mining. After extracting the ore and processing it through a plant or mill, the resultant waste stream is known as tailings.
The size of tailings can range from sand particles to silt-clay particles, depending on the ore from which it originated. But regardless of size, all must be stored in a way that protects people, downstream property and the environment.
As environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues play an increasingly fundamental role throughout the resources sector, mining
companies have become increasingly aware of the importance of proper tailings management. As such, they are on the lookout for better ways of handling the process.
According to Priscilla Nelson, a professor of mining engineering at the Colorado School of Mines, the situation is complicated by the fact operators are not necessarily set on what constitutes best practice.
“We’re creating a new kind of profession in tailings engineering and management at the moment, but there is no consensus as to what really needs to be taught,” she said in a recent panel discussion facilitated by ESG software provider K2fly.
“We need to establish expectations on the proper storage of tailings that every mine operator can follow.”
Australia’s regulatory guidelines for tailings management are set out in the Environmental Guidelines – Management of Tailings Storage Facilities (TSF) 2004, published by the Earth Resources Regulation unit.
The guideline includes direction for sites to continuously minimise waste, design new storage facilities to reduce risks, and ensure those facilities are appropriately rehabilitated after closure to minimise long-term risks to the environment.
Tailings dams are one of the main types of storage facilities used on a mine site. These dams are usually constructed of rock and need regular maintenance to ensure they are strong enough to contain the waste.
Most dams have the waste pumped into them from the processing plant, where the solids then settle to the bottom. The water can be recycled to be used again in the separation process.
David Williams, professor of geotechnical engineering at the University of Queensland, has a particular interest in the design of tailings dams.
“What I like to do in dam design is separate the containment function from the storage function,” he told Australian Mining. “The first thing we need to do is
ensure we have a stable containment.
“One of the driving forces behind storing the tailings more efficiently is building smaller dams to use less water.
“So if a dam takes up less volume, it is a lot smaller and cheaper.”
Of course, like any construction, tailings dams may fail – and the results could be catastrophic.
The Mount Polley copper-gold mine in Canada experienced just that when its tailings dam collapsed in 2014, releasing 25 million cubic metres of wastewater and tailings into nearby waterways and lakes.
The resulting waste reportedly held 84,831kg of arsenic, 38,218kg of lead and 562kg of mercury.
“Over the last decade or so, tailings have become a critical issue for mining companies,” Williams said. “If a pit fails, it can put people and the environment at risk, and everyone agrees that the rate of failures is still too high.”
Over the course of the 21st century, the mining industry can expect to see a higher production of
IN ORDER TO MAKE A MINING OPERATION AS SUSTAINABLE AS POSSIBLE, MINERS NEED TO ENSURE THEIR WASTE STREAMS – OR TAILINGS – ARE STORED IN AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY WAY.TAILINGS DAMS ARE OFTEN SEEN AS A SECURE WAY TO STORE TAILINGS AT A MINE SITE.
tailings due to the mining of more low-grade, high-tonnage, ultramechanised operations.
The question is whether the industry is ready for the re-engineering that will be required, and what can be done to help.
For the experts involved in the K2fly panel, the global advancement of education is what will enable the sector to keep up.
“Universities promote sustainable jobs, and tailings management is all about sustainability,” University of Western Australia (UWA) professor Andy Fourie said during the panel discussion.
“However, it’s not high on the radar for people looking for jobs in sustainability management, and that’s where we need to work with universities to promote it.”
UWA, the University of Queensland and the University of New South Wales all offer courses in tailings, but a greater level of higher education is needed.
“The research that occurs in master’s degrees or PhDs is really valuable when it comes to tailings storage and maintenance,” Chris Bareither, associate professor at Colorado State University, told the K2fly panel.
“One of my biggest focuses is getting more students in the workforce ready to make a valuable contribution to the issue of tailings. We need to develop a pipeline that will provide a continuous and sustainable workforce with the knowledge and research that students and academics bring.
“This could mean that there should be more of a crossover, with industry coming into academia, or academia coming into the industry.
