VOLUME 116/05 | JUNE 2024
GRAPHITE FOCUS
INTERNATIONAL MINING
INDUSTRY EVENTS
United. Inspired.
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Never has it been more critical for Australian mining companies and contractors to scrutinise their environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance.
Those who choose not to adopt an ESG framework are likely to be left out in the cold by the lenders and regulators that enable the sector’s continued growth and development.
In fact, new mining projects could be left at a standstill if a regulator doesn’t deem them ESG-compliant, while investors are less likely to provide the necessary debt funding, offtake and equity to get such projects off the ground.
The ESG movement is creating a generational shift for the Australian resources industry, and it’s something companies will need to approach diligently for the best outcomes to be achieved.
Given that reality, it’s reassuring to see the mining equipment, technology and services (METS) sector stepping up to the plate to support the local mining industry on its ESG journey.
Epiroc works closely with its mining customers to understand their electrification barriers and how to best overcome them, before building out a roadmap that doesn’t compromise operational productivity.
The original equipment manufacturer offers battery-electric trucks, loaders and drill rigs, alongside associated infrastructure and know-how.
Hexagon’s MinePlan Schedule Optimiser carries out battery-electric vehicle modelling by determining the most productive mining sequence to achieve the highest project profitability, before generating practical short–long-term project schedules for its customers.
METS companies are coming at ESG from all angles, unlocking new capabilities that are not only enabling a more sustainable and responsible mining industry but also a more efficient and productive sector.
Elsewhere in this edition, we shine a light on Australia’s emerging graphite industry, showcasing the achievements of Renascor Resources, International Graphite and Lincoln Minerals.
We also break down all the March quarter performances from the sector’s leading miners and provide an outlook into the future of some important commodities. ESG
In this edition of Australian Mining, we spotlight the original equipment manufacturers, suppliers and technology providers that will be key enablers of mining’s ESG future.
Mine rehabilitation proponents Global Soil Systems and Dendra take centre stage, detailing solutions that are helping to ensure a more environmentally proactive industry. Helicopters are central to Global Soil Systems’ aerial seeding solution, while drones drive Dendra’s seeding offering.
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Tom Parker EditorJOURNALISTS
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An Australian familyowned and operated business since 1994, Global Soil Systems has more than 25 years’ experience specialising in mining and industrial rehabilitation and revegetation. Global Soil Systems pioneered many of the methods used in mine and industrial revegetation today, and has played an instrumental role in the successful establishment of native vegetation and ecosystems across many mines in the Hunter Valley region of NSW. In 2018, Global Soil Systems was acquired by B&K Revegetation & Landscaping, a leading commercial landscaper operating across Australia. By leveraging the strengths, expertise and capabilities of B&K, Global Soil Systems can now offer a fully integrated approach to environmental project management while still operating as its own entity.
Cover image: Global Soil Systems
Charging up on graphite
Several Australian graphite projects are gearing up as international demand for the battery metal is set to soar. 20 ESG
A commitment to sustainability
As Australia progressively implements sustainable mining methods, the resource sector is adopting TSM – a globally recognised accountability framework.
Taking to the skies
While a mine may be rehabilitated from the ground up, Global Soil Systems likes to have a bird’s eye view of the project. 24
Clearing the electrification hurdle Epiroc is breaking down the barriers associated with going electric. 52 INDUSTRY INSIGHT
Major miners March on While adverse weather posed some
problems, several major miners reported solid results in the first quarter of 2024.
56 COMMUNICATIONS
Lightning-fast coverage
When a fire compromised primary communications at Heathgate Resources’ Beverley uranium mine in SA, Vocus and Peplink came to the rescue.
60 EQUIPMENT
The evolution of the trusty 930E
In 2001, a giant arrived on the shores of Australia, forever changing the landscape of mining operations.
64 COMPANY PROFILE
Mineral sands through the hourglass Time is up on a public hearing process for VHM’s Goschen rare earths and mineral sands project, and the explorer is ready to hit the ground running.
76 INDUSTRY EVENTS
QME returns to Mackay
For over 30 years, QME has been at the heart of the Queensland mining sector.
KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST EXECUTIVE MOVEMENTS ACROSS THE MINING SECTOR, FEATURING NEWMONT, CME AND EVOLUTION.
Trott succeeds Brandon Craig, who stepped down as CME president to take on the role of BHP president of Americas.
In April, Newmont welcomed a new member to its executive leadership team who will lead technical work across the business.
Prior to his current role as Rio’s iron ore chief executive in WA, Trott was the company’s chief commercial officer from 2018 to 2021.
Francois Hardy joined the company as chief technology officer (CTO), taking over from interim CTO Dean Gehring.
Hardy brings more than 30 years of technical and operational experience in mining to the role.
He commenced with Newmont in 2002 and has held roles including exploration group head, managing director Africa and general manager Tanami.
“Francois is a strong leader with deep technical experience and a demonstrable track record of improving operating performance,” Newmont president and chief executive officer Tom Palmer said.
“His appointment will further strengthen Newmont’s executive leadership team, adding valuable technological expertise which will be central to our ongoing success as a business.”
Before joining Newmont, Hardy held executive positions at Avmin Ltd and De Beers Consolidated Mines.
His new role will involve looking for new ways to enhance the company’s operations through innovation and new technologies.
The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia (CME) has appointed Simon Trott as its new president.
Trott has been with Rio Tinto for over 20 years in a variety of operating, commercial and business development roles across a range of commodities.
“CME has a proud history of advocacy for WA’s resources industry and I’m looking forward to helping drive the organisation’s strategic direction over the next few years, working closely with Rebecca, the executive council and the team,” Trott said.
“The development of WA’s natural resources continues to underpin the prosperity of our state and our nation. In 2022–23 the sector supported three in 10 West Australian jobs, 15,508 local businesses and 1312 community organisations.
“It also contributes one third of WA Government’s general revenue and 20 per cent of federal corporate income taxes, supporting the delivery of public goods and services from which the whole community benefits.”
CME chief executive officer Rebecca Tomkinson welcomed Trott to the role at CME’s 123rd annual general meeting.
“Simon’s involvement with CME on our advisory board and executive committee has highlighted his experience and knowledge as a leader and industry professional in the mining and resources sector,” Tomkinson said.
“He takes on the presidency at a time of great opportunity and challenges for the sector as we head into state and federal election cycles. It’s a highly pivotal leadership role and one that’s instrumental in holding policy makers to account on behalf of industry.”
“Brandon’s leadership roles with BHP over more than 20 years have been incredibly diverse. Those wideranging skills were an asset to his role as CME’s president, a role he approached with characteristic rigour and passion,” Tomkinson said.
“We wish him every success in his new appointment.”
Evolution Mining has appointed Matthew O’Neill as its new chief operating officer (COO).
Most recently, O’Neill worked at Glencore from 2004 to 2023. His most recent role at the company was the Australian regional lead and COO for the copper and zinc businesses.
In this role, he was accountable for the Ernest Henry gold-copper operation in Queensland. Evolution eventually acquired full ownership of Ernest Henry in January 2022. O’Neill was also responsible for managing all copper and zinc assets in Glencore’s Australian portfolio.
Since leaving Glencore in 2023, O’Neill has been managing his own consulting business in which he supported Evolution with the integration of the Northparkes gold-copper operation in New South Wales.
“I am excited to be joining the team at Evolution, having worked closely with the company since 2016 when they acquired an interest in the Ernest Henry operation,” O’Neill said.
“The way Jake, Lawrie and the team have grown a world class business with an industry leading culture is something I am looking forward to contributing to, including a more reliable operational performance.”
Arafura Rare Earths announced some key executive leadership changes to help the company deliver the Nolans rare earths project in the Northern Territory. Stuart Macnaughton commenced his role as Arafura’s COO on April 8.
Macnaughton has 25 years’ experience and holds expertise in project delivery, including the ramp-up of complex hydrometallurgical facilities, and has successfully overseen the design, build and integration of processing plants for Vale and BHP.
“Attracting a COO with Stuart’s credentials signifies the quality of the Nolans project and Arafura’s growth potential,” Arafura chief executive officer Darryl Cuzzubbo said.
“His expertise in leading diverse teams to deliver complex integrated processing plants is critical to the success of Nolans.”
Shaan Beccarelli recently joined the company in March as Arafura’s head of corporate affairs and investor relations.
Beccarelli has more than 20 years’ experience in the resources sector, previously working for Woodside, Chevron and Rio Tinto. In their new role, Beccarelli will deliver strategic growth across stakeholder engagement, external relations, brand and reputation.
Tanya Perry was also promoted to head of sustainability and environment in February. With more than 20 years’ experience in environment and sustainability management across a range of industries such as mining, Perry is set to deliver Arafura’s ESG (environmental, social, and governance) strategy.
“It has been a pleasure welcoming both Shaan and Tanya to my executive leadership team,” Cuzzubbo said.
“They have brought a step-change in how Arafura executes its corporate affairs, investor relations, environmental management and ESG strategies. AM
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.
THE $60B BHP–ANGLO DEAL
BHP confirmed a possible $60 billion acquisition of mining giant Anglo American in April. What does such a deal mean for the sector?
The frenzy began when Anglo released a statement saying it had received an “unsolicited, non-binding and highly conditional combination proposal,” from BHP.
The proposal comprised an all-share offer that would require Anglo to spinoff its entire shareholdings in Anglo
a proposal on April 16.
Under the terms of BHP’s proposal, Anglo American shareholders would receive 0.7097 BHP shares for every Anglo share, as well as ordinary shares in Anglo Platinum and Kumba.
A deal would ring in at a total value of approximately £25.08 ($48.12) per
AUSTRALIAN IRON ORE CROWNED GLOBAL NUMBER ONE
Federal Resources Minister
Madeleine King debuted the 2023 ‘Australia’s Identified Mineral Resources’ report at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada convention.
King visited Canada and the US to engage in complex discussions surrounding critical minerals.
The annual ‘Australia’s Identified Mineral Resources’ report is published by Geoscience Australia and draws on more than 45 years of data to track Australia’s known
mineral resources. It also details important trends in mine production, and reserve and resource estimates.
The report revealed Australia produces 27 minerals, with 15 of them ranking in the top five for global supply.
Australia was crowned number one globally for economic resources of gold, iron ore, lead, nickel, rutile, uranium, zinc and zircon.
The country is also the world’s largest producer of bauxite, iron ore, rutile, and lithium, with the latter’s
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“The combined entity would have a leading portfolio of large, low-cost, long-life Tier 1 assets focused on iron ore and metallurgical coal and future facing commodities, including potash and copper.”
BHP has been vocal in its hunger for copper, which it sees as a kingmaker commodity as nations turn to netzero technology.
($59.6 billion).
BHP said the terms of the proposal would carry a 31 per cent premium on Anglo’s implied market value.
“The combination would bring together the strengths of BHP and Anglo American in an optimal structure,” BHP said.
A successful acquisition of Anglo would see BHP dominate the world’s copper market and shore up its coal presence in Queensland thanks to Anglo American Australia’s Capcoal and Aquila mines in the Bowen Basin, which increased production by seven per cent in the March quarter.
production up 36 per cent to a record 75,000 tonnes in 2022.
Australia is also a top five producer of zircon, cobalt, manganese, rare earths, nickel and tantalum.
“Australia’s resources are mined and processed to the highest standards – making them the cleanest and greenest in the world,” King said.
“Our geology means that we are home to globally significant deposits of minerals, these
minerals will be crucial as the world turns to renewable technologies to decarbonise.”
Australia’s investment in mineral exploration increased by 13 per cent to $4 billion during 2022.
“Government investment in precompetitive geoscience is critical to understanding quite literally what Australia is made of and to maintaining a pipeline of new critical mineral investment opportunities into the future,” King said.
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Western Australian Minister for Mines and Petroleum David Michael emphasised the importance of attracting global investment in the state’s lithium sector.
Opening Paydirt’s 2024 Battery Minerals Conference in Perth in April, Michael said in less than a decade, WA had established a multi-billiondollar battery and critical minerals processing industry.
“With a rich endowment of these minerals, I look forward to positioning Western Australia as a destination of choice for the responsible sourcing of futurefacing commodities that will drive global decarbonisation efforts,” he said.
“I’m taking a keen interest in the minerals critical in their make-up, but of course I am also curious about the provenance of these minerals, given a typical EV requires six times the mineral inputs of a conventional car.”
The International Energy Agency estimates the average amount of mineral resources needed for a new unit of power generation has increased by 50 per cent since 2010, reflecting the rising uptake of renewables.
Michael said the challenge now is ensuring more global scale investments are made in WA to expand the state’s capacity in downstream processing and battery chemical manufacturing.
Thiess has locked in a six-year contract extension with BHP for the Mount Arthur South coal operations in the Hunter Valley region of NSW. Worth $1.9 billion, this contract will see Thiess continue to provide mining services at the Mount Arthur South mine, operating and maintaining mining equipment to support BHP’s production requirements, and working with BHP and the local community towards the planned mine closure in 2030.
“This contract extension acknowledges Thiess’ strong safety record and ongoing operational performance, and builds on the longstanding relationship between Thiess and BHP that started more than 30 years ago,” Thiess Group executive chair and chief executive officer Michael Wright said.
“We are strongly aligned with BHP
“Our opportunity is to build upon the three lithium hydroxide refineries currently being commissioned or constructed by Tianqi, Albemarle and Covalent Lithium,” he said.
“At full capacity, these three refineries will produce up to 200,000 tonnes per annum, enough to power around four million electric vehicles.
“This would make Western Australia one of the world’s top producers of this ingredient that feeds into lithium-ion batteries.”
Albemarle has invested around $2 billion to build the worldleading Kemerton lithium hydroxide processing plant near Bunbury in the south west of WA.
Covalent Lithium’s refinery near Kwinana will produce about 45,000 tonnes of lithium hydroxide per year derived from the nearby Mount Holland lithium mine.
The Greenbushes operations, including its lithium mine and refinery, banked nearly $6.3 billion in profits last year.
These projects, alongside other emerging assets such as Liontown Resources’ Kathleen Valley project, present significant opportunities for WA to position itself as a global player in the critical minerals space.
As net-zero targets approach, the state is certainly one to watch as it fully realises its critical minerals potential.
has resulted in significant increases in the number of our local Indigenous and female employees.”
Thiess has provided mining services to Mount Arthur since 2017.
Thiess first provided load and haul services. This then expanded in 2018 to include additional mining services, including mining overburden and coal, mine design, planning and
Since October 2018, Thiess has acted as the mine operator at the Ayredale and Roxburgh pits at the southern end of Mount Arthur.
“Thiess has played a key part in supporting the local economy and community of the Hunter Valley region, dating back 80 years, and we are proud to be given the opportunity to continue our presence in the region alongside BHP,” Thiess
In a milestone achievement for Liontown Resources, the miner has crushed first ore at its Kathleen Valley lithium project in Western Australia. First ore was achieved through Liontown’s crushing circuit at the site, after commissioning of the dry plant commenced in late March.
Liontown said its team will now gradually ramp up the volume of ore through the crusher to build a stockpile of crushed ore.
“By starting the commissioning process with the crusher, we’re not only testing the equipment but will have clean ore ready for feeding into the wet plant,” the company said.
The news came just days after Liontown celebrated a big quarter of progress – as of March 31, Liontown had completed 85 per cent of Kathleen Valley, and approximately 90 per cent of the process plant.
“The March quarter saw tremendous progress across all major work fronts at Kathleen Valley, with construction of the process plant, the critical path to first production, being 90 per cent complete on an earned value basis,” Liontown managing director Tony Ottaviano said.
“We are within touching distance of first production and in a very strong position financially with $358.1 million in the bank, together with the undrawn
commercial debt facility, providing us sufficient funding through to first production and beyond.
“Securing capital from a leading international and domestic syndicate, as well as government agencies, further reinforces the strength of the ... technical and financial qualities of Kathleen Valley and provides a very strong endorsement of our project.”
Kathleen Valley is set to achieve first production in mid-2024.
Mineral Resources (MinRes) reached milestones at its Mount Marion lithium operation and Onslow Iron project, both located in Western Australia.
The company announced it has begun preliminary development works to support future underground mining at Mount Marion.
MinRes lithium chief executive Joshua Thurlow said the start of preliminary underground works marked an exciting new phase for one of the world’s few operating hard-rock lithium mines.
“MinRes has been managing all open pit mining operations at Mount Marion since 2016 and this site is a key asset in our growing world-class lithium portfolio,” Thurlow said.
“Recent underground exploration success has confirmed that we’ve barely scratched the surface of this mine’s potential.
“Having now doubled the underground mineral resource, we’re pushing ahead with building the necessary infrastructure and technical expertise to transition Mount Marion into an open pit and underground mining operation.”
MinRes also announced it has welcomed WA’s first third-generation electric hybrid wheel loader, set to undertake load and haul activities at the Onslow Iron project.
MinRes asset management executive general manager Dale Blyth said the Komatsu E1850-3 will bring a host of environmental and productivity benefits.
“MinRes is committed to investing in the latest technology to power our transition to netzero operations, while still achieving operational efficiencies,” he said.
“Our new Komatsu wheel loader does exactly that, producing substantially less carbon emissions compared to mechanical drives while still delivering higher payloads.”
The machine features the fully regenerative SR hybrid drive system, which during braking or retarding causes electrical motors to become generators, feeding power back into its kinetic energy storage system.
This helps deliver up to 45 per cent less fuel consumption than comparably sized mechanical drive wheel loaders.
Magmatic Resources and Fortescue have executed a farm-in and joint venture (JV) agreement at the Myall copper-gold project in NSW.
The agreement will see Fortescue spend up to $14 million over six years to earn up to a 75 per cent joint venture interest in the project.
Fortescue also subscribed for 75,946,151 shares in Magmatic Resources to hold a 19.9 per cent stake.
The Myall project consists of a contiguous 244km² tenement covering the northern extension of the Junee-Narromine Volcanic Belt.
Magmatic Resources has found significant porphyry-associated copper-gold mineralisation in the area.
“We are excited to joint venture and partner with Fortescue to advance our exploration efforts across the Myall project area,” Magmatic Resources executive chairman David Richardson said.
“Myall has many signatures of a Tier 1 copper-gold deposit and Magmatic has recognised the need to partner with a major to further advance the project following the maiden resource.”
The terms of the agreement stipulate that Fortescue may earn a 51 per cent initial interest in the Myall project by incurring $6 million in expenditure on exploration in the initial earn-in period of up to four years.
AngloGold Ashanti has extended a three-year contract with Macmahon for underground mining services at the Tropicana gold operation in Western Australia.
The $352 million contract will see Macmahon continue to carry out services at the Boston Shaker underground mine, which it has been working at since 2019.
Tropicana, located 330km northeast of Kalgoorlie, is a joint venture
largest producing gold mines.
In its current tenure, Macmahon’s scope of services has included mine development, production drilling, cable bolting and ore stoping.
“We are delighted to have been awarded an extension at Boston Shaker where we have worked to build an excellent relationship with our client, focused on driving
chief executive officer Michael Finnegan said.
“The contract extension award is a critical step towards growing the underground portfolio by 50 per cent over the next two to three years.
“With capital already deployed in the project and no new growth capital required, we expect the extension to enhance our return on capital
Gold is enjoying a particularity bright day in the sun with gold prices reaching record levels in recent months.
Prices are expected to continue their run in 2024 due to various factors such as geopolitical disruptions, a weakening US dollar and rising inflation.
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AUSTRALIAN GRAPHITE
Graphite has long been considered crucial for the global energy transition, even before the Federal Government introduced the Critical Minerals List in 2019.
Soft, black and shiny, graphite is composed of carbon in a hexagonal crystalline structure and is used as an input for anodes.
There are currently no active Australian graphite mines, but the country was ranked eighth globally for graphite resources in ‘Australia’s Identified Mineral Resources 2023’ report, meaning there is untapped potential.
