EVENT SPOTLIGHT

AUSIMM TO HOST IRON ORE CONFERENCE IN PERTH

AUSIMM AND CSIRO ARE TEAMING UP TO DELIVER THE LATEST ITERATION OF THE IRON ORE CONFERENCE FROM NOVEMBER 8-10, HIGHLIGHTING THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS FOR AUSTRALIA’S MOST IN-DEMAND COMMODITY.

The iron ore market is delivering record high prices this year as Australia continues to climb the value ladder as the world’s largest exporter of the steel-making material.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, metalliferous ore exports achieved record high revenues of $20.49 billion in June 2021.

In the same month, iron ore was up by 6 per cent to deliver $17.55 billion of June’s metalliferous ore export value.

Iron ore demand has soared off the back of global infrastructure expenditure in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Major mining companies including BHP, Rio Tinto, Fortescue Metals Group and Roy Hill operate in the Pilbara region of Western Australia and produce hundreds of millions of tonnes of iron ore each year.

Fortescue surpassed its highestever iron ore shipping target in the 2020-21 financial year with a record 182.2 million tonnes after the company mined 49.3 million tonnes in the June quarter alone.

With iron ore playing a critical role in the growth and stability of Australia’s economy, AusIMM and CSIRO’s Iron Ore Conference will showcase knowledge and technologies from the Pilbara region with a focus on the future of the industry.

The three-day event will be hosted in Perth in-person and online, featuring a strong list of keynote speakers, including Rio Tinto head of energy and climate change centre of excellence Gerard Danckert, former Roy Hill chief executive officer Barry Fitzgerald and Fortescue director sustainability and corporate affairs Alison Terry.

This year’s event revolves around the theme, ‘Sustainability in a changing world,’ following stakeholder pressure for miners to reach net zero emissions.

The industry has responded with a variety of innovative solutions that add to its greener approach.

For example, Fortescue produced high-purity green iron ore using 100 per cent clean energy as part of its Fortescue Future Industries renewable energy and industry initiative in July.

This represents one of several ways that iron ore miners are pushing their sustainable initiatives.

AusIMM chief executive officer Stephen Durkin says support for the iron ore sector is a key aspect in allowing them to continue to meet growing demand.

“Australian standards of professional practice are some of the highest in the world, which contributes significantly to the strength of the iron ore industry globally,” Durkin says.

“As the peak body for people working in mining, AusIMM are committed to ensuring that professional development is both current and accessible, securing the safety of workforces, the stability and sustainability of the industry and supporting innovation in iron ore best practice.”

Western Australia accounts for around one-third of the world’s iron ore reserves, making Perth the ideal location to host the event.

The Iron Ore Conference will focus on technical and management aspects of the iron ore industry, including discussions on the geology, exploration, mining and processing of iron ore, and how the industry can reduce its carbon footprint across mining and steelmaking.

Rio Tinto is focusing on developing advanced technological solutions at some of its operations in Western Australia.

The miner plans to deploy the world’s first fully autonomous water trucks at its Gudai-Darri iron ore mine, which is slated to become one of the most technologically advanced sites in the industry.

Roy Hill’s smart mine program is also aiming to convert its entire haul fleet to operate autonomously.

AusIMM will make the Iron Ore Conference available virtually via its EventsAir platform to ensure delegates from other states and countries can access the event.

Both in-person and online attendees will be able to engage with the conference exhibition, technological advances and technical papers, while meeting with other industry professionals in the process. AM

AUSIMM AND CSIRO’S IRON ORE CONFERENCE RETURNS IN-PERSON AND ONLINE.

IMAGE: FORTESCUE METALS GROUP

For more information, visit https://www.ausimm.com/conferences-andevents/iron-ore/