“I think if we can accelerate this professional development by creating an international, cross-institutional platform, then tailings storage and maintenance will be more established as a profession, which can only benefit the sector.” AM
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EVENT SUBMISSIONS CAN BE EMAILED TO EDITOR@AUSTRALIANMINING.COM.AU
Mine Waste and Tailings Conference
2023 Brisbane | July 13–14
The 2023 Mine Waste and Tailings Conference welcomes delegates from across to globe to explore all aspects of lifecycle waste rock and tailings management, from site selection and design to post-closure care, and addressed current and future challenges affecting mining systems re-engineering. Co-hosted by AusIMM and the University of Queensland, the conference will feature industry-leading keynote presentations, thought-provoking panel discussions, interactive Q&As, a suite of insightful technical presentations and exhibitors showcasing the latest innovations.
• ausimm.com/conferences-and-events/ mine-waste-and-tailings
Life of Mine Conference 2023
Brisbane | August 2–4
AusIMM and the University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals’ Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation (CMLR) are welcoming attendees back to the highly successful Life of Mine Conference 2023.
In 2021, the conference welcomed a record number of attendees from over 15 countries and is set to bring a wider, global audience in 2023. Join professionals, researchers, government and academia from a diverse range of sectors as the program explores the full lifecycle of a mine, from exploration to rehabilitation.
Delivered in-person and online, this outstanding technical conference addresses current and future challenges affecting the mining value chain and will present leading examples of sustainability in mining.
• ausimm.com/conferences-and-events/ life-of-mine
Diggers & Dealers
Kalgoorlie | August 7–9
Diggers & Dealers combines 70 corporate presentations by listed mining and exploration companies with a large exhibition housing more than 150 exhibitors from the sector. Delegates include miners, explorers, brokers, bankers, investors, financiers and mining service providers from around the world.
The event provides a unique opportunity for industry professionals to meet and network, visit regional mine sites, engage with media, raise finance, invest in projects and engage with the resources sector at an executive level.
An entertainment program ensures that delegates experience the best of the style and hospitality of Kalgoorlie, the unofficial gold mining capital of Australia.
• diggersndealers.com.au
WA Mining Conference & Exhibition
Perth | October 11–12
WA Mining Conference & Exhibition will integrate the innovation and research
ecosystem while addressing the social and environmental standards driving a more sustainably conscious industry. The largely expanded exhibition will showcase the technical and digital innovation across the entire mining value chain, while the highly targeted conference will illustrate the economic importance of Western Australia and its contribution the resource technology sector, its innovation capability, its job creation, and the attraction of capital to the state.
WA Mining is the ultimate event for mining and engineering professionals, showcasing the technical and digital evolution transforming the mining industry in Western Australia. Developed purely for the Western Australian market, WA Mining provides a blueprint to solve operational pain points while hearing from industry-leading experts at what is a highly targeted conference.
• waminingexpo.com.au
Brisbane | November 9
Taking place in Brisbane in 2023, the Australian Mining Prospect Awards are a great opportunity to recognise and acknowledge the people and companies in the mining sector for their outstanding work. Having recently celebrated the 2022 Prospect Awards winners, nominations are now open for 2023, with awards honouring categories such as Indigenous and Community
Engagement, Mine Project Success of the Year, Outstanding Mine Performance, Sustainability Project of the Year, Discovery of the Year, and more. Some of the 2022 award winners included Kestrel Coal for Australian Mine of the Year, Roy Hill for Mine Project Success of the Year, and Flexco Australia for Excellence in IIoT Application. This year, the awards will return to Brisbane in appreciation of the vibrancy and importance of the state’s thriving mining industry.
• prospectawards.com.au
Critical Minerals Conference 2023 Perth | November 21–23
Critical minerals are essential components in many of today’s rapidly growing clean energy technologies, from wind turbines and electricity networks to electric vehicles.
The increasing appetite and rapid pace of the transition to cleaner energy sources continues to drive the growth in demand for these minerals, and in response the supporting industries are also growing at unprecedented rates.
To address this rapid growth, AusIMM will launch its inaugural Critical Minerals Conference in 2023. The event will include a multi-stream format and seek to engage with a larger audience from multiple disciplines as well as a wide range of industry.
• ausimm.com/conferences-and-events/ critical-minerals