With the newly-introduced restriction on graphite exports in China – the world’s top graphite exporter –decreasing the country’s exports by 91 per cent, there has perhaps never been a better opportunity to capitalise on the commodity’s growth.
According to energy transition data provider and analyst Wood Mackenzie, situations like this will open doors for other countries like Australia to step up to the plate.
“As geopolitics plays an everincreasing role across all the battery raw materials, we could start to see more rest-of-world development downstream of mining – if market pricing allows,” the market analyst said in its report, ‘Graphite: Five things to look for in 2024’.
And the timing couldn’t be sweeter for three Australian graphite-focused companies profiled in this edition of Australian Mining
International Graphite Since its inception six years ago, International Graphite has made quite an impression in the sector.
The company was founded in 2018 by Phil Hearse and David Pass, two of Perth’s most prominent metallurgists with over 30 years’ experience.
During the early emergence of lithium-ion batteries – the primary consumers of graphite fines – Hearse and Pass recognised that almost all supply chains ran through China.
“They believed, ahead of time, that there was a need to diversify graphite supply beyond China to support battery and car manufacturers, which created the opportunity for Australia to create new downstream processing facilities,” International Graphite managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) Andrew Worland told Australian Mining
“So, they founded International Graphite and have built the intellectual property (IP) to support their vision for a mine-to-market supply chain in WA.”
In 2022, the company attracted interest from Comet Resources, a base and precious metals explorer that owned the Springdale graphite project in the Ravensthorpe region of Western Australia.
“Comet identified that the Springdale deposit was particularly suited for the lithium-ion battery pathway,” Worland said. “They believed that the IP
International Graphite had built would be key to extracting full value from the natural resource.
“That led to International Graphite purchasing the Springdale deposit and listing on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) in April 2022.”
Under International Graphite, Springdale has grown to become one of the top 15 graphite deposits in the world.
“The Springdale deposit has scale and a significant high-grade component to the resource,” Worland said. “The scoping study we released in January
2024 indicated we can hold a head grade of about 10 per cent for the first 15 years of operations.
“The graphite mineralisation is very shallow and soft, as it is in oxide and weathered rock, which translates to cheaper mining costs and, because it’s a fines deposit, cheaper processing costs.”
In March 2024, purification test work on micronised and spheroidised Springdale concentrates exceeded the purity requirements needed for lithiumion batteries, with optimised test results achieving between 99.96–99.97 per cent of loss on ignition.
“Our test work programs indicate that we are able to deliver graphite from the mine site at 95 per cent concentrate,” Worland said.
“99.95 per cent is regarded as a minimum battery specification, and we are satisfied we can purify our products to 99.95 per cent and above, so the results are a great tick for the project.”
Complementing the Springdale project is International Graphite’s recently commissioned graphite micronising plant in Collie, which will ultimately be available to process graphite concentrates.
The qualification-scale microniser is the largest pilot plant of its type in Australia and is the pre-cursor to a
4000-tonne-per-annum commercial scale plant that is expected to be built and operating in Collie by the end of next year.
International Graphite has received $13.2 million in grants from State and Federal Governments, including $6.5 million from the WA Government in April. This will support the development of the company’s downstream processing capabilities, from micronising to purified battery anode material.
Micronised graphite is the first stage in producing battery anode material for electric vehicles and green energy storage.
“Micronised graphite has extensive industrial applications, so we are establishing a micronising business as a prelude to the full battery anode business,” Worland said.
“Over the next six to 18 months, we’ll develop a customer base to operate a commercial scale micronising business in Collie, establish our brand and develop greater technical expertise in the handling of materials.”
International Graphite is also looking to convert more Springdale resources from the inferred category to the indicated category.
“We will initiate more exploration work at Mason Bay this year, which was one of our key discoveries in 2023, as we think there’s real scope to significantly enlarge that resource,” Worland said.
“We’re getting an enormous amount of inbound interest from North America, Europe and Asia for our product as we develop our product suite outside of the China supply chain.
“When anticipate being at the forefront of that investor appetite.”
Another aspiring Australian graphite producer, Lincoln Minerals, is advancing its Kookaburra Gully graphite project in South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula.
Leading the company is former mining engineer Jonathon Trewartha, who took over as CEO in November 2023.
“What attracted me to Lincoln Minerals was its resource (Kookaburra Gully) with its high-grade core that starts at surface, and that it already had a mining lease approved and a program for environment protection and rehabilitation well advanced,” Trewartha told Australian Mining
“A feasibility study completed on the Kookaburra Gully project in 2017 was based on a production rate of 35,000 tonnes of graphite flake concentrate per annum, which yielded a 33 per cent internal rate of return and a 10-year mine life.”
In mid-April, Lincoln Minerals announced it had doubled the Kookaburra Gully resource in just seven months.
The deposit now boasts a mineral resource estimate of 12.8 million tonnes at 7.6 per cent total graphitic carbon (TGC). That is, in simple terms, almost one million ounces of contained graphite.
This makes Kookaburra Gully the second largest graphite resource on the Eyre Peninsula and underlines its potential as a Tier 1 project.
“Recent drilling grew the Kookaburra Gully deposit to 3.5 million tonnes at 11.7 per cent TGC, and increased the high-grade core to 2.9 million tonnes at 13.6 per cent TGC, which positions the project as a low cost mining operation,” Trewartha said.
“At surface, we’ve got 20 per cent TGC, so our first bucket load will be 20 per cent. A lot of other Australian deposits have to dig down between 10-15 metres and they’re batting around seven
or eight per cent TGC, so we believe we’ve got a huge competitive advantage.” Trewartha said Kookaburra Gully’s scalability is demonstrated through the exploration targets released in March.
“The targets go up to 126 million tonnes of graphite at four to 16 per cent TGC, which shows we can scale,” he said.
“South Australia’s southern portion of the Hutchison Group formation, on the Eyre Peninsula, possesses more than 60 per cent of Australia’s graphite resources, including the Kookaburra Gully graphite project.”
In 2017, a 39-tonne sample was sent to a pilot plant in China for test work. This test work has now been completed.
“That concentrate has returned a 95 per cent average grade and when leach tested produced a 99.9 per cent grade, which is awesome,” Trewartha said. “Then it was sent to Canada to produce 300kg of spheroidized graphite.
“The benefit of that is we can put spheroidized product into the buyers’ hands, and that’s before acid treatment.”
Looking ahead, Lincoln Minerals is keen to deliver an updated pre-feasibility study in the second half of 2024, examining a 60,000–100,000 tonne-perannum graphite concentrate project at Kookaburra Gully.
“We aim to have approvals, feasibility studies and a conditional sales contract
completed by the second half of next year,” Trewartha said.
The company also aims to continue drilling at Kookaburra Gully at the end of the cropping season in December 2024, in order to further extend known mineralisation and test new high impact targets in order to meet the growing graphite demand.
“We’re three companies in one, spanning graphite, our 1.2-billion-tonne Green Iron magnetite project and our extensive portfolio of uranium targets,” Trewartha said.
“We’re choosing graphite as our core business, as it gives us the opportunity to develop and mine a potential Tier 1 asset at Kookaburra Gully.
“This project’s high-grade core is on an awarded mining lease, in the most prominent graphite region in Australia, and it’s highly prospective for further world-class discoveries.
“In addition, we really believe the demand for graphite is going to continue increasing.”
Backed by a $185 million loan facility from the Federal Government, Renascor Resources is shooting for
RENASCOR RESOURCES WILL USE A $185 MILLION LOAN FACILITY FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO BOLSTER ITS SIVIOUR BAM GRAPHITE PROJECT.
the stars with its Siviour battery anode material (BAM) graphite project in South Australia.
Renascor is set to utilise the loan to fast track the development of the graphite concentrate operation at BAM.
“We are delighted to have received confirmation that the $185 million loan is approved to support our strategy of fast-tracking the construction of the upstream portion of the BAM project,” Renascor managing director David Christensen said in April.
“Our phased development strategy provides us with an early-mover advantage by entering the market with reliable supply of natural graphite concentrates.
“The strategy allows us to generate early cashflows, accelerate production of graphite concentrates, and continue to build offtake relationships with leading anode suppliers.”
The BAM operation includes the Siviour graphite deposit and a state-of-the-art processing facility to manufacture purified spherical graphite (PSG) through Renascor’s ecofriendly purification process.
Renascor holds the world’s second largest proven graphite reserve and the
largest graphite reserve outside of Africa, which could support a mining operation for 40 years.
“In the Siviour graphite deposit, Renascor is fortunate to be endowed with a large world-class asset,”
Christensen said.
“The support from the Australian Government and EFA (Export Finance Australia) is testament to the gravity of the opportunity for Renascor, and Australia, to become a world-leading supplier of graphite into the lithium-ion battery supply chain.”
Like many battery metals, graphite prices have been turbulent recently.
However, Wood Mackenzie forecasted significant growth for natural and synthetic graphite anodes in tonnage terms in its ‘Graphite: Five things to look for in 2024’ report.
“Far more graphite will be required for the energy transition than any other anode material,” the market analyst said.
Lucky for Australia, the country is filled with strong graphite resources, many of which remain untapped. And businesses are taking advantage, with several mining companies working to uncover them. AM
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Like many Australian industries, the mining sector is racing to meet net-zero by 2050.
But the industry can’t meet this goal without a strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework.
It’s for this reason that the resource industry has been quick to adopt Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM), a globally recognised accountability framework supporting minerals companies to evaluate, manage and communicate their site-level sustainability performance.
Overseen by a national Community of Interest Advisory Panel, comprising representatives from key stakeholder
MINING COMPANIES AND CONTRACTORS HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO BE RESPONSIBLE OPERATORS, FOR THE GOOD OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES.
A STRONG ESG FRAMEWORK IS ESSENTIAL TO REACH NET-ZERO.
AS AUSTRALIA PROGRESSIVELY IMPLEMENTS SUSTAINABLE MINING METHODS, THE RESOURCE SECTOR IS ADOPTING TSM –A GLOBALLY RECOGNISED ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK.
groups such as First Nations entities, communities, investors and nongovernment organisations, TSM provides a consistent approach for companies to assess and communicate site level performance.
Making a change
TSM, which is administered by the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA), is an expectation of MCA membership.
First adopted by the MCA in November 2021, MCA chief executive officer Tania Constable said TSM would build on the existing commitments the MCA has towards sustainable mining.
“Australian mining is a global leader in sustainability performance, and it’s time to take another step forward
to enhance community, investor and customer trust and confidence in the industry,” Constable said at the time.
TSM includes guiding principles and standardised protocols to be adapted for Australian implementation, including:
• communities and people: Indigenous and community relationships, safety and health, crisis management and communication planning, preventing child and forced labour
• environmental stewardship: biodiversity conservation management, tailings management, water stewardship
• c limate change: site-level targets and management.
A key part of ESG is its social pillar, which focuses heavily on human rights and equity.
Across the globe, mining companies continue to strengthen their relationships with First Nations people, and Australia is no different.
TSM contains an Indigenous and community relationships protocol which sets out general expectations for systems and processes that support respectful relationships.
“Indigenous communities are fundamental partners in mining and the social and economic contribution mining makes to Australia,” the protocol said.
“The minerals industry is also a major stakeholder in the creation of Indigenous jobs, skills and wealth.”
The protocol acknowledges that the mining sector must engage with communities through all stages of the mine lifecycle.
It sets a precedent to collaborate on issues related to environmental effects, monitoring and cultural protection, with a focus on developing partnerships and initiatives that generate economic opportunities and wealth for surrounding communities.
Within TSM, the MCA has also adopted the Enduring Value framework. Based on the International Council on Mining and Metals’ 10 Principles of Sustainable Development, Enduring Value establishes the industry’s leadership on responsible resource development.
Like with TSM, it is an MCA membership condition that companies accept the 10 principles of Enduring Value.
The principles:
1. Implement and maintain ethical business practices and sound systems of corporate governance
2. Integrate sustainable development principles into company policies and practices
3. Uphold fundamental human rights and respect cultures, customs and values in dealings with employees and others who are affected by mining activities
4. Implement risk management strategies based on valid data and sound science
5. Seek continual improvement of health and safety performance
6. Seek continual improvement of environmental performance
7. Contribute to conservation of biodiversity and integrated approaches to land use planning
8. Facilitate and encourage responsible product design, use, re-use, recycling and disposal of mining products
9. Contribute to the social, economic and institutional development of the communities in which miners operate 10. Implement effective and transparent engagement, communications and independently verified reporting arrangements with stakeholders
“The success of Australia’s minerals industry, both now and in the future, depends upon its ability to operate in line with community expectations on ESG performance,” Constable said.
“Strong ESG performance creates shared value for workers, communities, investors and broader society. How the industry operates is as important as what it produces.”
An ESG framework is only as strong as the transparency and accountability behind it.
While TSM is overseen by a national Community of Interest Advisory Panel, companies who implement TSM can also help to hold each other accountable.
The TSM framework supports companies to identify opportunities and manage risks across environmental and social performance, with an industry view of ‘good practice’ enabling each company to maintain standards that show mining is being managed responsibly, from start to finish.
“Australian companies are global leaders in innovative, high-tech mining and lead the way in ESG practice,” Constable said.
“The Australian industry’s sustainability credentials are recognised globally, and its expertise and leading practice is exported around the world.”
For as long as companies push to reach net-zero, a strong ESG framework will continue to be an important part of a sustainable mining operation.
“The Australian minerals industry remains committed to doing more,” Constable said. “These ongoing efforts will ensure the industry keeps pace with changing community expectations and fully realise the opportunities afforded by responsible minerals development.”
While the MCA has been proactive in providing the resources sector a clear framework in which to adopt ESGfriendly mining practices, mining companies and contractors should also be wary of how local regulation is evolving.
In late March, the Federal Government introduced the Treasury Laws Amendment (Financial Market Infrastructure and Other Measures) Bill 2024 to the House of Representatives. Schedule 4 of the Bill proposes a mandatory climate risk disclosure framework for large Australian companies.
If enacted, the Bill will require companies that lodge financial reports under Chapter 2M of the Corporations Act 2001 and meet certain thresholds to submit a sustainability report disclosing climate-related risks and opportunities
in accordance with the Australian Sustainability Reporting Standards.
A sustainability report will need to contain a climate statement that details any:
• material climate-related financial risks or opportunities
• metrics and targets relating to climate that are required to be disclosed by the forthcoming sustainability standards, including Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions (and financed emissions)
• information about the governance, strategy or risk management by the entity in relation to the climate risks, opportunities, metrics and targets.
For some companies, reporting changes could start as early as January 2025.
In October 2023, the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) described the shift to mandatory climate-related disclosure as the “biggest change to corporate reporting in a generation”.
ESG accountability must come from various angles for it to be effective, with internal accountability just as critical as obligations set out by regulators and industry bodies.
As the Australian mining industry understands that project development timelines and finance are increasingly being dictated by investors and governments through an ESG lens, companies that don’t refine their ESG strategy risk being left out in the cold, with their projects at a standstill. AM
WHILE A MINE MAY BE REHABILITATED FROM THE GROUND UP, GLOBAL SOIL SYSTEMS LIKES TO HAVE A BIRD’S EYE VIEW OF THE PROJECT.
It may be a surprise to learn that helicopters are often used when rehabilitating a mine.
But considering rehabilitation works can often span hundreds of hectares across potentially steep, difficult and remote terrain, it makes sense.
Aerial access allows for the completion of jobs that otherwise would not be possible, and it can be a more economical means of application due to a helicopter’s speed, efficiency and carrying capacity.
Rehabilitation expert Global Soil Systems (GSS) has used helicopters for its rehabilitation projects for over 20 years, its value extending far beyond native woodland and pasture seeding.
“We had to get creative and innovate,” GSS general manager James Nebauer told Australian Mining. “We were challenged with landscapes that were either inaccessible and unsafe, or simply too costly and inefficient to revegetate using traditional methods.
“We needed a safer, more efficient alternative, which is why we first started using helicopters. They’re now used on site for a range of applications.”
GSS regularly uses helicopters for time-critical projects like seed and fertiliser applications, soil amelioration
and dust-suppression, as well as weed and pest control. The company was also the first to develop a new process of aerial hydro mulching for slope stabilisation and revegetation.
Aerial solutions were a natural evolution for GSS, a company that specialises in the end-to-end management of large-scale revegetation projects across Australia. This includes everything from providing advice on appropriate revegetation methods and ensuring all safety, compliance and risk assessment procedures are in place to organise the materials and machinery required and carrying out the work.
Engaged to work on some of the biggest sites in Australia, Nebauer said the requirement for aerial solutions is steadily growing. The long-standing relationship between GSS and Commercial Helicopters has seen the companies collaborate on several largescale projects over the years, with a focus on continually refining and expanding revegetation solutions.
“There is a lot of work that goes on in the background to ensure the success of an aerial project,” Nebauer said.
“We work extensively with clients to ensure all safety requirements are met
or exceeded, which allows them to have full confidence in the professionalism and safety of our operations.”
Commercial Helicopters general manager Robert Murray said the company’s operations adhere to strict safety regulations enforced by aviation authorities and BARS (Basic Aviation Risk Standard) certification.
“Our pilots undergo rigorous training and meet BARS-approved minimum requirements,” Murray said.
“We are also one of the select few operators in the country to be approved by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) for our fatigue risk management system.”
Murray said one of the main benefits of helicopters is their precision, allowing access to specific areas without excessive disturbance to surrounding vegetation or terrain, while also reducing the risk of soil erosion, habitat disruption, or damage to vegetation.
“When operated by highly experienced pilots with established protocols and safety measures, helicopters significantly contribute to restoring disturbed areas, while minimising environmental impact and maximising time efficiencies,” he said. AM
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EPIROC’S SCOOPTRAM ST14 UNDERGROUND LOADER IS AVAILABLE IN BATTERY-ELECTRIC.
EPIROC IS BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIERS ASSOCIATED WITH GOING ELECTRIC.
Through customer collaboration and everevolving research and development, Epiroc continues to set the tone for electrification in the Australian mining industry.
And with Federal Government initiatives such as the Safeguard Mechanism requiring mining companies to pay for carbon credits to offset their emissions, the need to adopt green technologies is becoming increasingly pressing.
Epiroc offers a wide range of batteryelectric vehicles for the Australian resources sector. This includes Epiroc’s battery-electric underground mining trucks (Minetruck range), loaders (Scooptram range), face drill rigs/jumbos (Boomer range), rock reinforcement rigs (Boltec range) and production drilling rigs (Simba range).
Operators can buy these machines new or Epiroc can retrofit an existing diesel machine with battery capability. This can coincide with a zero-hour rebuild.
To best facilitate an electric transition, the esteemed original equipment manufacturer (OEM) works closely with its mining customers to understand their electrification barriers and how
to best overcome them, before building out a roadmap that doesn’t compromise operational productivity.
“Customers have different strategies around their electrification journey, and it’s important for Epiroc to be able to come up with an agile solution that isn’t just about supplying a new machine,”
Epiroc Australia electrification support lead Karl Van Mourik told Australian Mining.
“A solution could involve scoping out a machine and considering what a battery conversion might look at the midlife stage. Maybe their infrastructure isn’t quite ready but maybe they can see an electrification opportunity down the track, and they can tie that in with a new battery-electric machine.
“There are many different avenues to implementing batteryelectric technologies.”
Customers daunted by the scope of electrification can be rest assured that Epiroc has the support networks available to support their electrification journey.
This includes the OEM’s Batteries as a Service (BaaS) offering, which sees Epiroc take ownership and full responsibility for the batteries, from certification to maintenance and technology upgrades.
Van Mourik said BaaS ensures batteries are maintained with the same vigilance and precision as Epiroc would maintain its machinery.
“The service is done by us,” he said. “We’ll ensure that you’ve always got the latest technology because as we own the battery, we’ll do all the updates for you as battery technologies improve.
“And when it comes to maintenance, once you reach a certain cut-off point for battery usage we’ll then install a new battery, guaranteeing battery usage and reducing unnecessary
downtime associated with reactive battery changeouts.”
Ahead of the recent Electric Mine Conference in Perth, Epiroc completed the first-ever diesel-to-battery conversion of its Minetruck MT42 to be the basis of BluVein’s dynamic charging solution and slotted electric rail system.
BluVein’s solution sees an enclosed electrified e-rail system mounted above a mining vehicle together with the BluVein hammer that connects the electric vehicle to the rail.
EPIROC’S BATTERIES AS A SERVICE OFFERING SEES EPIROC TAKE OWNERSHIP AND FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE BATTERIES.
The system provides power for driving the vehicle, typically a mine truck, and charges the truck’s batteries while it is hauling load up a ramp and out of an underground mine.
Once proven, this technology has the potential to be a key enabler for electrifying underground mines.
Van Mourik discussed the advantages of deploying a battery-electric truck underground.
“Battery-electric vehicles typically have a higher speed-on-grade because of the efficiency of electric motors and less loss incurred through your drive train,” he said. “So once the mine truck is integrated into the cycle times and patterns of the existing fleet, it has the potential to boost productivity.
“An electric truck provides a solution for any mine that has a problem with heat, diesel particulates, noise, vibration, or other environmental factors that are affecting their working group.
“As mines get deeper, maybe an operator needs to go electric because the environmental conditions in the mine dictate that.”
When combined with the ability to drive down carbon emissions, these advantages suddenly give an operator a mine site that meets the environmental, social and governance (ESG) obligations put to it by stakeholders and investors.
JTMEC is one example of Epiroc’s commitment to inorganic growth.
An electrification infrastructure solutions provider for underground and surface mines, JTMEC offers highvoltage installation and maintenance expertise, transformer servicing and testing, engineering design, feasibility studies, and training.
and telecommunications infrastructure on mine sites.
Another acquisition that has boosted Epiroc’s battery-electric capability is the addition of FVT Research, which designs diesel-to-battery conversion kits and rebuilds mining machines into electric versions.
In 2021, FVT participated in a
Epiroc understands that going electric isn’t as simple as deploying a fleet of battery-electric loaders, trucks and drills into a mine. The transition also necessitates associated infrastructure and maintenance expertise.
Luckily enough for the Australian mining industry, Epiroc has been proactive, building out its business to
Hexagon describes its sustainability efforts as “a natural, integrated part of its operations and core values”.
“Sustainability is crucial to the company’s success, and its work drives profitability and long-term shareholder value,” the company said.
Hexagon Mining head of product – mine planning Jesse Forgues told Australian Mining that sustainability is also crucial to the mining industry amid a global energy transition.
“As mines are increasingly shifting to renewable energy and electrification within their own operations, they are also working to produce the necessary minerals for all industries to do the same,” Forgues said.
To further aid in this industrywide mission, Hexagon has advanced its MinePlan Schedule Optimiser, which determines the most productive cut mining sequence to achieve the highest project profitability, and then generates practical short–long-term project schedules.
The digital solution can now measure an electric haul truck’s energy usage and downhill energy generation.
“Load and haul represent the majority of greenhouse gases within a mine and a large source of costs,” Forgues said.
“By modelling alternative energy sources and integrating them within our current products, such as the MinePlan Schedule Optimiser, we can ensure the mine plan is being assessed to minimise energy usage costs, which ultimately impact mineral extraction costs and trickle down to the end consumer.”
For the last decade, Hexagon’s MinePlan Haulage solution has been providing inputs into MinePlan Schedule Optimiser.
“This is an important step in the planning process and represents the extraction sequence using the fleet available,” Forgues said.
“Fuel consumption is modelled based on the route and vehicle type. Fuel consumption is then calculated for each route, allowing the user to see trade-off scenarios based on fuel usage.”
This process can now be followed for an electric haul truck.
“We can model the kilowatt hours required to move the required amount of tonnes against the optimal routes, considering both the energy usage uphill and the energy generation downhill,” Forgues said.
“This approach results in a mine plan that reflects the specific model of truck being assessed.”
This integration will help mining companies increase their efficiency and safety while reducing emissions.
“The integration between MinePlan Haulage and MinePlan Schedule Optimiser boils down to enabling better decision-making that is considerate of all aspects of the mine plan, ensuring that the economics of the plan are well understood,” Forgues said.
“It also allows for seamlessly understanding trade-offs of different fleets and mixed fleets so that optimal outcomes can be determined with minimal user intervention.”
Hexagon believes its sustainability journey is determined not only by the role its products and solutions play in the market, but also by its own processes and actions.
In 2024, the company will continue progressing its sustainability commitments, including the transition of Scope 1 and 2 emissions to renewable energy by 2027.
“A number of our facilities will transition to renewable energy as part of our ongoing efforts to reduce our energy consumption,” Hexagon senior
director – ESG (environmental, social and governance) Louise Daw told Australian Mining.
“Waste reduction is also a significant focus for us this year as we consider novel ways to reduce, reuse and recycle.
“We will continue to work closely with our suppliers to ensure alignment on policies and goals, and by 2030, 80 per cent of our procurement spend is expected to be with suppliers with Science-Based Targets initiativevalidated net-zero targets.”
The company seems to have had a great start, with EcoVadis – the global standard for business sustainability ratings – awarding Hexagon the gold sustainability rating in March.
“This rating places Hexagon in the top five per cent of companies assessed globally and reflects our demonstrated and measurable commitments to energy reduction, social responsibility, safe working environments and a diverse and inclusive workforce,” Daw said.
“Across the globe, our solutions put data to work for customers in ways that enable more efficient processes and improved decision-making, resulting in fewer inputs, less waste, reduced emissions, increased safety and better preparedness.”
DENDRA HAS EVOLVED ITS AERIAL SEEDING TECHNOLOGY TO THE POINT THAT IT CAN COVER UP TO 44 HECTARES PER DAY –A 10-FOLD INCREASE IN JUST A DECADE.
The Australian mining industry is beginning to understand the gravity of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) movement and what it means for a company’s bottom line. Regulators, investors and other stakeholders are increasingly taking ESG into account when making decisions that affect a mine’s financing and development.
Dendra is enabling ESG compliance in the local resources sector by empowering miners and contractors to implement better ecosystem-restoration practices, leading to improved land treatment and relationships with Traditional Owners.
As an important component of ecosystem restoration, aerial seeding sees drone fleets disperse various seed types and combinations onto disused mining areas, providing the foundation for ecosystem restoration, reducing erosion hazards, and suppressing the growth of invasive plant species.
Aerial seeding usurps traditional ‘boots-on-the-ground’ methods, with drones able to seed larger and harder-toaccess areas faster.
In fact, Dendra is able to seed up to 44 hectares per day through its current aerial seeding processes – a 10-fold scale increase from a decade ago.
Dendra has not only been able to expand the scale of its offerings but also improve the quality of its technology to handle a wider range of seed types.
“In Australia, seed types range from grains to grass and everything in between,” Dendra engineering group manager Ashwin Chandrasekaran told Australian Mining
“This is where Dendra comes in –we’ve pioneered new technology that can help spread far more fibrous and difficult seed types. And we do this with a focus on operational safety and efficiency.”
Dendra Australia engineering manager Alec Lewandowski said Dendra’s technology is ever evolving.
“We are always adapting our system to new seed types,” he told Australian Mining. “When we receive a seed that’s
ONE PROJECT WILL SEE DENDRA SEED ABOUT 500 HECTARES THIS YEAR AT A WA MINE.
DENDRA HAS IMPROVED THE QUALITY OF ITS DRONE TECHNOLOGY TO HANDLE A WIDER RANGE OF SEED TYPES.
outside of our capability, we perform some R&D (research and development) and get the system working again to a good level.
“This is a testament to how our company works; no matter the customer request, we push to make it work.”
Dendra sees new capabilities entering the drone technology sector all the time. It’s one thing to adopt a new technology, but it’s another thing to adapt it.
“Every year new aircraft enters the market that has more agility or carries heavier weights,” Chandrasekaran said.
“Dendra builds a system that can adapt to these aircraft. Just because an aircraft can carry ‘X’ amount of weight doesn’t mean it is better, because you still need to be able to accurately disperse a certain amount of seed per hectare.”
The continued expansion of Dendra’s aerial seeding solution reflects both the growth of drone technology over the years and the company’s ability to evolve with that growth and tailor its solutions to current environmental needs.
Chandrasekaran said when a mining customer in Western Australia requested its mining operation be seeded by “one of Australia’s most difficult seed types”, Dendra went to work.
“The first time we saw the seed, we instantly knew it was going to be a difficult seed to work with; the seed could be compared to a bale of hay,” he said. “But we quickly made some modifications to our system and patented a new technology that focuses on how different seed types can efficiently pass through our system.
“We’ve been able to improve our technology little by little, making it more and more efficient, and we’re now at the stage where we’re doing an extensive project.
“We started aerial seeding about five hectares for this client. This year we’ll be doing 500 hectares.”
Dendra has achieved greater scale and scope with its aerial seeding solution. The company is also changing the way undulating and difficult-to-access terrains can be rehabilitated.
“Much of the mining environment is very treacherous terrain – it’s rarely flat,” Chandrasekaran said. “While traditional methods often involve trucks, tractors or teams of people on ground manually completing seeding tasks, this is not possible or safe in many mining landscapes.
“This is where our aerial solution comes into effect. There is no terrain we cannot seed, which means we can easily scale because we only need to add more aircraft to increase the size of the area we’re trying to spread.
“And even if the terrain is accessible, if you consider the cost per hectare, buying another drone is a lot more economical than buying another tractor to seed the same area.”
Dendra makes seeding simple, with the mobility of its unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) meaning solutions can be quickly mobilised to a mine site.
“Some of the mine sites we work with are so remote that it isn’t always practical
• High-precision separation. DENDRA
to get machinery on-site in a short space of time,” Chandrasekaran said. “But we’re able to quickly deploy our UAVs, go out and complete hundreds of hectares of seeding over a couple of weeks.
“We’re efficient, we’re safe, and we’re fully capable of being able to deliver seeding solutions at scale in a short period of time, which saves mining companies a lot of time and money.”
While Dendra has already achieved so much with its aerial seeding solution, there is so much more potential for this technology to grow and evolve.
Lewandowski said the company is always pushing to achieve greater volume.
“The more volume an aircraft can hold, the more seeds you can hold in one flight,” he said. “This means less fly backs, less filling up of the aircraft, which means more spread and more hectares covered per day.”
Dendra has a passion for technology and a passion for the environment, two critical linchpins in determining the mining sector’s ESG future.
And as Dendra establishes a stronger presence in the Australian mining sector, the company will continue to drive greater innovation and unearth safer, more efficient and more cost-effective ecosystem restoration practices. AM
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BATTERIES ARE CURRENTLY THE BEST BET FOR DECARBONISING THE MINING INDUSTRY. BUT AS TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPS, HYDROGEN COULD BE A MORE VIABLE CHOICE.
HYDROGEN IS PROVING ITSELF AS A POTENTIAL LONG-TERM ENERGY OPTION.
Miners should be open-minded about the potential of hydrogen-powered vehicles, despite the mining industry’s current focus on battery technology.
Tyrone Woodfin, a senior mining engineer at SRK Consulting, describes hydrogen fuel-cell mining trucks as a potential ‘end-game solution’.
“Hydrogen is not there yet, but if you’re planning a mine for the next 10–20 years, you should consider the likelihood of hydrogen becoming a viable fuel source during that period,” he told Australian Mining.
The choice between battery or hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles has varying implications for mining operations.
“Companies are starting to assess the options available to decarbonise the haulage of their mining operations,” Woodfin said.
“Batteries seem to be the primary focus at the moment, and this is echoed by major technology developments from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). This might not be the case in a
decade or more as hydrogen technology develops and the hydrogen industry achieves greater scale and accessibility.
“As it currently stands, hydrogen trucks only exist in prototype form. The mining industry is still testing what works and what doesn’t work for an eventual move away from diesel-powered fleets.”
For now, Australia’s largest mining companies have focused on batteries over hydrogen to decarbonise their haulage fleets. Battery technology is advancing quickly as a result.
Woodfin, a mine planning and scheduling specialist, said most of the world’s mines cannot access hydrogen from external sources.
“Although hydrogen is utilised in industry around the world, green hydrogen, the preferred choice for a decarbonised fuel cell haul truck is currently not commonly available. This means a hydrogen-based solution would require investment in the infrastructure to produce green hydrogen, which is an expensive exercise.
Although hydrogen has its complications, Woodfin said, it remains the closest substitute for diesel power in mining fleets.
“Liquid hydrogen fuel has great longterm potential because it overcomes limitations with battery technology in terms of range and delivers greater flexibility in a mining operation,” he said.
“Take, a deep copper pit for example, with current battery chemistries the energy density is not sufficient for the truck to carry enough energy on-board to exit the pit under its own power.
“The trucks would be reliant upon a trolley-assist to supplement power supply to be able to exit the pit, whereas a fuel cell truck could have the range.”
Trolley-assist systems direct gridbased electrical power to haul trucks in open pit mines through overhead ‘trolley lines’, much like city trams.
More common in overseas mines, trolley-assist systems sometimes require pits to be widened and shut down at times for scheduled maintenance.
In that scenario, Woodfin said, reliability of the trolley system is key to an operation.
“Currently, trolley systems are used to speed up diesel electric trucks on a ramp, the energy to drive the traction motors is taken from the trolley line, and if the trolley is not operational the truck will
just continue to rely on its diesel engine,” he said.
Trolley-assist systems are being developed by the likes of BluVein in collaboration with Epiroc.
Ahead of the recent Electric Mine Conference in Perth, Epiroc completed the first-ever diesel-to-battery conversion of its Minetruck MT42 to be the basis of BluVein’s dynamic charging solution and slotted electric rail system.
As it currently stands, mining companies in Australia are increasingly choosing batteries for their future fleets over hydrogen power.
“Battery technology is far more of a known quantity,” Woodfin said. “It’s easier, cheaper and faster to achieve carbon reduction through fleet electrification.
“Major OEMs are developing the technology and there’s a clear runway for them to deliver a product, so the technology is closer to commercialisation. Most of the West Australian iron ore deposits are relatively shallow which makes battery a good solution.”
All major OEM truck providers have committed to or indicated a battery truck is in development.
THE MINING INDUSTRY IS INCREASINGLY ADOPTING BATTERY-ELECTRIC TECHNOLOGIES TO DRIVE DOWN EMISSIONS.
As for hydrogen, Komatsu recently signed a deal with GE to collaborate on developing a hydrogen fuel cell haul truck and Anglo American’s First Mode is moving to its second iteration to progress from a gaseous hydrogen fuel machine tested on an Anglo Platinum site in South Africa to a liquid hydrogen variant to extend its range.
Battery technology for mining is developing quickly. It’s likely that haul truck batteries will have longer ranges, trolley technology will be improved to increase reliability, as will the ability to access sufficient power to drive traction motors and charge batteries simultaneously.
In addition, battery-electric trolley trucks for underground mining are being tested in Europe, quickening the move towards the all-electric mine of the future and carbon reduction.
Woodfin, who joined SRK Consulting this year, hopes hydrogen fuel cells will emerge as a viable option in mining in coming decades.
In a previous role, he helped study alternative-fuel haulage options for operations around the world and can see hydrogen’s viable application.
TROLLEY-ASSIST SYSTEMS DIRECT GRID-BASED ELECTRICAL POWER TO HAUL TRUCKS IN OPEN-PIT MINES THROUGH OVERHEAD ‘TROLLEY LINES’.
Woodfin has watched the aviation and automotive industry’s continued development into hydrogen-based solutions and hopes this will spill forward into the mining sector.
“I suspect much will depend on a mine’s location, the depth of the pits and access to renewable energy and hydrogen,” Woodfin said.
“If companies can work together to develop shared hydrogengeneration facilities or access external sources, hydrogen will become more competitive with battery technology over time.
“The key for miners is to understand the advantages and limitations of both technologies, especially from an operational perspective.” AM
SRK Consulting is a leading, independent international consultancy that advises clients mainly in the earth and water resource industries. Its mining services range from exploration to mine closure. SRK experts are leaders in fields such as due diligence, technical studies, mine waste and water management, permitting, and mine rehabilitation. To learn more about SRK Consulting, visit www.srk.com
1. Recognise the scale of the decision: The decision to electrify mine fleets through battery technology, or use hydrogen fuel cells, has costly implications for mine planning and design. Batteries need charging infrastructure and hydrogen requires on-site generation or access to external hydrogen sources.
2. Stay aware of technology advances: Battery and hydrogen technologies continue to develop rapidly. Ensure your organisation has access to the latest news on advances in renewable energy technologies for mining, and access to internal or external advice, in what is a highly specialised field.
3. Look forward: Resist making mine planning decisions around battery or hydrogen infrastructure based on what is available today. Consider where these technologies are heading and how that affects mine planning over long periods. Will the technology be superseded? How can infrastructure implemented with mines for these technologies be ‘future-proofed’ to incorporate technology upgrades?
4. Aim to collaborate: On-site hydrogen generation, in particular, will require greater collaboration by mining companies, given the cost. With batteries, developing water, wind or hydropower renewable energy sources to power recharging requires community engagement. Could these renewable energy sources benefit local communities during production or after mine closure?
5. Share learnings: As both technologies develop, it’s important that mining companies share their experiences through industry literature so that other organisations can learn from them. Reducing industry uncertainty with these technologies is the key to a faster move away from diesel-powered fleets and ongoing decarbonisation of mining operations.
6. Remain open-minded: Mining companies are right to be wary of hydrogen and favour battery technology today. Hydrogen, however, has significant longterm potential as a fuel source for mining fleets and could overcome some of the limitations with battery technologies.
FLSMIDTH’S E-VOLUTE FEEDWELL TECHNOLOGY HAS DELIVERED A 27 PER CENT REDUCTION IN FLOCCULANT CONSUMPTION FOR A COPPER-GOLD MINER.
When an Australian copper-gold miner approached FLSmidth to replace an ageing feedwell, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) came up with an inspired solution.
FLSmidth turned to its engineering team to develop a bespoke solution based on the OEM’s E-Volute feedwell technology.
Feedwells support the thickening process, where slurries are separated into two forms: a dense slurry containing most of the solids from the ore, and an overflow of largely clear water.
At this particular mine site, copper and gold are recovered using a conventional single-line grinding and flotation circuit to produce a bulk copper-gold sulphide concentrate. Waste from the process is thickened and deposited in a tailings dam.
The mining company initially wanted a like-for-like solution, but when FLSmidth compared the existing design with what was possible with the OEM’s E-Volute feedwell and E-DUC autodilution mechanism, the latter option was a clear winner.
Testing demonstrated that the newer design would generate significant savings in flocculant consumption, while also increasing underflow density to improve water recovery.
Testing demonstrated the upside of the newer design; however, implementing the solution wasn’t so straight forward.
“The unique design of the traction thickener placed constraints on the design envelope,” FLSmidth project engineer Katie King said. “This posed a challenge when it came to keeping the new feedwell within the allowable space, while still ensuring an adequate radius for optimum functionality.”
Finding the right solution required FLSmidth to overlay the new feedwell design onto 3D modelling of the existing structure.
“The 3D modelling of the existing structure from the original as-built drawings allowed the new feedwell design to be accurately visualised and positioned, utilising the existing support brackets,” King said.
“This also allowed us to ensure the rotating bridge would not impact the feedwell during operation, especially at the mix trough, as its footprint is considerably larger than the original.”
Optimising the feedwell design also required careful positioning of the feed
pipe, which is located within the caisson and fed centrally, in contrast to most feedwells which are fed by a pipe hung underneath the bridge.
“The design of the mixing trough and position of the flocculant pipe, feed pipe, and nozzle each had to be specifically designed to generate the necessary conditions for the feedwell to operate efficiently,” King said.
This led to FLSmidth designing, engineering and installing a completely customised feedwell solution for the customer, alongside providing additional on-site technical resources and expertise.
FLSmidth’s promise to deliver an improved feedwell solution was validated by the operational and environmental benefits the miner has enjoyed.
The miner has experienced a 27 per cent reduction in flocculant consumption, a two per cent by-mass increase in underflow density, and a six per cent reduction in water to tailings. This has enabled the company to recoup the value of the feedwell upgrade in 10 months, thanks largely to the reduced flocculant use.
FLSMIDTH HAS ACHIEVED A 27 PER CENT REDUCTION IN FLOCCULANT CONSUMPTION WITH THE BESPOKE FEEDWELL SOLUTION.
“The results have been phenomenal and the 27 per cent flocculant reduction is huge,” King said. “Reducing flocculant consumption by that much would reduce the cost of the thickener operation significantly.
“It means the feedwell is mixing a lot more efficiently and waste is reduced, leading to a more environmentallyfriendly operation. The miner can achieve the same if not higher throughput with less resources.”
FLSmidth’s feedwell solution has delivered significant environmental, social and governance (ESG) benefits, enabling the miner to better optimise its water usage and mitigate business continuity risks around water security.
“The new feedwell has actually overachieved expectations in terms of density due to improved solids distribution in the tank, with more flocculant savings to come,” FLSmidth global product manager – thickening Craig Gilbert said.
“It’s a great example of what our innovative E-Volute feedwell technology can achieve, as well as
the design expertise of our engineers in customising solutions to specific application requirements.”
While this is not the only E-Volute feedwell currently operating on an Australian mine site, the uniqueness of the solution demonstrates not only FLSmidth’s design and engineering capability but also the OEM’s ability to work closely with its partners to think outside the box and devise a strategy that can deliver operating and environmental outcomes previously not thought possible.
And FLSmidth has ambitions to further expand its deployment of E-Volute feedwell technology across Australia.
“This is not a standalone success story,” King said. “There are other instances where we have been able to reduce flocculant consumption and increase a mine’s cost savings while improving their ESG footprint.
“Retrofitting older thickeners with the E-Volute design is what we do, and this is a technology that we continue to evolve and promote to our customers.” AM
MOVEX’S MINIDOZER MAY HAVE BIG IMPLICATIONS FOR THE AUSTRALIAN MINING SECTOR.
When thinking about a mine site, one could be forgiven for simply picturing giant haul trucks and massive crushers.
But the dynamic world of Australian mining often requires smaller solutions for bigger challenges as operations move towards a greener future.
Hasemer Material Handling has been a trusted supplier of quality lifting and material handling equipment for the Australian mining industry since 1965.
With decades of experience under its belt and customers across Australia and New Zealand, Hasemer is well versed on the challenges facing the sector as netzero targets approach.
The company is now bringing a different kind of solution to Australian shores with the help of its Canadianbased partner, Movex Innovation.
As an established industry innovator, Movex boasts a network of mining equipment across a range of operations in more than 30 countries.
Hasemer managing director Stephen Batten has seen first-hand the benefits Movex equipment can have in Australian operations.
“Movex’s innovation is driven by a commitment to listening to its customers, with the company always coming out with new products to suit their unique needs,” he said.
The latest Movex MINIDOZER is no exception to this principle.
With a low-profile design for confined areas, the MINIDOZER is purpose-built for tough applications like cleaning potlines in aluminium
smelters or underneath conveyor belts in ore-processing plants.
These environments are traditionally extremely dangerous areas for workers, with operations needing to be shut down while workers perform cleaning and recovery.
But the MINIDOZER takes the human element out of the process, boosting site safety and slashing downtime by allowing operations to keep running while it works. Batten said Hasemer has already implemented Movex’s machines at Australian operations with resounding success.
“At one aluminium smelter specifically, we have been able to work with Movex and our customer to customise the MINIDOZER to their unique specifications,” he said. “One mining contractor told us the MINIDOZER actually saved them a person on the job.”
But the ultra-compact loader doesn’t just have the potential to keep operations running; it can also keep workers out of harm’s way.
Movex business development director William Lavoie said the MINIDOZER can also help operators reach their sustainability goals.
“The confines of certain operations demand ultra-compact materialhandling equipment, and not just any equipment will do,” Lavoie told Australian Mining.
“In aluminium smelters, especially, equipment must be robust against magnetic fields, but we must accommodate a client’s needs and consider all operating environments.
“Being electric-powered while having diesel power strength, the
MINIDOZER also eliminates emissions and cuts fuel costs.”
With nearly 100m of remote control range, the MINIDOZER is designed to work in harsh environments and go where others can’t.
Lavoie emphasised that not only can the MINIDOZER save operators on downtime, maintenance and overall costs by only requiring simple battery changes, but it’s also an easy-to-use solution anyone can operate.
“While the MINIDOZER uses smart and advanced technology, we
engineered it so it can be used by anyone,” he said. “It doesn’t require any licencing either; it really is a simple solution.”
It’s a simple solution Batten is confident will have a major impact in the Australian mining sector.
“Hasemer and Movex alike prioritise quality products and services for our customers,” he said.
“The MINIDOZER is the latest realisation of our shared commitment to solving the challenges our customers face.” AM
SMART-VOD’S VENTILATION ON-DEMAND SYSTEM CAN SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE ENERGY CONSUMPTION WHILE DRIVING HIGH SAVINGS.
Amid an ongoing global energy transition, mines are constantly seeking ventilation solutions to suit their underground needs.
It can be a difficult process – the solutions must comply with industry standards while also minimising power usage and costs. This can be complicated by the fact many underground mining vehicles are still powered by diesel motors, which means forced air ventilation is required to remove exhaust and blast gasses while reducing ambient underground temperature.
Smart-VOD has an innovative offthe-shelf solution: the ventilation ondemand system.
The system uses radio-frequency identification (RFID) to track vehicles as they enter a ventilation zone, providing demand control signals based on vehicle movements. It’s been described as a “game-changer” for those in the underground mining sector.
“Over the last 100,000 hours of ventilation on-demand operations, SmartVOD has delivered an overall 54 per cent energy saving,” Smart-VOD said.
“This has resulted in significant reductions in ventilation power usage, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, as well as operating and all-in sustaining costs.
“At one diesel-powered mine site, Smart-VOD has saved around 1.7 million litres of diesel. This volume of diesel equates to about 1.2 million kilograms of CO2 emissions being avoided.”
Fan output can be controlled with a variable speed drive (VSD), which offers continuous control over fan speed, or a Smart-Starter, which allows remote control of both stages of a dual fan starter.
“Based on pre-production testing, a dual-fan direct online starter fitted with the Smart-Starter core can deliver
up to 50 per cent in energy savings,” Smart-VOD said.
“A dual-speed fan fitted with a SmartStarter can be operated with one stage on and one stage off, which will deliver about 80 per cent of the air volume at half the power usage.
“Alternatively, both stages can run and provide 100 per cent of the air volume, using 100 per cent power.”
By accurately understanding vehicle movements, the fully automated system can consistently etch out energy savings.
“From our experience, the majority of the energy savings in a VOD system are attributed to the control signal, not the fan control method,” Smart-VOD said.
Smart-VOD’s ventilation on-demand unit has been designed to operate autonomously, meaning it doesn’t require continuous network connectivity or manual input from those at the surface.
“By utilising RFID tracking information, a Smart-VOD zone unit and a Smart-Starter, the switching off and on of the fan stages is fully automated, leading to more power savings,” Smart-VOD said.
When network connectivity is available to Smart-VOD’s ventilation on-demand unit, a centralised mine dashboard will display the status of the ventilation zone, along with the savings performance and reports on vehicles in each zone.
At a glance, operators can see the fan’s current speed, how much energy is being saved in the current shift, and even how much energy was saved in the financial year to date.
“Ventilation requirements in Australia are based on the size of the engine in the working area,” Smart-VOD said.
“By understanding the vehicles through the Smart-VOD dashboard, we can demonstrate compliance.
“We can also generate accurate reports of the ventilation system to
SMART-VOD’S VENTILATION ON-DEMAND UNIT HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO OPERATE AUTONOMOUSLY.
AT ONE MINE SITE, SMART-VOD SAVED ABOUT 1.7 MILLION LITRES OF DIESEL.
demonstrate that everything is working and identify if there’s an issue that requires maintenance.”
Overall, Smart-VOD adopts an incremental approach to ventilation.
“Our low upfront capital expenditure makes incremental establishment a sustainable approach,” the company said.
“This incremental approach to ventilation on-demand is proving to be easier to implement than a whole-ofmine ventilation on-demand system and is applicable to smaller underground mining operations.
“Because the energy and cost savings are realised by the operator, they can be used to expand ventilation on-demand throughout the mine site, leading to further savings and efficiency.
“These savings can also be used to further develop renewable power generating facilities.”
By helping mining companies minimise their carbon emissions and waste, Smart-VOD is a sustainability enabler and has an increasingly critical role to play as the energy transition ramps up. AM
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Celebrating 50 years 1974-2024
TWO ICONIC MINES WERE GIVEN NEW LEASES ON LIFE AFTER THEY SHUT DOWN, PROVIDING ATTRACTIONS AND COMMUNITY SPACES TO THE TOWNS THEY HELPED TO BUILD.
Many wouldn’t think twice about what came before their local park. Their minds likely don’t wander to the coal-carrying days of old as they stroll down the avenues of trees or watch their kids play at the playground.
But in Australia’s capital cities, it’s much more common for a park or community space to be built at the site of an old mine or quarry rather than springing up fully formed.
That’s because Australia was once home to tens of thousands of mines, and those sites don’t just disappear overnight.
Australian Mining takes a look at two well-known mines – Rhondda Colliery in New South Wales and the State Coal Mine in Victoria – and the rehabilitation projects that transformed them from shuttered sites to thriving community attractions.
Nestled in Teralba near the heart of New South Wales’ coal industry, Rhondda Colliery put in decades of work as one of Australia’s most important coal mines.
The mine enjoyed an almost 70-year life, with the first coal prospecting in the region undertaken by James Donaldson in 1900.
In 1970, the employees at Rhondda downed their tools for the final time and rehabilitation began.
The site was revegetated over the next three decades, with rehabilitation completed in 2008. And mining giant Yancoal took over the operation in 2017.
While Yancoal took care of the maintenance of the now-rehabilitated site, there was a bigger plan going on behind the scenes. All was revealed in 2019 when the Black Rock Motor Resort was approved to be built on that very spot. With building is now underway, the local community is looking forward to its new park.
“Black Rock Motor Resort demonstrates how we are laying the foundation in Lake Macquarie to embrace innovation, grow our economy and attract new investment,” Lake Macquarie Council Mayor Kay Fraser said in April.
economy into the future and provides a pathway for the transformation of other former mining and industrial sites.”
Once complete, the park will be Australia’s first dedicated recreation resort park for motoring enthusiasts, drawing attention for its high-speed circuit, driver training academy and gokart precinct.
It will also facilitate more than 450 jobs during construction and a further 229 permanent roles once open.
“Black Rock Motor Resort is proud to be pioneering the adaptive reuse of a former coal mine into an exciting, worldclass adventure tourism destination,” Black Rock Motor Resort chief executive officer and founder Tony Palmer said.
“Black Rock Motor Resort will provide a range of motoring experiences, including driver safety training for the young motorists of the region as well as exciting opportunities for the public to drive their own cars, or our cars, on the high-speed circuit.”
Yancoal chief executive officer David Moult said the coal miner was pleased to see Rhondda getting a new lease on life.
“We are delighted to have reached this significant milestone, relinquishing formerly mined land after an extensive and successful rehabilitation program,” Moult said.
“Yancoal recognises that land rehabilitation and relinquishment is an important part of responsible mining.
“Ensuring that land can continue to be an asset for the benefit of local communities after mining has concluded will continue to be a key aspiration for Yancoal into the future.”
The Black Rock Motor Resort is due to open in 2026.
While the Rhondda Colliery is keeping its visitors firmly above ground, the rehabilitated State Coal Mine in Victoria’s south-east is doing things a little differently.
The mine was a premier producer of coal from 1909 to 1968, transporting almost 17 million tonnes across Victoria for the state’s railways.
It was such an important resource that the still-thriving town of Wonthaggi was erected to house the mine’s workers and their families.
And in just 14 years, the town had grown from a city of tents to a flourishing centre complete with banks, schools, stores and theatres.
When the mine closed due to a phase out of steam locomotives, the opportunity to put the sprawling grounds to use was too good to pass up.
So, instead of demolishing the site, it was transformed into an attraction that takes tourists on a trip back through time.
Through a guided underground tour, museum, and historic building and heritage trail, the attraction gives visitors the opportunity to discover what life as a coal miner was like in the 1900s Australia.
THE RHONDDA COAL COLLIERY IS LOCATED NEAR NEWCASTLE, THE HEART OF THE NEW SOUTH WALES COAL INDUSTRY.
back to a unique period in the region’s history,” Member for Bass Jordan Crugnale said in July.
The site also boasts the title of the only historic coal mine experience in the Southern Hemisphere.
In July 2023, the Victorian Government announced a $1.5 million investment package to keep the site running, allowing more generations to experience the history of the area.
“The Wonthaggi community has a long and proud connection to the State Coal Mine and I am delighted that we are making sure it remains a community treasure for years to come,” Victorian Environment Minister Ingrid Stitt said.
“We are proud to support volunteers from Wonthaggi and the wider region that make the State Coal Mine the special place it is.”
The State Coal Mine and the Rhondda coal Colliery have been rehabilitated in vastly different ways, but their legacies remain the same.
And, perhaps most importantly, both sites will continue to provide employment, tourism and adventuring opportunities to their respective regions for years to come. AM
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XCMG AUTOMATION MANAGER MORGAN DAVID HAS A PLAN IN HAND TO BRING AUSTRALIA’S AUTONOMOUS HAULAGE SOLUTIONS INTO A NEW ERA.
Autonomous mining has gone from sci-fi fantasy to hard-rock reality in recent years with the biggest names in Australian mining revolutionising their operations with next-generation mining technology.
With the benefits of autonomous equipment spanning everything from boosted productivity, increased safety, lower costs and beyond, it’s easy to see why autonomous solutions have taken the mining industry by storm.
XCMG is one equipment manufacturer leading the charge.
For over 30 years, XCMG has held the title of China’s largest mining and construction equipment manufacturer and was last year ranked third largest in the world by International Construction Magazine.
As the company brings its years of experience to Australian soil, it has a plan to take autonomous mining to the next level.
XCMG automation manager Morgan David is spearheading XCMG’s autonomous expansion into the global market, starting with Australia.
With over a decade of experience in delivering autonomous haulage solutions (AHS), David is bringing his wealth of knowledge and expertise to support XCMG’s autonomous rollout.
“We have over 65 dedicated engineers working on AHS, and more than 5700 people working across our entire research and development (R&D) department,” David told Australian Mining.
“Our team is working hard to hit the ground running and build off the industry knowledge that has amassed over the years autonomous mining has been developed.”
XCMG’s autonomous strategy prioritises a strategic focus on intelligent capabilities, artificial intelligence (AI) software for learning, and advanced features.
From autonomous mining trucks to loaders and dozers, XCMG is committed to providing a cost-effective and safer solution for miners worldwide.
“Our mission is to make these solutions cost effective for all Australian miners while delivering a high-quality product,” David said.
“Our manufacturing capabilities from our facilities in China mean we can offer Australian-standard equipment without the premium that comes with other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
“China has the lowest hardware costs on the market, and the quality has come along in leaps and bounds over the past few years to the point where it’s more than up to scratch for the Australian mining industry.”
By offering greater value for customers and a lower entry price, XCMG is aiming to set a new standard of efficiency and sustainability in the Australian mining sector.
“Our equipment is new age, based on the latest developments in autonomous technology,” David said.
“For example, autonomous XCMG equipment is being developed with the latest green energy technology as we speak, whereas many other OEMs are having to retrofit that technology into their machinery.
“Being on the cutting-edge allows us to give more reliability and functionality to our customers.”
Autonomy is not just a technological advancement for XCMG; it’s a key enabler for the green energy revolution.
“The goal is to provide our customers with a total solution for green energy, electrification, and decarbonisation,” David said. “Other
OEMs won’t be able to compete with the quality, cost effectiveness, and comprehensiveness of the solutions we’re developing.”
XCMG is aiming to carve out its own space in the mining sector through a series of product launches.
WE HAVE MORE THAN 65 DEDICATED ENGINEERS WORKING ON AUTONOMOUS HAULAGE SOLUTIONS, AND MORE THAN 5700 PEOPLE WORKING ACROSS OUR ENTIRE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.”
David said the first phase is already in motion, with automation rolled out across XCMG’s heavy rigid dump trucks. The second phase will be focused on loaders, with the XC958EV wheel loader already in automation development.
The third phase will focus on rolling out tele-operational and semi-autonomous dozers and other auxiliary machinery.
XCMG is aiming to take a holistic approach to developing AHS, not just working on solutions for the mining industry but for the broader construction industry.
David said this approach allows the company to draw on knowledge from a range of applications to equip XCMG AHS with the tools to rise to any challenge.
“We’re undertaking detailed gap analyses to line up where our solutions are with where we want them to be,” he said. “From there, we can tailor a roadmap which will see our equipment come embedded with another level of support and an engineering framework to continually meet customer demands.
“It’s an ambitious plan, but we’re determined to position ourselves in the mining sector as a low-cost, reliable supplier with 21st century engineering platforms.”
For XCMG, it all comes back to the customer. In developing its autonomous solutions, David said XCMG customers are the first port of call when
different customers on what they need out of AHS in order to continually develop the product,” he said. “We’re currently setting up a facility in Perth where we can simultaneously support customers and conduct research and development for our solutions.”
During a recent visit to a customer in Mongolia, David saw first-hand the possibilities AHS can bring to an operation.
“This particular customer is looking to expand quite dramatically over the next 12 months,” David said. “At first, they weren’t sold on the trucks when they first arrived, but after seeing the benefits in safety and productivity they’re willing to go all in.
“Now that it’s clear the significant benefits our AHS can bring to the Chinese market, we’re confident the Australian mining industry will be able to reap the same rewards.”
XCMG’s commitment to advancing AHS in Australian mines signifies a bold step towards a future where innovation and sustainability go hand in hand.
By moving at the speed necessary to meet the world’s obligations for a greener future, XCMG is paving the way for a more efficient and environmentally conscious mining industry.
“XCMG is at the forefront of developing the latest AHS innovations, and we’re determined to bring those
solutions to the Australian market,” David said.
“I’m committed to growing the AHS team for years to come and setting up our customers with the value and quality they can only get with XCMG.” AM
HYDI HYDROGEN IS HELPING TO DRIVE DOWN CARBON EMISSIONS FOR DIESEL-POWERED MACHINES IN THE
Mining companies have been facing pressure to decarbonise their operations from governments and stakeholders in line with the global shift towards net-zero.
As diesel usage is a significant contributor to Australia’s net carbon emissions, decarbonising heavy vehicles and other diesel-powered assets seems the logical place to start. In the mining industry, this is often achieved through switching to battery-electric assets.
But for an industry built on 24–7 operation, this is a complex and timeconsuming process.
Among the challenges is the fact Australian mining operations are spread over vast distances, which makes introducing the necessary electric infrastructure expensive and logistically complicated.
In a similar vein, the switch between diesel and electric does not happen overnight. It involves trials and gradual implementation.
On top of everything, these diesel-powered heavy vehicles have
operational lifespans beyond a decade, and in some instances can be rebuilt for an even longer life. Considering many companies have 2030 climate commitments to meet, this asset longevity puts them in a corner.
Mining companies must choose between replacing expensive-but-stilloperational diesel assets with their electric counterparts or running out the life of these existing assets, possibly imperilling their decarbonisation goals as a result.
But what if there was a way to make diesel cleaner?
Such a transitional technology would allow mining companies to get the most out of their expensive diesel assets, ease the transition to electrification, and drive down carbon emissions at the same time.
The solution exists, and it’s called HYDI.
“HYDI is a hydrogen on-demand retrofit unit for large diesel engines which delivers immediate reductions in carbon emissions,” HYDI Hydrogen sales director John Wilson told Australian Mining. “HYDI reduces diesel usage by producing hydrogen as a fuel supplement.
“Where the units have been fitted to new and old engines, they are achieving up to 14 per cent diesel fuel savings.”
Every litre of fuel not burned saves an equivalent in carbon emissions. For larger operations, that means more fuel saved and a faster return on investment.
And in addition to reducing fuel consumption, HYDI makes diesel engines cleaner.
“Hydrogen supplements the diesel fuel to enable a stronger, cleaner and more complete combustion,” Wilson said.
“Independent testing has demonstrated reductions of 80 per cent in diesel particulate matter (DPM) and fewer carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxide gases. Additionally, the fuel savings achieved from the HYDI unit further reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
“This makes for cleaner engines and a 60 per cent reduction of soot residue in the engine’s oil.
“It’s taking the dirty out of diesel.”
A cleaner fuel burn provides the engine with additional torque, improving productivity. Reducing DPM also improves air quality, which has environmental and safety benefits.
More than 300 units of HYDI have been deployed to date, with the majority applied to heavy haulage, drill rigs and generators in the mining sector.
The technology has received endorsement from ResourcesWA.
Holcim Cement in collaboration with Scania are currently monitoring initial deployments on heavy vehicles in the Pilbara, with exciting performance data exceeding expectations on fuel and carbon emissions reductions.
It is a combination of intelligent design features that makes HYDI a perfect fit for the Australian mining industry.
“Our technology harnesses the benefits of hydrogen in an efficient, affordable and sophisticated way, and
HYDI IS A HYDROGEN ON-DEMAND RETROFIT UNIT FOR LARGE DIESEL ENGINES WHICH DELIVERS IMMEDIATE REDUCTIONS IN CARBON EMISSIONS. WHERE THE UNITS HAVE BEEN FITTED TO NEW AND OLD ENGINES, THEY ARE ACHIEVING UP TO 14 PER CENT DIESEL FUEL SAVINGS.”
can be scaled to apply to multiple applications,” Wilson said.
“The unit is robust with a fully welded stainless-steel case to enable deployment in harsh environments.
“The unit does not store any hydrogen nor have any reliance on a pressure vessel, making it completely safe.”
In fact, HYDI doesn’t need any chemicals or additives to run – water is the only consumable. On top of safety and environmental benefits, this minimises service requirements for the unit.
Designed and built in Australia, HYDI is a simple solution to the complicated challenge of decarbonising a mining operation.
“In the absence of viable alternatives in terms of performance, refuelling infrastructure, and affordability, new diesel-powered vehicles will continue to be deployed for the foreseeable future,” Wilson said.
“While total fleet electrification is many years away, HYDI can be implemented today on diesel assets to immediately start driving down carbon emissions.” AM
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AUSTRALIAN MINING SPOKE WITH CRUSADER HOSE MANAGING DIRECTOR FRANCOIS STEVERLYNCK ABOUT HOW THE COMPANY IS EMBRACING ESG.
For almost 40 years, Crusader Hose has been a leader in layflat hose and reel system manufacturing.
Based in Bayswater, Victoria, the company designs dewatering systems for safer handling up high pit walls, resulting in greater time and cost efficiencies.
“Our products have ease of use and complement existing systems,” Crusader Hose managing director Francois Steverlynck told Australian Mining.
“Requiring minimal set-up, our layflat hose system can be easily redeployed following its initial use, whether the system is reused on the same mine site or at another mine in a different part of the country.
“We strive to design, engineer and manufacture innovative solutions that drive profitability and are tailored to the unique needs of our customers.”
The reusability and mobility of Crusader Hose’s products is what sets them apart from typical rigid pipe solutions. This in turns drives improved environmental outcomes.
“Many pipes in the industry are made from single use plastic,” Steverlynck said.
“And because of the weight and size of many competitor pipes, more trucks and infrastructure are required to transport them to site and when rehabilitating site, driving a higher carbon footprint.
“Our layflat hose system is a more
cent of the vehicles required to transport competitor pipes.”
The layflat hose system is easy to install, an attribute embodied by Crusader Hose’s Waterlord layflat hose system.
One end of a rope connects to the Waterlord layflat hose at the top of a mine pit. The tail end is then connected to a vehicle at the bottom of the pit.
As the vehicle moves forward, the flat and flexible Waterlord hose is dragged safely down the slope, following the contours of the terrain and supporting itself. This means it won’t slide down and no anchoring is required.
The Waterlord hose is also UV resistant, has high-pressure capability for deep mining pits and is abrasion resistant against mixed terrain, making it the perfect hose for tough mining conditions. There is no derating in extreme heat, meaning pipes don’t pull apart, even at 70°C.
Retrieving water has also been made easier through Crusader Hose’s Flexibore 250 hose, which has been designed to carry out deep groundwater pumping up to 250m.
The hose can dilate up to 15 per cent, optimising efficiency in reducing pumping costs and friction loss. By dilating under pressure, there is no build-up of iron bacteria, as seen with rigid pipe offerings such as polypipe
Flexibore 250 is easy to install and is made of high-tensile polyester, giving the hose a high burst pressure for deep bore pumping.
The Flexibore is available in 100m, 150m, 300m and 400m lengths, meaning miners have several options to make their dewatering and water pumping processes easier.
While the process of manufacturing a layflat hose is inherently environmentally friendly, as Crusader Hose looks to take its solutions to the next level, the company is accelerating its ESG (environmental, social and governance) strategy.
“We take ESG into account in everything we do,” Steverlynck said. “But while we’ve always been an environmentally responsible company, we must be even more proactive these days.
FRANCOIS STEVERLYNCK HAS BEEN CRUSADER HOSE’S MANAGING DIRECTOR FOR 33 YEARS. EVERY CRUSADER HOSE PRODUCT IS MANUFACTURED AND DESPATCHED FROM VICTORIA.
durable and reusable, while we have also taken it upon ourselves to eliminate the use of solvents from our manufacturing process, as we learnt about the potential damage solvent emissions can have on the environment,” Steverlynck said.
Crusader Hose’s mission to remove solvents saw the company explore a number of different manufacturing methods, enabling the continued evolution of its quality layflat hose.
While achieving greater environmental outcomes is a key part of ESG, Crusader Hose also understands its social role. As an Australian manufacturer, the company aids the local economy by creating local jobs and opportunities.
“According to some of our military clients, $1 million spent with a local company has the potential to bring in 10
times that amount for the local industry,” Steverlynck said.
“And it’s not just about local recruitment; we also encourage training and education among our workforce so they can gain higher level skills and move into new roles, which leads to smarter manufacturing and a better layflat hose.”
On a governance level, Crusader Hose provides leadership opportunities for its staff. The company’s management team
also holds regular meetings, both weekly and monthly, to discuss the organisation in a transparent manner.
“We are able to keep each other in check and stay accountable through our board,” Steverlynck said.
Founded in 1985, Crusader Hose has grown its business to over 60 employees. This has seen the company’s Bayswater footprint expand to seven factories.
Crusader Hose’s expansion has not only been driven by the growing
uptake of its layflat hose solutions, but also by the company’s increased ESG focus.
“We haven’t sought recognition, we are just trying to be an employer of choice,” Steverlynck said. “Looking ahead, we want to further reduce our plastic waste to landfill.
“Plastics are biodegradable, but that process takes hundreds of years. Therefore, we’re looking to carry out operational excellence by creating
products that don’t have faulty bits and pieces. Because if you get a faulty product, you toss it into landfill and add more waste.”
Steverlynck has been focused on increasing gender balance over time. The company is also committed to continue holding open days so people can see Crusader Hose’s proud role within the community.
“It all ties into who we are and how we operate,” Steverlynck said. AM
ACQUIRE’S ENVIROSYS SOLUTION ENABLES MINERS TO MONITOR THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AGAINST THEIR OBLIGATIONS.
Efficient decision-making is arguably the beating heart of the global mining sector.
One poor decision can lead a company’s work astray, having a ripple effect on other aspects of the business.
As mining companies work to achieve positive environmental, social and governance (ESG) outcomes and sustainability goals amid the global energy transition, the need for accessible, timely and trustworthy data is especially important.
This is where acQuire Technology Solutions, a global software company that provides information management software, can help.
acQuire was founded in 1996 in Perth after co-founder Bill Withers realised spreadsheets weren’t suitable for managing complex geoscientific data in the mining value chain.
“He knew software would permit data-driven business decisions and good governance,” acQuire chief executive officer Alison Atkins told Australian Mining
“Now, acQuire has four products within its suite of software solutions, and has five offices around the globe, with customer support centres operating in each major time zone.”
acQuire’s first software solution, GIM Suite, was developed to help the world’s largest mining companies manage their geoscientific information by enabling the capture, management and delivery of geoscientific observations and measurements.
“It encompasses web, desktop and mobile applications and is suitable for single mine sites or across multi-site and multi-commodity organisations,” Atkins said.
“The powerful data management capabilities in GIM Suite improve
confidence in decision-making across the mining value chain because miners are working from a single source of truth for their data.”
Key benefits of GIM Suite include seamless integration across desktop, web and mobile, users having complete control over their data from the point of capture through to delivery, and users being able to configure their workflows to their company’s specific needs, regardless of the operation’s size.
“Miners are collecting and using more data than previously and are continually evolving smarter mining techniques and practices to efficiently access and mine more complex ore deposits,” Atkins said.
“Geoscientific data is part of a wider
mining ecosystem and when it’s properly integrated, it can inform optimisations elsewhere in the mining value chain.
“GIM Suite ensures there is a single, trusted version of a company’s geoscientific data that can be safely accessed across teams, with everyone working with the same information.”
Since joining Constellation Software via its operating group Vela Software in 2018, acQuire’s product suite has expanded to include EnviroSys, an environmental data management solution.
“acQuire’s strategic software solutions help companies tackle increasingly complex data challenges impacting ESG, as it relates to the earth’s resources, the natural environment, and their communities,” Atkins said.
“Each of our solutions are designed with specific information management challenges in mind and aim to maximise the value data provides to businesses, stakeholders and their compliance and governance obligations.”
EnviroSys captures, validates, assesses, analyses, and reports any type of environmentally related data from any number of sources at any frequency, whether that be from the field, a lab or consultant, or devices and IoT (Internet of Things) sources.
It also enables customers to provide compliance reporting with confidence and transparency.
“Users of EnviroSys can monitor the different aspects of their environmental impact including air quality, groundwater, surface water, potable water, noise, waste, emissions, land disturbance and rehabilitation activities, against their obligations in a single solution,” Atkins said.
“Monitoring and reporting on environmental compliance in mining can often be quite complicated, with data coming from a broad variety of sources, in a broad variety of formats, at differing frequencies.
“EnviroSys enables mining companies to handle all these requirements in one system, giving them a holistic and singular view of the environmental performance right across their business in real-time.”
acQuire is constantly looking for ways to improve its products and services.
“Since the release of GIM Suite 5, acQuire has continually evolved its web and mobile capabilities to a purposebuilt web and mobile interface designed for a range of drillhole logging and sampling methods,” Atkins said.
“Our latest release, GIM Suite 5.3, introduced a secure REST API for seamless third-party system-tosystem integration.
“Since the release of EnviroSys 9, the software has been enhanced through introducing a cloud-based licensing platform, a revamped and expanded support ecosystem with online help and on-demand learning, improved security and platform updates, and ongoing user requested enhancements to make EnviroSys easier to learn, use and manage.”
acQuire further supports the Australian mining industry through its Nova Network.
“The Nova Network enables acQuire customers to confidently choose from consultancy partners around the world with both the industry and software knowledge to support their data
management needs and get the most value out of their acQuire solution,”
Atkins said. “It’s our method of guaranteeing there’s always a skilled pool of data professionals with deep knowledge of acQuire solutions.
“We have Nova Network partners based in regions all over the world,
and in many cases their language and cultural knowledge is just as sought after as their specialist domain experience.”
Atkins said data and strong data governance frameworks serve as the core of all acQuire solutions.
“We’re focused on delivering quality and sustainable software solutions that
give our customers the tools to manage and own their solution, empowering confident decision-making and fostering dependable, long-lasting business relationships,” she said.
“We are forward thinking, ensuring our solutions can meet our customers’ current and future challenges.” AM
Making tyre management safer and more productive. Reducing total cost of ownership and putting ESG at the core of our offering. By delivering more than what is expected, we help make a difference every day.
MINING INDUSTRY GIANT LIEBHERR IS COMMITTED TO A RESOURCE SECTOR WITH ZERO EMISSIONS.
Like the rest of the Liebherr Group, executive general manager, future industries project Paul Murphy is passionate about creating a decarbonised future.
For Liebherr, this translates to a strong decarbonisation strategy and the development of more electric equipment that does away with diesel for good.
“There are constant queries as to what is the ‘right’ solution for decarbonisation,” Murphy told Australian Mining.
“Our view is the future equipment will be electric based with flexibility on the nature of the power system depending on the application. Our zero-emission designs will ensure that current and future equipment can be retrofitted with future technologies.
“These modular concepts allow for combinations of different energy solutions and future technology adaptations. The design principle enables energy type-agnostic and machine application-agnostic drive train technology.”
Liebherr has set a clear target: offering proven fossil-free mining equipment by 2030 at the latest.
But Liebherr knows it can’t do it alone.
“Liebherr-Australia, in conjunction with our global factories, has established development and supply partnerships where the objectives of both parties are aligned,” Murphy said.
“These partnerships will deliver the first zero-emission T 264 240-tonne haul truck fleets with deployment of a minimum of 120 units from 2025. Liebherr is committed to supporting our customers through this journey
by enabling them to upgrade to zero-emission drives from now on delivered equipment.
“Liebherr-Australia continues to deliver the execution phase of these zeroemission solutions and will play a lead support for the comprehensive design verification phases which will occur in Australia.
“These objectives can only be met through comprehensive collaborations across multiple internal and external partnerships at every level.”
While switching to an entirely electric fleet can be daunting for some, Liebherr is committed to working with its customers to ensure an easy conversion.
“Equipment powered by green energy will need different equipment utilisation and significant changes to the energy supply chain infrastructure ending at the machine,” Liebherr said.
“The initial investment can be a financial hurdle for mines to adopt new technology.
“Liebherr’s electrification solutions compensate for infrastructure installation capital expenditure by creating a more productive truck fleet or even reduced truck fleet sizes due to significantly quicker speed on ramp.”
Liebherr also offers cable handling systems with semi-automatic cable reels for electric excavators and an operational concept in double benching, to support its customers in the mine setup.
Liebherr-Australia recently executed a retrofit solution from a diesel R 9400 backhoe excavator to an electric R 9400 E backhoe excavator with cable reel for a valued customer, further solidifying Liebherr’s capability to provide
LIEBHERR MINING’S T 264 MINING TRUCK WILL BE AVAILABLE IN ZERO-EMISSION OPTIONS.
customers with zero-emission upgrade options on existing equipment.
Never one to rest on its laurels, Liebherr is constantly looking to the future to see how else it can help change the industry for the better.
“Liebherr sees a high potential in the usage of ammonia for heavy mobile, high energy demanding machines,” the company said.
“Once more sophisticated E-fuels become competitively available at scale, Liebherr is ready to utilise these fuels in machines equipped with Liebherr engines.
“Hydrogen combustion engines are currently being tested in our factory in Switzerland.”
Liebherr will continue to explore different pathways to meet its zeroemission targets.
“Liebherr takes its environmental responsibilities incredibly seriously and considers contributing to the decarbonisation of the mining industry as one of its obligations as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM),” the company said.
“Liebherr Mining has already embarked on our path towards decarbonisation so that we can hand over a world with a future to our children.
“As an OEM, we all have required competencies and it is our responsibility to push, drive, and realise decarbonisation.” AM
AUSTMINE’S NEW TRAINING COURSE IS HELPING METS COMPANIES TURN THE CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH DECARBONISATION INTO A COMPETITIVE EDGE.
As international economic policies increasingly shift in favour of responsible environmental, social and governance (ESG) business practices, there is an evergreater demand for transparent and sustainable business practices in the mining industry.
These ESG policies drive a multitude of factors that affect the bottom line, including investor sentiment and customer appetite. In other words, decarbonisation is key to satisfying stakeholder expectations.
But mining operations are complex amalgamations of different stakeholders, suppliers, manufacturers, offtake partners, and more.
A company’s emissions reduction performance is thus not only beholden to its own Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, but also the Scope 3 emissions generated by its partners along the supply chain.
And just as modern consumers demand sustainability up and down the value chain, mining companies demand demonstrable decarbonisation practices from the businesses with which they partner.
“Demonstrating how your company is managing, and indeed reducing, your carbon emissions will soon be a necessary part of every quote, business proposal and procurement contract,” Austmine director of strategic development Marianne Cummings told Australian Mining.
“The recent climate-related financial disclosure bill introduced
to parliament requires miners and other large entities to disclose for the first time their Scope 3 emissions data.”
The landmark bill seeks to amend the Australian Securities and Investment Commission Act 2001 and the Corporations Act 2001 to introduce mandatory requirements for large businesses and financial institutions to disclose their climate-related risks and opportunities.
“They will be seeking this data from their upstream and downstream suppliers,” Cummings said.
This represents a significant development for industry, one that larger companies are better positioned to face, given they often have in-house ESG teams. But for small-to-medium enterprises with tighter resources, it can be difficult to know where to start.
This is the conundrum that Austmine’s ‘Getting started with decarbonisation’ course was developed to solve.
This training course was designed specifically to help mining equipment, technology and services (METS) companies navigate complexities of decarbonisation in the mining industry.
“This recorded workshop series will equip METS businesses with the decarbonisation knowledge, strategies and tools needed to gain a competitive advantage in the METS sector,” Cummings said.
“There is so much information out there about decarbonisation, but this course cuts through all that excess and is tailored specifically to the mining industry.”
During three one-hour recorded workshops, participants will gain knowledge, practical tools and strategies necessary to navigate the intricacies of decarbonisation, adopt more sustainable practices, and effectively meet the growing requirements of customers, while ensuring their business is adopting best practice ESG principles.
“The first workshop covers the ins and outs of decarbonisation: what does it all mean? How does it affect you? What do you what do you need to do to reduce carbon emissions?” Cummings said.
“The second workshop shows participants how to calculate their carbon footprint.
“The third workshop equips participants with a decarbonisation toolkit to help them to collect necessary data and demonstrate alignment with mining companies’ decarbonisation goals. This decarbonisation toolkit helps businesses to outline their own commitments to sustainability and decarbonisation that can be used in practice.”
The course was developed with the input of mining companies and industry stakeholders such as BHP, Harmony Gold, and various Austmine members.
Each workshop session builds on the last to give participants a better understanding of the world of decarbonisation, enabling them to hear directly from miners about their practical expectations.
“At its core, this course is designed to be practical,” Cummings said.
“We wanted to get the miners involved so that businesses could hear directly from the horse’s mouth exactly what their decarbonisation expectations are and how to implement them.
“The lessons are designed to deliver actionable takeaways that can be implemented immediately.”
Expert presenters include BHP global mining and services vice president of procurement Mark Pickett, Harmony Gold senior executive for sustainable development Melanie Naidoo-Vermaak, 100% Renewables co-chief executive officer Barbara Albert, and more.
In light of the impending changes to the law and the time-sensitive nature of decarbonisation, Austmine is offering ‘Getting started with decarbonisation’ at a discounted price until the end of the financial year.
“Now is the time to begin your decarbonisation journey and understand what this means for your business so you can be ahead of the curve in meeting growing decarbonisation demands,” Cummings said. AM
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WHILE ADVERSE WEATHER POSED SOME PROBLEMS, SEVERAL MAJOR MINERS REPORTED SOLID RESULTS IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2024.
Like any industry, mining can be hit hard by unprecedented weather events.
This was certainly the case in the March quarter when heavy rainfall impacted a number of Australian operations.
But the news wasn’t all bad, as the first round of quarterly reports for 2024 brought some strong results.
Australian Mining takes a look at some of the highlights.
The Big Australian continued to leverage the strength of its copper business, recording a 10 per cent increase in copper production across its assets.
The result was driven by record production at BHP’s Spence site in Chile, strong operational performance at Copper South Australia and improved performance at Escondida, also in Chile.
“We remain on track to meet copper, iron ore and energy coal production for the year,” BHP chief executive officer (CEO) Mike Henry said.
“Western Australia Iron Ore, the lowest cost iron ore producer globally, delivered another consistent period of production despite heavy rainfall.”
The March quarter also saw BHP complete the divestment of its Blackwater and Daunia metallurgical coal mines in Queensland to Whitehaven Coal for $US4.1 billion.
Following two tropical cyclones and operational challenges impacting production and unit costs at BHP’s other Queensland coal operations, the
company revised its 2023–24 financial year production guidance to 21.5–22.5 million tonnes (Mt).
BHP is set to detail the future of its nickel business in the coming months.
Rio Tinto
While Rio Tinto revealed dampened iron ore shipments for the quarter, the major miner is optimistic its full-year forecast will remain unchanged.
In the Pilbara, Rio Tinto produced 77.9Mt of iron ore, two per cent lower than the corresponding period in 2023. Shipments of 78Mt of iron ore were also five per cent lower.
Rio said the dent in production and shipping was largely due to weather disruptions leading to a lower stock drawdown compared to last year.
“We delivered stable operating results in the first quarter, including improvements at our bauxite and aluminium businesses, as we navigated seasonal challenges across our global operations,” Rio Tinto CEO Jakob Stausholm said.
“Our full year guidance is unchanged across all our products. We remained focused on growth in energy-transition materials, with the ramp-up at Oyu Tolgoi underground, the first full quarter of recycled aluminium production from Matalco and further progress at Simandou, our high-grade iron ore project in Guinea.”
Rio also made strides in its decarbonisation goals by progressing its solar ambitions and delving into a major green steel partnership.
“Action to decarbonise our operations continues, with power purchase agreements signed marking a significant step towards a competitive renewable energy solution for our Gladstone operations – the single largest lever towards our 2030 emissions goal,” Stausholm said.
“We also joined with BHP and BlueScope to investigate the
development of Australia’s first electric smelting furnace pilot plant, progressing our work on steel decarbonisation.”
Safety and shipments proved to be winners for Fortescue, with the major’s total recordable injury frequency for metals decreasing from 1.8 to 1.5 – a 17 per cent improvement from December 2023.
While iron ore shipments were six per cent lower, Fortescue saw a record month for shipments, with 18.7Mt achieved in March.
The March quarter was one of growth for South32, with the company progressing plans at its Hermosa critical minerals project in the US and launching the sale of Illawarra Metallurgical Coal for up to $US1.65 billion.
“This quarter, we delivered improved operating results, highlighted by record year to date production at Hillside Aluminium and South Africa Manganese and a 60 per cent uplift in quarterly volumes at Illawarra Metallurgical Coal,” South32 CEO Graham Kerr said.
But it was also a quarter of extremes for South32. On March 16–17 2024, Tropical Cyclone Megan severely impacted operations at Australia Manganese Groote Eylandt, with record rainfall of 68mm and the second strongest wind gusts in the past 20 years.
The intense weather resulted in widespread flooding and significant damage to critical infrastructure, including the wharf and port infrastructure and a haulage road bridge connecting the northern pits of the Western Leases mining area and the processing plant.
South32 said the operational recovery will focus on re-establishing critical services and dewatering targeted mining pits but won’t be completed until at least 2025.
“We remain focused on the safety and wellbeing of our workforce and the Groote Eylandt community,” Kerr said.
“The Fortescue team pulled together to successfully implement our recovery plan, and we had a record month for shipments in March contributing to 43.3 million tonnes for the quarter,” Fortescue Metals CEO Dino Otranto said.
“We also set a new record for railed tonnes, all while continuing to improve our safety performance.”
The coal major produced 4.4Mt of runof-mine coal (ROM) production.
While the result is 13 per cent lower than the previous quarter, the company’s ROM production year to date is 14.7Mt, a 12 per cent increase from the prior year.
“In the March quarter, Whitehaven produced 4.4Mt of ROM production with Maules Creek and the Gunnedah open cut mines (both in NSW) continuing to deliver strong operational performance,” Whitehaven CEO Paul Flynn said.
“ROM production at Narrabri (NSW) was lower than expected reflecting the geological challenges in the current panel and associated equipment reliability and maintenance stoppages.”
Through its acquisition of the Daunia and Blackwater mines, Whitehaven welcomed more than 2100 employees to its team.
“The Queensland mines are expected to deliver around 4.5–5Mt of ROM production in the first quarter of Whitehaven’s ownership, and we are on track to meet our overall guidance of
(about) 18.2–20.7Mt for FY24 from our NSW business,” Flynn said.
“As a result of the acquisition, Whitehaven’s annual revenue is expected to be (around) 70 per cent from metallurgical coal sales and (around) 30 per cent from thermal coal.”
Mineral Resources’ (MinRes) Onslow Iron project in WA remains on track for its first shipment in June, which is expected to be completed on-time and on-budget.
While the March quarter saw the company’s overall iron ore shipments decrease by six per cent to 4.5Mt, MinRes said mining is operating at full capacity, with 9.4Mt of total material moved during the period.
Lithium ore mined at MinRes’ Mount Marion operation in WA decreased by 20 per cent following implementation of cost-reduction measures, which included reallocating equipment and the redeployment of 130 people to other MinRes operations.
Mount Marion’s spodumene production increased by nine per cent to 91,000 tonnes (t), which was driven by higher utilisation of the plant and improved ore recoveries from an increased volume of fresh ore.
At MinRes’ newly acquired Bald Hill mine in WA, mined lithium stood at 251,000t as mining activities continued to ramp up, including 141,000t mined in March alone.
Wodgina’s mined lithium also increased by 47 per cent, with attributable quarterly spodumene concentrate production totalling 49,000t.
Although Pilbara Minerals’ revenue declined by 27 per cent to $192 million in the March quarter, it wasn’t enough to keep the lithium miner down.
A new monthly production record of over 80,000 dry metric tonnes (dmt) produced at a unit operating cost of less than $625/dmt allowed the company to end the quarter on a high.
“(Pilbara Minerals had a) strong balance sheet position with Marchquarter-end cash balance of $1.8 billion,” the company said.
“Cash reduced by $362 million due to lower pricing and continued capital expenditure for P680 and P1000 expansion projects.”
Other highlights for Pilbara Minerals included the expansion and extension of offtake agreements with Ganfeng and Chengxin and a new offtake agreement signed with Yahua allocating mediumterm volumes while preserving longterm optionality.
“Pilbara Minerals has committed to six new multi-year partnerships in the 2023–24 financial year, increasing from four held in FY23, taking the total number of multi-year community partnerships to ten,” Pilbara Minerals said.
The rare earths giant made strong progress across its growth projects amid lower rare earths prices.
“Sales revenue and sales receipts for the quarter, at $101.2 million and $107.7 million respectively, reflected the low average NdPr (neodymium–praseodymium) price during the quarter and also our decision to hold both NdPr and SEG (mixed heavy rare earths) inventory rather than sell into the low-price environment,” Lynas CEO Amanda Lacaze said.
Lynas produced 1724t of NdPr during the period and progressed construction activities at the Mount Weld expansion project in WA, with structural, mechanical, piping and electrical works on Stage 1 (concentrate dewatering) being well advanced.
“The energisation and commissioning of the Stage 1 circuit will commence over the next few months, and the Stage 1 circuit will initially be tied into the existing operation,” Lacaze said.
Construction of Mount Weld’s Stage 2 (balance of plant) is also ramping up with all long lead equipment such as grinding mills and flotation cells on site and concrete works advancing.
Despite tough weather conditions affecting production across a range of commodities, the sector’s Tier 1 miners made it out the other side and are ready to tackle the rest of 2024 head on. AM
AUSTRALIAN MINING TAKES A LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF THE TELFER GOLD MINE AS NEWMONT READIES TO SELL THE OPERATION.
Wthe future of Aussie gold looked brighter than ever.
control of four of Australia’s six largest gold mines, one being the Telfer mine in Western Australia.
to sell the mine in February, it took the global mining industry by surprise.
Financial Review, and chief executive officer Tom Palmer said Telfer doesn’t meet the company’s Tier 1 assets criteria.
as an operation with “(more than)
THE TELFER MINE IN WA IS AMONG AUSTRALIA’S
throughout the 1970s, the Telfer discovery was officially credited to
Together, both companies opened the mine in 1977 as a joint venture.
In 1990, Newmont Australia acquired Australmin Holdings and subsequently merged with BHP Gold. The merged entity was named Newcrest Mining and it gained full ownership of the Telfer deposit.
Since then, Telfer has grown to become one of Australia’s largest gold mines. So perhaps it’s no wonder Telfer and Newcrest caught Newmont’s attention again decades later.
When Newmont officially acquired Newcrest in November 2023, it cemented Newmont as the world’s largest gold company.
$15,000 deal, which involved Day Dawn giving Tyrwhitt all the maps, reports and
The December 2023 quarter marked the first quarter in which Newmont operated Telfer. During that period, Telfer produced 43,000 gold ounces (oz). It is also projected to produce 230,000oz and 8000 tonnes of copper in 2024.
While these numbers are impressive, Telfer doesn’t fit Newmont’s Tier 1 criteria.
Despite Newmont’s feelings, other gold miners are eyeing Telfer and nearby assets.
In May, Greatland Gold said it’s “strongly positioned” to claim full ownership of the Havieron gold-copper project in WA.
Since November 2020, the project has been advanced under an unincorporated 70:30 joint venture originally signed by Newcrest and Greatland in November 2020. Newmont inherited the stake in Havieron and its management when it acquired Newcrest.
Havieron is located about 45km east of Telfer, which allows the project to potentially leverage Telfer’s existing infrastructure and processing plant, subject to a positive Havieron feasibility study, a toll processing agreement between Greatland and Newmont, and a decision to mine.
“Overall, we are confident there is currently significant option value in Greatland with Newmont’s 70 per cent interest in Havieron considered noncore and our existing last right of refusal on any sale,” Greatland managing director Shaun Day said.
“If an opportunity to consolidate ownership of Havieron were to arise we would be highly focused on delivering an accretive outcome for our existing shareholders with a view to delivering a world-class Australian gold copper asset.”
With the fate of Telfer and other Newmont WA assets in the hands of would-be buyers, it seems a new beginning for Aussie gold is on the horizon. AM
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THE BEVERLEY URANIUM MINE SAW NO LOSS OF PRODUCTION WHEN IT TRANSITIONED OPERATIONAL TRAFFIC TO THE VOCUS SATELLITE – STARLINK PLATFORM.
WHEN A FIRE COMPROMISED PRIMARY COMMUNICATIONS AT HEATHGATE RESOURCES’ BEVERLEY URANIUM MINE IN SA, VOCUS AND PEPLINK CAME TO THE RESCUE.
Through its inspired telecommunications solutions, Vocus has solved some of the most difficult connectivity quandaries in the Australian resources sector.
The company has enabled remote mine sites around the country’s to access high-speed internet and communications to not only drive higher productivity and performance but also ensure improved worker safety and wellbeing.
Vocus’ offerings have proven just as versatile as they are robust, as was the case at Heathgate Resources’ Beverley uranium mine in remote South Australia.
When a fire broke out at the nearby Gammon Ranges and an off-site microwave communication tower Heathgate uses for primary connectivity was compromised, the miner leveraged bonded Vocus Satellite – Starlink services.
The month prior to the fire, Vocus had installed eight Starlink terminals at Beverley, bonded together to provide up to 1.3 gigabits per second (Gbps) downstream and up to 200 megabits per second (Mbps) upstream throughput. Heathgate wanted to improve connectivity for its 250 workers, enabling them to access entertainment and keep in contact with family and friends. But when disaster struck and operational
connectivity was felled, the mining company needed an internet solution to support its entire site.
Vocus came to the rescue with its Vocus Satellite – Starlink service, utilising Peplink bonding technology and stepping up to the plate to ensure the continuation of operations.
In transitioning operational traffic to the bonded Vocus Satellite –Starlink platform, Heathgate incurred no loss of production, network availability or connectivity.
“Previously, our redundant communication option was a limited two-megabits-per-second satellite link,” Heathgate chief information officer Hugh Banister said.
“During outages, business communications were restricted to essential safety and operational services.
“The bonded Vocus Satellite –Starlink service has significantly improved our situation, allowing the mine site to keep operating even in unforeseen circumstances.”
The beauty of the bonded Vocus Satellite – Starlink service is its versatility, with the ability to bond multiple connection types to create a reliable redundancy platform across diverse network infrastructure. This includes moving vehicles, ensuring first responders and emergency services can attend to emergency situations.
Vocus satellite development manager Ashley Grove said the bonded Vocus Satellite – Starlink service showcases the possibilities of fusing two complimentary technologies to create a novel offering.
“You don’t often see revolutionary new technologies enter the market, but you can get new outcomes by pairing two existing technologies to deliver performance improvements,” Grove told Australian Mining.
“Peplink’s services work really well with satellite-based technology. Peplink has a couple of specific technologies within their native firmware which help smooth out any packet loss issues that can arise with satellite technology. This is done through packet duplication.
“So when you combine Vocus’ Starlink low-earth orbit satellite internet and the Peplink bonding solution, that’s when you start to see new outcomes. Such was the case with this Heathgate case study.”
Vocus and Peplink have created a winning combination that can provide and maximise internet bandwidth across the entirety of Australia’s 7.7 million square kilometres, including the most remote mine sites.
Grove said several Tier 1 mining companies are “sitting up and taking notice” of the bonded Vocus Satellite –Starlink service, particularly in the wake of the Heathgate success.
This comes as the mining industry better understands the importance of optimising camp welfare and fitting out living precincts with lightningfast internet for entertainment and communication purposes.
Grove said the success of the Heathgate deployment of the bonded Vocus Satellite – Starlink solution can be replicated for other mining customers anywhere in Australia, due to the breadth of Vocus’ fibre and data centre infrastructure.
“A key part of making any network solutions work well is reducing the physical distance data needs to travel,” Grove said.
“The proximity of Heathgate’s bonded Vocus Satellite – Starlink solution with the Peplink head-end at the Adelaide data centre keeps performance levels high.
“If a customer in Kalgoorlie deployed a bonded Vocus Satellite – Starlink solution, we’d connect them to a Perth data centre.”
Although new technology, the bonded Vocus Satellite –Starlink solution has proven its effectiveness in terms of primary and redundancy applications. Vocus is confident in the technology’s potential to suit many applications and industries. AM
FLEXCO’S FXC STEEL CORD BELT FASTENING SYSTEM IS KEEPING CONVEYOR SYSTEMS UP AND RUNNING
Steel cord conveyor belts are put to use in only the heaviest of applications, such as high-tension applications like moving hard rock and heavy metal.
But the sturdy nature of such equipment poses logistical challenges when it comes to maintenance. In the event of belt damage or pulling a new belt onto the conveyor system, few timely options have traditionally existed for splicing steel cord belts.
Until now.
Flexco’s FXC steel cord belt fastening system can be installed immediately to get a conveyor system up and running as quickly as possible.
Mine sites would ordinarily have to wait for a vulcanised splice on the conveyor belt, which can delay operations for days. With the FXC steel cord belt fastening system, however, the belt can be temporarily spliced in just hours until a vulcanised splice can be installed.
“The FXC system is a first-of its-kind mechanical belt fastener for steel cord belts,” Flexco product manager – HD mechanical belt fasteners Franklin Moore told Australian Mining.
“Nothing like this exists on the market right now and we are incredibly excited to share our patented design with the world.”
Flexco’s testing has demonstrated that four workers are able to splice a 72-inchwide steel cord belt in just 4–6 hours.
“The stress of waiting to get a belt back in operation is one thing, but we also know how detrimental this downtime is to the site’s bottom line,” Moore said.
“While this is a temporary splice, it bridges the gap until a permanent vulcanised splice can be installed.
“The FXC can be kept on hand as an insurance policy so when faced with unplanned downtime, customers can respond immediately.”
The FXC fastening system also enables quick and efficient belt pulling.
“Another option available with the FXC is that it enables sites to attach a new steel cord belt onto an existing one in order to string the new belt onto the system,” Moore said.
“Teams can prep the new belt end prior to shut down for minimal downtime when changing a belt, and a safety factor is calculated to give sites confidence when pulling the new belt on.”
Testing in this area has shown four workers can prep a 72-inch-wide belt for stringing onto a conveyor in three hours.
can manage the biggest challenges associated with steel cord conveyor belts.
“The FXC empowers customers to reduce the amount of downtime associated with steel cord belts, which are often incredibly important to a site’s production,” Moore said.
“Scheduling, transportation time, belt prep, installation and curing time of a typical vulcanised repair or replacements can take days, if not weeks.
“This downtime and lost production are extremely expensive, so we are giving these teams a new method for getting back up and running in just a few hours.”
Flexco also understands that steel cord belts come in all shapes, sizes and construction.
That’s why the company collects belt specifications from customers in order to create and deliver a customised FXC fastening system to suit a site’s specific needs.
Made from high-quality components, the FXC fastening system has been expertly designed and rigorously tested in different mining environments around the world.
“Flexco has been the trusted expert in mechanical fasteners for over 115 years, so it’s exciting to improve our customers’
efficiency in a whole new belting market,” Moore said.
“Leading the way with a mechanical fastener for steel cord belts has been exciting for the whole Flexco team, but the benefits it offers our customers is the most special aspect.
“The FXC has been welcomed into a variety of different industries around the world and the reception has been astounding.
“Flexco is proud to offer something that gives sites control over expensive and extended downtime.” AM
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Since 2001, the Komatsu 930E electric drive dump truck has established itself as a market leader in ultra-class trucks above 290 tonnes –serving leading mining customers across Australia and around the globe.
The 930E-2 was Komatsu’s response to market demand for a reliable ultraclass haul truck that could handle the vast and varied terrain of the Australian mining landscape.
Jason Arthur, Komatsu Australia national manager – mining products, said the 930E-2 was considered ‘disruptive technology’ 20 years ago when it was first introduced.
“Australia’s mining industry has always been at the forefront of embracing innovative solutions, and our customers were looking for flexibility and agility in mine planning,” he said.
“The 930E-2 model provided that in spades. It allowed contractors to move beyond the 240 tonne class trucks and compete effectively in a market where cost per tonne and labour costs are critical factors.”
The 930E-2’s simple layout, low maintenance requirements and unmatched reliability made it a favourite among owners. But it was the truck’s ability to match multiple excavator and shovel classes that set it apart.
“The 930E-2 serviced the coal and iron ore markets, initially offering a solution for bulk overburden material movement,” Arthur said.
“Its compatibility with large 600-tonne excavators made it a perfect match for Australia’s east coast opencut mining operations, which has a strong preference for haul trucks above 240 tonnes.”
Arthur said the benefits to mine sites have been significant. The 930E-2 was initially introduced with 16 units split across two fleets in the Bowen Basin region of Queensland.
An additional fleet arrived in the Hunter Valley region of NSW about four years later.
“Operators and maintenance staff had to adapt to the electric drive, as it was a departure from the traditional mechanical drive trucks they were used to in this class,” Arthur said.
“It required a significant change management process on many mine sites, but the simple machine layout, reliability and long-term fleet
performance eventually won operators and maintenance staff over.”
Leader of the pack
Today, the population has swelled to over 500 active units operating in Australia, including some of the first introduced models with over 100,000 operational hours.
Arthur said the most recent model release, the 930E-5, continues to offer the flexibility and lowest cost per tonne that customers have come to rely on.
“We’ve reduced base truck sound emissions, improved operator comfort and safety, and significantly cut engine particulate emissions,” he said.
“Our enduring robust frame design is complemented by Tier 4 emission engine options and asset health data
acquisition capabilities mean we have a product that is future proof for years to come, providing our customers with the mining assets they need to keep their sites productive and efficient.
“The model also delivers low fluid consumption and reduced lubricant waste costs, which is a testament to Komatsu’s ongoing commitment to sustainability without impacting productivity.”
The truck also features a factoryengineered and supported sound kit option targeting less than 113dBA levels, ensuring a quieter operation. Maintenance has been simplified with advancements in alternating current (AC) drive technology.
“The reduced maintenance needs of the 930E-5, coupled with remote
diagnostic and asset health monitoring packages available through Komatsu, ensure that our trucks are always ready for the task at hand,” Arthur said.
The current 930E-5 model offers up to five per cent more fuel efficiency than the previous model and a three per cent gain in the drive system efficiency due to less parasitic loads, plus a higher target payload.
“The 930E has set the standard for ultra-class trucks in the mining sector,” Arthur said.
“It paved the way for the next generation of mining equipment, and Komatsu is proud to have been at the helm of this transformation, and continuing now to deliver reliable, productive machines for our mining customers.” AM
WITH THE ABILITY TO DELIVER 1000 HOURS OF LIGHTING OUTPUT PER TANK OF FUEL, ALLIGHT’S MS1000 LIGHTING TOWER CAN WORK FOR UP TO 12 WEEKS BETWEEN REFUELLING AND SERVICING WHEN OPERATING FOR 12-HOUR DAYS.
Given many mine sites operate 24 hours a day, efficient and reliable lighting towers are key to the safety and productivity of an operation.
And because lighting towers are often required to maintain peak capacity for weeks, if not months, on end, Allight has applied extensive research and development to ensure the Australian resources sector has access to illumination options it can trust.
The continued evolution of Allight’s mobile lighting range has resulted in the launch of the MineSpec1000 (MS1000) – a smarter and tougher lighting tower that delivers illumination for longer.
The MS1000 can deliver 1000 hours of lighting output per tank of fuel – four times longer than Allight’s MineSpec Gen3 lighting tower – and go 1000 hours between every service, which means it can work for up to 12 weeks between refuelling and servicing.
Built in Australia, safety is at the forefront of the MS1000 design, with a detachable cabin for easy maintenance and repairs, along with an ergonomic design for easy reach. The tower also has no hard-wired componentry, making for easy part and loom servicing or replacement.
The extended service interval and exceptional fuel capacity limits pit traffic, reducing risk exposure for light vehicles. Production delays are also minimised with the MS1000 only needing to be interacted with four times per year, compared to 17 times per year with the standard Allight MineSpec Gen3 lighting tower – enabling mining operations to keep to their pre-determined schedule and achieve production targets.
At its core, the purpose of the MS1000 is to keep mine pits illuminated for longer – enabling operations to continue around the clock and deliver more tonnes in the process.
The MS1000’s in-built telemetry system enables a real-time view of the fuel level and details the precise GPS location of the lighting tower at any time.
And for customers transitioning from metal halide to LED, the MS1000 reduces fuel consumption from 2.8 litres per hour to one litre per hour, resulting in 65 per cent less fuel consumption and 65 per cent fewer carbon emissions.
The MS1000 is fitted with six 450watt lamps that each produce 360,000
MS1000 inclusions include a battery and starter isolator, a CAT Jumpstart, wheel chocks, emergency stop, rotating beacon for towing fault, lightbar light lanyards and jockey wheel.
The MS1000 is designed for mining applications and includes many smart safety features developed in conjunction with the site requirements of miners across Australia.
Mining companies and contractors that purchase the MS1000 can lean on Allight’s in-house team of engineers and technical experts to ensure the solution is tailored to their operation. When an MS1000 lighting tower is up and running, customers have access to Allight’s service team, which can support site and attend to any maintenance needs.
As an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Allight can engineer to order and ensure the MS1000 lighting tower meets customers’ specific needs.
The MS1000 is powered by a Perkins engine. As the Australian distributor for Perkins engines and parts, Allight can provide experienced service technicians and best-price parts to support the lifecycle of the MS1000.
The role of the Australian mining industry remains fundamentally important, with locally produced commodities key to the world’s continued development and decarbonisation.
But the resources sector can’t operate
MS1000 REDUCES FUEL CONSUMPTION FROM 2.8 LITRES PER HOUR TO ONE LITRE PER HOUR.
Hardox® 500 Tuf is the latest grade of Hardox® wear plate. It combines the hardness of Hardox® 500 with the toughness of Hardox® 450. The wear resistance of Hardox® 500 Tuf makes it possible to increase the load capacity by using a thinner plate and still have the same outstanding service life. Or stay with the same thickness and increase service life by 30% or more.
Hardox® 500 Tuf can also double as a structural steel. Its high yield strength and toughness allow for lighter mining bodies that are resistant to dents and can take impact loads with less supporting structures.
Get the full story of Hardox® 500 Tuf at www.hardox.com
LIGHTER MINING TRUCK BODY
HIGHER LOAD CAPACITY
EXTENDED SERVICE LIFE
LESS FUEL ON EMPTY RUNS
TIME IS UP ON A PUBLIC HEARING PROCESS FOR VHM’S GOSCHEN RARE EARTHS AND MINERAL SANDS PROJECT, AND THE EXPLORER IS READY TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING.
It’s been six months of rapidly progressing milestones for VHM as the explorer steadily realises its flagship Goschen rare earths and mineral sands project in northwest Victoria.
The latest step wrapped up in April with the conclusion of a public hearing on the project’s environment effects statement (EES). The hearing was held by an independent inquiry and advisory committee that will now advise Victoria’s Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny of the environmental effects.
If all goes according to plan, VHM will reach first production in 2025.
Goschen will supply the ‘big four’ rare earths the Australian Government has outlined as being key to an electrified future in its Critical Minerals Strategy: neodymium, praseodymium,
The Goschen project already has buyers at its heels, with VHM recently inking an offtake agreement with Shenghe Resources for the first three
The deal involves the supply of 6400 tonnes per annum of rare earth mineral concentrate and 100,000 tonnes of zircon-titania heavy mineral concentrate, which make up approximately 60 per cent of forecast production per annum.
A hydrometallurgical circuit to produce a mixed rare earth carbonate (MREC) product is also in VHM’s plans for the Goschen operation. Pilotscale MREC test results have provided exceptional recoveries of 97 per cent neodymium–praseodymium, 92 per cent dysprosium and 94 per cent terbium.
“The public hearing process ended on a high note, with VHM demonstrating to all involved that our exhaustive environmental analysis was robust,” Douglas told Australian Mining.
Douglas said VHM is wasting no time while deliberations are carried out. The Goschen definitive feasibility study only covers half the total orebody, which means there is much work to be done to fully realise the project’s significant potential.
Thanks to millions of years of ancient sea movements, the rare earths mineralisation in the area has been concentrated into horizons no more than 30m in depth, which means VHM has the liberty to use conventional, low-cost mining and processing methods.
“If we’re going to control our own future, we need to have our own supply chains,” Douglas said when reflecting on Australia’s capacity to build industries linked to global net-zero targets and renewable technologies.
“Victoria has the assets to become a critical minerals powerhouse, it’s just a matter of working together with government to create a domestic rare earths supply chain and production cycle to rival what has traditionally been China’s stronghold.”
If the minister grants all necessary approvals for the ESS, Goschen will be poised to become a leader in establishing Victoria as a critical minerals hub and creating new job and investment opportunities for
IF ALL GOES ACCORDING TO PLAN, VHM WILL REACH FIRST PRODUCTION IN 2025.
When it comes to mining in Africa, there is more than meets the eye with this historic jurisdiction.
One company that has demonstrated the success that can come from Africa when a business goes about things the right way is Perseus Mining – the third largest ASX-listed gold producer.
The producing Edikan, Sissingué and Yaouré gold mines provide the backbone to Perseus’ balance sheet, as the company explores the possibility of mining gold in Sudan (at its Meyas Sand project) and Tanzania (at its recently acquired Nyanzaga project).
Perseus chair and chief executive officer Jeff Quartermaine said he often refers to Perseus as the “accidental miner”, given the company’s founders didn’t expect to have the success they have today.
“I talk about Perseus as the accidental miner, because I don’t think the guys that started Perseus ever had any intention of having a mining company,” he told attending media at a Melbourne Mining Club luncheon in May.
“Their plan was to go and have a bit of fun, do some exploration, find something and sell the company on. But what did happen was that the stock price ran so much that no one would buy the company.”
Quartermaine said the company was then compelled to complete a feasibility study to develop Perseus’ flagship project, the Tengrela gold mine (now known as Sissingué), and then learn how to be a mine operator.
While this initial strategy proved fruitful, when Quartermaine was appointed as Perseus boss in February 2013, he wanted to leverage the lessons of the company’s founders to build a more multi-faceted business.
This is when the company’s multimine, multi-jurisdiction strategy gained real momentum.
In 2016, Perseus acquired the Yaouré exploration licence, which would enter production in 2021. The company acquired Exore Resources in 2020 to add to its Sissingué footprint, and then 2022 saw the acquisition of Orca Gold and its Meyas Sand gold project.
Perseus also acquired OreCorp and its Nyanzaga gold project this year.
The fact Perseus acquired Edikan, Sissingué and Yaouré as exploration assets before developing them into producing mines bodes well for Meyas Sand and Nyanzaga. It also demonstrates the company’s development capacity as a whole; something made all the more impressive by the fact the mines are located in Africa.
When asked what mindset a company needs when exploring, developing and mining assets in Africa, Quartermaine
flexible, disciplined and resilient.
“Whenever anyone goes to a jurisdiction they’re not overly familiar with, there’s an awful lot to learn,” he said. “In fact, probably the most valuable thing you do know is that you don’t know.
“You really have to approach the situation by being willing to sit and talk to people, learn things and adapt your model to suit the circumstances.
“Having said that, you must know yourself and you must know what you’re about. You must know what you’re willing to do and what you’re not willing to do.
“This is an absolutely fundamental piece of how you’re going to behave or execute your business.
about how you go about your business and you need to be resilient because one thing you do know is that you are going to have setbacks and challenges along the way, and you need to … get back on track when you’ve been knocked around.”
The past five years have seen Perseus’ share price climb more than 400 per cent, including a 20 per cent increase since the start of this year.
All evidence points to the fact that Perseus has established a sound business strategy that evenly prioritises organic and inorganic growth, with the interests of its shareholders the most important concern above everything else. AM
JUPITER MINES OWNS A 49.9 PER CENT STAKE IN THE TSHIPI MANGANESE MINE IN SOUTH AFRICA.
JUPITER MINES IS ALREADY THE LARGEST MANGANESE MINER ON THE ASX, AND THE COMPANY IS NOW KICKSTARTING AN EXCITING NEW VENTURE.
While manganese has long been a critical ingredient in the steelmaking process, the commodity has taken on a much larger role in recent years.
This boost in significance is driven by the growth of the electric vehicle (EV) market, which requires highpurity manganese sulfate monohydrate (HPMSM) to produce the batteries that power an EV.
According to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, the battery demand for manganese is set to grow eight-fold this decade, from about 53,000 tonnes in 2020 to 459,000 tonnes in 2030. This growth won’t just be driven by nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) batteries, but also by emerging lithiummanganese-iron-phosphate (LMFP) and lithium-manganese-nickel-oxide (LMNO) chemistries.
The battery market is not only growing but broadening, and EV
manufacturers are increasingly turning to manganese-rich chemistries due to their ability to improve performance at a lower cost.
As the fifth most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust, manganese is also more readily available than other battery minerals such as cobalt and nickel.
So what does this mean for an established manganese producer like Jupiter Mines?
With a 49.9 per cent interest in the Tier 1 Tshipi manganese mine in South Africa, Jupiter not only has a producing asset with 120 years of production ahead of it, but also ore stockpiles at the right grade to feed a HPMSM processing plant.
“Jupiter already has access to what we call low-grade ore, which is byproduct material produced through the normal production process at Tshipi,” Jupiter managing director and chief executive officer Brad Rogers told Australian Mining
“Tshipi produces 37-per-cent manganese which is sold into the steel
market – that makes up almost all of the revenue today.
“In processing the 37-per-cent material, Tshipi screens off 32-percent manganese and stockpiles it, because that material can’t be sold valuably into the steel market in most price environments.
“So we’ve got about two million tonnes of 32-per-cent manganese sitting on a stockpile which is well suited to conversion to battery-grade manganese and for the processing facility we’ve identified in our scoping study.”
A HPMSM scoping study Jupiter released in mid-March demonstrated the potential to produce 50,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) of HPMSM across an initial three years. This would increase to 100,000tpa from 2030.
Base case assumptions suggest a post-tax internal rate of return of 25 per cent and an earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation of $US179 million at fullscale production.
other advanced projects.
In completing the scoping study, Jupiter considered “the world of possibilities” that come with commercialising a battery-grade product.
“The scoping study weighed up a number of factors,” Rogers said. “Where are the customers going to be? What are the logistics from South Africa in terms
of cost? What’s the cost and availability of inputs, such as sulphur, energy and other reagents?”
Rogers said it was also important to consider the downstream logistics, such as land availability for a HPMSM plant and the transportation distances and associated costs that come with delivering a finished HPMSM product.
Jupiter’s evaluations led it to North America, which is one of the world’s most favourable battery and EV jurisdictions.
“The US is the most advanced country when it comes to the availability of support for clean-energy projects at both a federal and state level,” Rogers said.
“There are other jurisdictions making efforts in this space, which could change the location of the plant in our base case scenario, but the IRA (Inflation Reduction Act) and state level support in relation to tax incentives and availability of land and permitting points us to various locations in North America.”
With the scoping study proving the economic viability of the HPMSM project, Jupiter Mines will now complete a pre-feasibility study (PFS) to further understand the scope of the venture. Jupiter hopes to complete this process by early 2025.
In preparing the PFS, Jupiter will engage an established engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) firm. Such a partnership will be an important springboard for the HPMSM project.
“As we move into stages where we will be looking to bring in partners, it’s helpful to have a recognised EPCM name that is leading that study,” Rogers said.
“The EPCM firm will assist us to refine our engineering work and we will then build a lab-scale pilot plant to produce enough material to share with customers.”
Rogers said it’s then important for Jupiter to begin signing offtake agreements.
“One of the most important pieces of work as part of the PFS phase is for us to establish customer offtakes,” he said. “These are new markets, so the most important thing anyone, including us, can do is have price and volume underwritten.’
“While we’ve done a lot of our own first-principles work and the consensus is that there’s going to be a shortage of battery-grade manganese supply, the rubber hits the road in this phase where we establish term sheets with the car manufacturers and battery makers that we’ve already been talking to for the last year under non-disclosure agreements.”
By the end of the PFS phase, Jupiter Mines will hope to establish offtake pricing and volume for a period of time that underwrites the 4.3-year payback period of the HPMSM project.
The ideal agreements, Rogers said, would extend for at least five years.
“These are new markets and they’re going to go through levels of unpredictability as they grow, so I don’t think it’s sensible to take market risk,” he said.
Jupiter also wants to understand the scope of the project’s funding model by
underpinned by Jupiter’s own finances, partner funding through offtake, debt and equity avenues, and grant funding.
“At the end of the PFS phase, it’s important that we have a higher degree of confidence in the project’s revenue potential through offtake as well as its funding potential,” Rogers said. “Then we can proceed to the next stage and
When combining the strength of the battery-grade manganese outlook with the Tshipi mine’s long-term, rightgrade and low-cost production profile, Jupiter has every chance to establish a HPMSM operation.
And with a HPMSM supply deficit likely to start from 2026, the miner has timed its run well to capitalise on a
THE FIRST AUTONOMOUS ROAD TRAINS HAVE HIT THE OUTBACK TRACK AT MINERAL RESOURCES’ ONSLOW IRON PROJECT IN THE PILBARA.
In a culmination of nearly three years of development between Mineral Resources (MinRes) and mining technology expert Hexagon, the world’s first autonomous road trains have roared to life at Onslow Iron in the Pilbara, Western Australia.
MinRes has been working with Hexagon to fit-out its full fleet of 150 trucks with autonomous technology since January, at a rate of around 10 each month.
The movers have now been delivered on-site and will travel on 150km of dedicated and fenced haul road running from the Ken’s Bore mine site to the MinRes transhipping terminal at the Port of Ashburton.
According to MinRes, the singleengine Kenworth C509 prime movers are the “biggest in the world” and can each haul 330 tonnes of iron ore at a time, aiding MinRes’ 35 million-tonneper-year iron ore shipment goals.
“It’s fantastic to see the first batch arrive in Onslow in preparation of first ore mid-2024,” MinRes director of technology and innovation David Geraghty said at the time the movers were delivered. “They will initially commence as manned operations, with trials and verifications with safety drivers to occur later in the year before we transition to autonomous operations.”
A 2007 study published by Caterpillar Global Mining showed that roughly 65 per cent of truck haulage accidents in mining operations are directly related to operator fatigue.
MinRes’ driverless system removes the risk of driver fatigue, a win for an industry dedicated to workers’ safe.
By using drive-by-wire technology, mechanical linkages that control driving functions are replaced with electromechanical systems. An artificial intelligence-powered autonomous management system developed by MinRes orchestrates movement by a team of operators at a central operating centre in Onslow.
Additional grade separation ensures there is no interaction between the road trains on the haul road.
MinRes project manager Marcus Kenny said the movers will further enhance road safety by also eliminating interactions with public vehicles.
“The haul road is separate to public roads, with tunnels under North West Coastal Highway and Onslow Road and fences to keep stock and wild animals off the road,” Kenny said.
MinRes handed the keys to its road train fleet to Hexagon in December to begin installing the autonomous haulage solutions (AHS) technology, but the journey began long before then.
The Hexagon–MinRes partnership kicked off in 2021 when the companies committed to working together to develop the world’s first fully autonomous road train technology.
The aim was to harness Hexagon’s technological ability and MinRes’ operational knowledge into a single sound solution that put safety at the forefront.
The new movers are also challenging fears about autonomous mining replacing jobs, with MinRes confirming a range of WA-based positions will be created to support the system, including automation specialists, dispatch and logistic officers, mechanics, and auto electricians.
“Autonomy in mining isn’t about replacing people,” Kenny said
“It’s about taking them out of dangerous situations and employing their skills elsewhere.”
Autonomous solutions are heralding a new era for the Australian mining industry, and MinRes is proving there are only benefits to be found for those willing to rise to the challenge.
As operators reconcile decarbonisation efforts with the growing global demand for the critical minerals used in green technologies, it’s solutions like MinRes’ autonomous road trains that are driving the industry forward and into the future. AM
THE REMKO STANDPIPE PUMP PACKAGE HAS BEEN ENGINEERED FOR EASY USE.
THE REMKO STANDPIPE PUMP PACKAGE FROM ALLFLO PUMPS AND EQUIPMENT IS MAKING WAVES IN THE MINING INDUSTRY.
Excessive dust particles floating around a mine site is more than a nuisance; it’s a safety hazard.
With the rise in awareness around issues like silicosis and its potential to cause devastating health impacts, Australia’s mine operators need dust-management solutions they can rely on.
The solution usually comes in the form of dust-suppression trucks fitted with pump systems that continually spray high-risk areas like haul roads and stockpiles with water to keep dust at bay.
But these trucks constantly need to be refilled with thousands of litres of water, and with traditional pump systems taking 30 minutes or more to fill a single truck, the time spent out of action drives up costs for operators and puts workers at risk of dust exposure.
It’s an issue that requires a fit-forpurpose turnkey solution like Allflo Pumps and Equipment’s Remko standpipe pump package.
With more than 70 years of experience and a manufacturing facility in Shepparton, Victoria, Allflo is a leading supplier of pumps and pump accessories.
The company boasts an extensive range of quality pumps and equipment engineered to suit any application throughout the mining and construction industries.
The Remko standpipe pump package is a key product in Allflo’s portfolio.
“The Remko standpipe pump package is a solution that delivers a high performance in any application, and when compared with other solutions, significantly reduces the truck fill times and increases production,” Allflo general manager Scott Pederick told Australian Mining.
“In some instances, we have been able to reduce the fill time from 30 minutes to four to five minutes.”
In addition to providing quicker pitstops and boosting production, Pederick said the pump packages have been engineered to be highly functional and easy to use.
“That’s why our standpipe packages are a self-contained unit, meaning that the pump, standpipe and pipework are
all able to be reduced to one skid,” he said. “This makes moving the package easy and ultimately reduces the freight costs as well.”
Allflo prides itself on the Remko standpipe pump package’s ability to slot right into any operation and immediately deliver results.
“We have Remko units working in mining operations right across Australia,” Pederick said.
“From lithium mines in Western Australia and gold mines in Victoria to the coal mines of the Bowen Basin (in Queensland), our standpipes are reducing operational expenditure and increasing environmental compliance.”
Operators who use the standpipe package have peace of mind knowing
THE PUMP PACKAGE CAN BE QUICKLY SLOTTED INTO ANY OPERATION.
they are selecting quality and reliability in a single unit.
“One of our clients who contracts to the mining industry in Queensland described our Remko standpipe packages as ‘worth their weight in gold’,” Pederick said. “In that instance, we were able to have a significant positive impact on driving down costs and increasing project profitability.”
Listening to customer challenges is a core value for Allflo, and the company tailors packages that meet the unique needs of different mining operations.
“Within the Remko range of standpipe and pump packages, there are options for standard construction or fully customised units,” Pederick said.
“This allows us to find a solution to best suit the mine site and ultimately deliver maximum operational costs and environment compliance benefits.”
Thanks to the Remko standpipe pump package, mines across Australia are seeing increased productivity, worker safety, and cost savings.
We continue to grow and allocate resources into new areas to further increase our network across Australia. Our commitment to enhancing our footprint in WA is unwavering, with a focus on servicing the flourishing mining industry in the region,” Pederick said.
“Through targeted expansions, we aim to solidify our position and deliver cutting-edge solutions to meet the evolving needs of this vital sector.” AM
Remote controlled dozer for confined spaces
Remote controlled dozer for confined spaces
WEG IS BOOSTING SAFETY AND EFFICIENCY IN AUSTRALIAN MINES WHILE SETTING A NEW STANDARD FOR UNDERGROUND EQUIPMENT IN EXPLOSIVE ATMOSPHERES.
In the challenging environment of underground coal mines, safety and reliability are at the forefront of design when it comes to WEG hazardous area motors.
A crucial factor in ensuring the wellbeing of workers and the smooth operation of mining activities is the utilisation of explosion-proof motors. Such specialised motors are designed to prevent the ignition of explosive gases and dust particles, minimising the risk of catastrophic failure and incidents.
Explosion-proof motors are designed with specific insulation classes and temperature ratings suitable for hazardous environments. These ratings then ensure the motors can safely operate within the defined temperature limits without compromising personnel or the mining operation.
Underground coal mines are subject to strict regulatory standards to ensure the safety of workers and the protection of the site and surrounding environment. Explosion-proof motors have been designed to comply with these standards, meeting the specific requirements set forth by regulatory bodies.
THE DESIGN OF THE W22 EX-DB LINE CONSIDERED THE NEEDS OF THE INDUSTRY AND THE REDUCTION OF OPERATING COSTS.
By using these motors, mine operators demonstrate their commitment to safety and ensure compliance with legal obligations, performance, and safety.
The mechanical design of WEG’s W22 EX-db line of flameproof motors is based on the successful and leading W22 general purpose and mining motor range, with the incorporation of a comprehensive range of options and accessories to meet the hardest of site and customer specifications, while maintaining efficiency and safety for the chosen application.
In designing the W22 EX-db line, special consideration was given to the needs of the industry and the reduction of operating costs.
Aside from the energy saving aspects of these machines, a variety of carefully chosen features have been incorporated to ensure maximum performance and durability. These features include an IP66 degree of protection to seal the motor from coal dust and protect against water ingress, class H insulation for higher thermal endurance, added capacity for extra PTC and PT100
devices for thermal protection of windings and bearings, and space heaters to prevent build-up of condensation, prolonging the life of the motor.
The W22 EX-db concept also focuses on the provision of easier and safer installation and maintenance procedures.
Integrally cast feet provide higher mechanical stiffness particularly suited to heavy-duty applications. Frames IEC90 and above feature double-drilled holes to simplify the replacement and retrofitting of existing motors.
W22 EX-db motors are equipped with the WEG Insulation System Evolution (WISE), which permits them to operate with variable frequency drives (VFDs) at voltages up to 690V.
To further enhance their use with VFDs, insulated bearings and shaft grounding rings are available and certified to be used.
In addition, for operation at low frequencies the W22 EX-db line can be produced in totally enclosed blowercooled (TEBC) versions with the addition of forced ventilation.
Due to their outstanding performance, W22 EX-db motors are capable of also
maintaining their T4 temperature class even when driven by a VFD.
WEG custom designs and manufactures low-voltage, mediumvoltage and high-voltage flameproof motors that serve thousands of customers worldwide. The company prides itself on its ability to provide cost-effective and sustainable engineered solutions for ambitious, complex, and pioneering applications, offering reliability and assured safety.
WEG is one of the first motor manufacturers in the world to be granted the license to use the IECEx conformity mark. This mark is used on Ex products to provide greater assurance to governments, safety regulators and the industry that the equipment meets the world’s most respected and vigorous safety standards.
In addition to its solutions, WEG offers pre-sale support with technical know-how from in-house local specialists, helping customers with proper selection for their application, as well as a wide variety of aftermarket services that build long-term customer success. AM
HYDI delivers proven Australian technology packed into a robust, retrofit unit which produces hydrogen on demand to supplement the fuel for diesel powered equipment. With over 300 units deployed to date, mainly in mining and heavy transport applications, HYDI is generating fuel savings and contributing to large reductions in carbon emissions.
• Carbon emissions reduction technology that pays for itself from fuel savings.
• Promotes a cleaner burn thereby providing additional reduction in emissions.
• Sophisticated electronic control system optimises hydrogen supply.
• Increases engine performance.
• Makes the combustion chamber, engine oil and exhaust system cleaner.
• No retained hydrogen or pressure tank makes the system risk free.
• Totally chemical free – minimal quantity of distilled water is the only consumable.
• Non-intrusive retrofit unit can be transferable.
Rand Engineering Exhibition (QME) will again be the ultimate showcase of supplier innovation and excellence and will illustrate the worldclass capabilities of Mackay and the central Queensland region.
With an impressive line-up of over 300 exhibitors, including Hitachi Construction Machinery, Komatsu, Hastings Deering, Makita, iMotion, Pirtek, Hidrive, Pinnacle Hire and MetaRock, QME has gone from strength to strength and outgrown its 2022 event, which at the time was the largest QME event held in several years.
Alongside the exhibition floor, QME features a free-to-attend seminar series sponsored by Komatsu, a series of masterclass workshops in the 500 Pavilion, live demonstrations and presentations, plus exclusive industry events including the QME opening party sponsored by Hastings Deering and the prestigious Queensland Mining Awards Gala Presentation Dinner.
The opening party kicks off festivities on Tuesday July 21. This exclusive event is hosted in conjunction with the Queensland Resources
Hastings Deering and network with visitors and suppliers at the conclusion of the first day.
their many ongoing initiatives, discuss their job vacancies, engage with suppliers at the event, and connect face-
Komatsu,
sustainable ESG solutions.
Group managing director and CEO Scott Winter
Fostering innovation and skills in the mining and METS sector’, presented by Austmine CEO Christine Gibbs-Stewart anel discussion, ‘Ensuring mines invest in making workplaces safer’, presented by CEOs and representatives from Global Wellness Institute, Prescribe Australia, Techs4Biz Australia, ASI Solutions, and Evocativ Mental Fitness Coaching
Thursday July 25
Ensuring community safety by eliminating or reducing hazards at abandoned mine sites’, presented by Department of Resources georesources division technical services project manager Karin Fogarty
Visitors can stay ahead of mining developments and get attuned with the latest industry knowledge through QME’s free-to-attend seminar series, sponsored by Komatsu.
The seminar series will look at the latest technological innovations and collaborative approaches to improve productivity and long-term strategy for the mining sector.
The latest advances in technology and innovation across the mining value chain will be discussed alongside specific technical developments that help miners maintain the highest level of safety and reliability.
Other topics covered at the seminar series include the future of mining, diversification, critical minerals, smart mining technology, clean energy, occupational health and safety, and investment outlook.
QME 2024 is gearing up to host an impressive gathering of experts from across the sector, boasting more than 70 industry speakers including government representatives, business leaders, corporate executives, industry personnel and educational experts.
Throughout the three-day seminar series, attendees will have the opportunity to hear from Federal Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Madeleine King, Queensland Minister for Resources and Critical Minerals Scott Stewart, Queensland Shadow Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dale Last, and Federal Department of Resources Director General Warwick Agnew.
Representatives from key mining bodies and companies will also be in
attendance, including Queensland Resources Council chief executive officer (CEO) Janette Hewson, Austmine CEO Christine Gibbs-Stewart, Danfoss global business development director Craig Rapson, and Whitehaven Coal managing director Paul Flynn. Mackay Regional Council Mayor Greg Williamson will deliver the opening remarks at the QME seminar series to kickstart the three days of dynamic discussions.
Here are just some of the sessions being showcased across the three days of the event. For more details, see the seminar series program on the QME website.
Tuesday July 23
• Keynote ministerial address, ‘Fast-tracking the transition to critical minerals – milestones and opportunities’, presented by Federal Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Madeleine King
• ‘Reimagining the mining landscape: Exploiting new opportunities and steering through transformation’, presented by Minerals Council of Australia chief economist Ross Lambie
• Panel discussion, ‘Journey to netzero: Are we there yet?’, presented by CEOs and representatives from North Star Energy, Symmetry Solar, CQUniversity and Queensland Treasury
• Panel discussion, ‘Enhancing mental health and wellbeing: Fostering a culture of inclusion and support’, presented by BMA infrastructure and services general manager Bobbie Foot, Anglo American
work management superintendent Kristy Purdon, and Anglo American workplace support manager Kanae Dyas
Wednesday July 24
• Keynote ministerial address, ‘Investing in Queensland’s resources future – where to next?’, presented by Queensland Minister for Resources and Critical Minerals Scott Stewart
• ‘Assessing the mining potential of critical minerals as a clean energy source’, presented by Critical Minerals
Advances in smart mining: Exploring the promise of zero entry mining and automation’, presented by Universal Field Robots director Jeff Sterling Building collaboration across the traditional mining and emerging sectors’, presented by Resources Centre of Excellence CEO Steven Boxall
• Panel discussion, ‘Reimagining mine water management as a strategic asset rather than a mere expense’, presented by Waterstart Australia CEO Daniel Lambert, STAR Water Group CEO Chris Rochfort, and Dredge Robotics CEO Antony Old
The Queensland Mining and Engineering Exhibition will be held at the Mackay Showgrounds from July 23–25. AM
BULK2024 IS RETURNING TO MELBOURNE FROM SEPTEMBER 18–19. AUSTRALIAN MINING TAKES A LOOK AT WHAT THIS YEAR’S ATTENDEES CAN EXPECT.
It may sound like a relatively simple process, but transporting material is perhaps the most essential part of mining.
Without the bulk handling industry, mined ore wouldn’t get to where it needs to go, grinding downstream industries to a halt.
The 2024 Australian Bulk Handling Expo (BULK2024) is a testament to this industry’s importance.
As Australia’s only dedicated exhibition for the bulk handling industry, BULK2024 will return to Melbourne from September 18–19, ready to showcase the latest solutions for the industry.
Lincom Group marketing manager Renata Hjelmstrom told Australian Mining how much the company is looking forward to making the trip to Melbourne in September.
“For us, the BULK trade shows are always a highlight of the year,” she said. “It’s not just about displaying our products and services; it’s an opportunity to exchange ideas and develop connections with industry peers.
with customers to discuss their challenges and demonstrate how our solutions can help overcome them.”
engineering solutions. It’s an idea that resonates strongly with Lincom.
engineering solutions represents our commitment to innovation and
excellence,” Hjelmstrom said. “We partner with leading OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) worldwide to solve industry challenges and anticipate future needs.
“We take a hands-on role with our customers, offering tailored advice and expert guidance to determine the most effective solutions for their unique challenges. Our goal is to foster successful outcomes that improve their operational efficiency.”
One of the most important aspects in any mining operation is teamwork.
This doesn’t just mean the teamwork of employees on the ground; several different industries must work together to achieve the production targets needed to keep Australia running.
Lincom has been helping to bring the mining and bulk handling industries together since 1995.
“Lincom plays a crucial role in bridging these industries by providing robust
THE EXHIBITION FLOOR PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY TO NETWORK AND LEARN MORE ABOUT BUSINESSES AND THEIR OFFERINGS.
shaping our industry and how these advancements can enhance their productivity, safety, operational efficiency, and sustainability,” she said.
“With many like-minded professionals present, we hope that attendees will take the opportunity to network and learn more about the various businesses and their offerings at
governance) – all vital aspects of a successful bulk handling business.
Hjelmstrom said these themes also resonate strongly with Lincom.
“Reducing downtime and increasing productivity are at the core of what we do – it is our current tagline,” she said.
“By focusing on minimising downtime, we ensure that our our customers not only to meet but often
AUSIMM’S 2024 CRITICAL MINERALS CONFERENCE FOLLOWS A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL INAUGURAL EVENT IN 2023.
AFTER A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL INAUGURAL EVENT IN 2023, AUSIMM’S CRITICAL MINERALS CONFERENCE IS SET TO HIT BRISBANE FROM AUGUST 26–28.
Critical minerals have become fundamental to the modern way of life.
From their role in electric vehicles to wind turbines, solar panels and everything in between, it would be hard to imagine a world without critical minerals, making the discussions about their future all the more important.
And when AusIMM’s Critical Minerals Conference touches down in Brisbane in August, these conversations are set to take off.
“For our 2024 conference, we’ve really tried to elevate the conversation around critical minerals,” Arcadium Lithium general manager technical services Leigh Slomp told Australian Mining
“The conference will be a combination of strong technical content with some high-level keynote speakers and conversations around the global critical minerals supply and need.”
Slomp has been working in the industry for over 25 years, and with most of his experience centred around Western Australia and the lithium-tin-nickel industry, he is no stranger to the importance of Australian critical minerals.
Slomp was also a part of the organising committee for last year’s
inaugural Critical Minerals Conference, which gave him the ability to witness first-hand the important role networking plays at such an event.
A strong networking focus has evolved into the emergence of Critical Conversations – a unique aspect of this year’s event that will bring attendees together on the exhibition floor in a relaxed, conversational style.
“Critical Conversations gives delegates the opportunity to not just sit and listen to the speakers but to actually come and participate in some of these conversations,” Slomp said.
“The discussions are facilitated by CSIRO senior staff and the conference organising committee, and it gets some really robust conversation going.”
Among other things, the Critical Conversations aspect of the conference is an opportunity to discuss the future of the Australian critical minerals sector – something about which Slomp is deeply passionate.
“If Australia really does want to be at the forefront of critical minerals supply globally then we really need a coordinated approach between government and industry,” he said.
“Red and green tape can really slow down trying to do important things like extending mine life.”
Slomp also flagged volatile lithium and nickel pricing as another challenge the industry is facing.
“The current price trend is counterintuitive to all of the hype around the electrification of the world and decarbonisation,” he said.
“And that might be due to the fact that there wasn’t a mass uptake of electric vehicles, which has caused this sort of reset of the industry and the supply–demand price.”
But Slomp is hopeful things are turning around.
“I’m looking forward to seeing more of an alignment in policy between state and federal governments in the future,” he said.
“Once we have that alignment, we can easily implement strategies which will work for industry.”
Finances and the decarbonisation journey will also be key topics at AusIMM’s Critical Minerals Conference. Renowned keynote speakers will be discussing supply chain demand, mineral economics, government roles, discovery and development, and new technologies, among other topics.
“We will have a real focus on discussions, including a panel discussion, around a green premium for critical minerals,” Slomp said.
“We’re trying to have a robust conversation around when and how we can start to see a premium for these ethically sourced critical minerals.
“Elevating the conversation around government strategy for industry, funding, investment, and impacts of the geopolitical climate and how that’s impacting critical minerals supply and demand drivers is going to be particularly important.” AM
AusIMM’s Critical Minerals Conference will be held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre from August 26–28.
The allair jigging machine is a dry mineral processing solution best suited for the coal and recycling sectors. Two streams of air are fed into the allair to fluidise the feed material, and the pulsed air enables the jigging for coal and reject separation. As the allair air jig separates materials such as pyrite from the raw coal, it helps cut sulfur dioxide emissions generated through the burning of coal. Simultaneously, the amount of maintenance and cleaning work required in the power plant is reduced. The allair reduces costs and an operator’s environmental footprint as it requires zero handling of water. The system can be integrated with an existing coal handling system or installed downstream from the primary crusher at the power plant. Allair particle sizes range from 1mm–50mm, and its throughput rates range from 20–100 tonnes per hour per machine.
• allmineral.com
Carbon monoxide (CO) and oxygen (O2) measurement in the coal pulveriser is important for early warnings of a smoldering fire and/or leak in the inertisation structure.
The MKAS analyser from SICK is equipped with an explosionprotected sampling probe and is the ideal solution for this measuring task.
The SIDOR gas analyser provides simultaneous measurements of O2 and CO.
An important feature is the stability of the optical measuring apparatus, which allows routine adjustments to be made using only ambient air or inert gas.
The MKAS gas analyser is used to measure a wide variety of exhaust gas parameters and can be individually configured to suit the applicationspecific requirements.
Whether used for continuous emission monitoring or as a process gas analyser, the individual components can be precisely tailored to customer requirements. MKAS is available in a standard size or as a space-saving compact version.
• sick.com/au/en
The MF550 hydrostatic transmission training simulator from Bestech Australia is the new portfolio release of a fluid power training system specifically designed for teaching technicians to troubleshoot, test and maintain industrial hydrostatic transmission systems.
This unit was developed to address the technical gaps and upskill fluid power technicians. It allows students to use and learn a fully functional hydrostatic transmission system in a safe and controlled environment.
The MF550 can be programmed to auto-generate every fault that presents in the troubleshooting charts of hydrostatic transmission systems. It also has less footprint, can be easily stored inside a building, and can be operated in real-time with the aid of an onboard panel PC via a 24inch touchscreen.
The touchscreen panel includes on-screen digital display of operating parameters, such as oil temperature and pressure. The educational contents can be accessed through the touchscreen panel, including various learning activities such as troubleshooting modes, service manuals and experimenting with various drive modes.
• bestech.com.au
Weir’s new branding for its red Linatex rubber enables customers to instantly verify the authenticity of the premium rubber product.
All Linatex rubber is now branded with four rows of black Linatex logos. The new branding has endured extensive testing to confirm the new black ink won’t affect the abrasion-resistant properties of the rubber.
Linatex premium rubber has been manufactured exclusively by Weir for 100 years and is known as a ‘go-to’ rubber to protect equipment from erosive damage.
If customers buy a roll of branded Linatex rubber, they know they are receiving the genuine Linatex premium rubber, which is made from 95 per cent natural latex that uses a unique liquid-phase process patented in 1923.
The formulation and manufacturing process has remained unchanged for a century.
Weir Minerals Malaysia is the sole manufacturer of Linatex.
