B08 Metal Ore Mining

BHP nears end to China iron ore pricing and contracts dispute

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 13 & 20 : 15-Apr-26

BHP has declined to comment on media reports that China Mineral Resources Group Company has told a number of steel mills that they can buy some of the resources group’s Pilbara iron ore with US dollars. The possible breakthrough in the dispute, which began when CMRG imposed unofficial bans on BHP’s Jimblebar fines product in 2025, follows a visit to China by BHP’s CEO Mike Henry and his successor Brandon Craig. They are believed to have met with officials from both CMRG and steel giant Baowu. Craig will formally succeed Henry on 1 July, and has indicated that resolving the iron ore dispute is one of his top priorities.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, CHINA MINERAL RESOURCES GROUP COMPANY LIMITED, CHINA BAOWU STEEL GROUP CORPORATION LIMITED

WA Premier backs mint’s plan to refine rare earths

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Original article by Tom Rabe
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 14-Apr-26

The Perth Mint currently processes more than 70 per cent of the gold that is mined in Australia, and it was Western Australia’s third-largest exporter in dollar value during 2024-25. John Van Der Wielen, the chairman of the Perth Mint’s state-owned parent company Gold Corporation, contends that the Mint could expand its operations to include the processing of criticial minerals such as rare earths. WA Premier Roger Cook says the state government would broadly support any such move; however, Perennial portfolio manager Sam Berridge says expanding the scope of the Perth Mint’s mineral processing would most likely require significant investment from the state government.

CORPORATES
PERTH MINT, GOLD CORPORATION PTY LTD, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, PERENNIAL VALUE MANAGEMENT LIMITED

Union booze breath fail was mouthwash

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 13 & 17 : 9-Apr-26

There has been a sharp increase in unions’ right-of-entry requests at iron ore mines in the Pilbara since Labor took office federally in 2022. BHP received 844 right-of-entry requests in 2025, and there were 168 in the first 10 weeks of 2026. The issue has come under scrutiny in the wake of BHP’s refusal to allow an Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union organiser to access its Newman mine site via a right-of-access permit. The AMWU contends that the organiser had failed a breathalyser test after using an alcohol-based mouthwash immediately before entering the mine site. However, BHP says its rules on alcohol and drug use are strictly enforced and non-negotiable.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHPAUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION

Miners fear diesel price surge

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 15 : 8-Apr-26

Listed gold producers Capricorn Metals and Ramelius Resources have indicated that the supply of diesel to their Australian mines has not yet been affected. However, Capricorn says diesel supply is a ‘material risk’ for the nation’s mining industry, while Ramelius has contingency plans in the event of fueld rationing or other supply restrictions. Meanwhile, Robex Resources says it has a 30-day supply of diesel at its Kiniero gold mine in Guinea; CEO Matthew Wilcox says supply chains have not been disrupted and the price of diesel in Guinea has risen by about five per cent since the Iran war began. Guinea imports all of its liquid fuels, and the nation does not have an oil and gas industry.

CORPORATES
CAPRICORN METALS LIMITED – ASX CMM, RAMELIUS RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX RMS, ROBEX RESOURCES INCORPORATED – ASX RXR

Iron ore leverage in quest for diesel

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 17 : 1-Apr-26

The Chamber of Minerals & Energy of Western Australia’s CEO Aaron Morey says the world is now in an era of strategic competition and sovereign industrial capability. He contends that leverage matters in this environment, and Australia has the commodities that the world needs, particularly iron ore and LNG. Morey adds that it therefore makes sense for Australia to use iron ore exports as leverage to secure a supply deal with China regarding diesel fuel. Morey has also cautioned the federal government against imposing a so-called ‘windfall tax’ on the oil and gas sector; he notes that a similar tax imposed in the UK four years ago has curtailed investment in gas well drilling in the North Sea.

CORPORATES
THE CHAMBER OF MINERALS AND ENERGY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA INCORPORATED

Rio, BHP win opens land for US copper mine

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Original article by Jessica Gardner
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 18-Mar-26

The Resolution Copper joint venture between Rio Tinto and BHP in Arizona has been stalled for more than a decade. However, hopes that the project will finally proceed have been boosted after a court rejected an application to block a transfer of land from the US Forest Service to the resources groups. The Forest Service subsequently completed the transfer of land, although opponents of the project have filed an appeal against the court ruling. The copper deposit was discovered in 1995, and Rio Tinto executive Katie Jackson says it could potentially supply up to 25 per cent of the US’s copper demand for many years.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO,BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP,RESOLUTION COPPER MINING LLC,UNITED STATES. FOREST SERVICE

Union boss slams miner over right-of-entry complaints

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 11-Mar-26

BHP’s CEO Mike Henry recently noted that its iron ore mines are dealing with an unprecedented level of right-of-entry requests, amid an ongoing push to re-unionise the Pilbara under the federal goverment’s industrial relations reforms. Unions have in turn criticised BHP’s decision to outsource the processing of Pilbara right-of-entry requests to the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Western Australia, noting that rivals such as Rio Tinto still do this in-house. The CCIWA has advised that it processed 844 right-of-entry requests for BHP’s mines in 2025, while it has processed 168 so far in 2026.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA (INCORPORATED), RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

BHP warns on unions’ advance

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 15 & 24 : 18-Feb-26

BHP has posted a 2025-26 interim profit of $US5.64bn ($7.9bn), which is 28 per cent higher than previously; revenue increased by 11 per cent to $US27.9bn ($39.5bn). Copper was a key driver of BHP’s half-year result, with the energy transition metal exceeding earnings from iron ore for the first time; copper accounted for 51 per cent of BHP’s underlying EBITDA of $US15.5bn, and CEO Mike Henry has described the earnings shift as a ‘milestone’. Meanwhile, Henry has expressed concern about the growing push to reunionise the Pilbara in the wake of industrial relations reforms during the federal government’s first term in office; he notes that there has been a big increase in unions’ right-of-entry requests at its iron ore mines.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP

Fortescue pursues green tick for new mine

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 17 : 18-Feb-26

Fortescue recently submitted an application to develop the Wyloo North iron ore mine to Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Authority. Fortescue estimates that the mine’s carbon emissions will peak at nearly 99,000 tonnes per annum during the two-year construction phase, and up to 53,300 tonnes a year when it is operational. Fortescue’s mining CEO Dino Otranto emphasises that the emissions forecasts are based on the company’s current iron ore mines, and Wyloo North will be designed to operate without the use of fossil fuels. Fortescue has set a net-zero emissions target of 2030 for its mining operations.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE LIMITED – ASX FMG, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AUTHORITY

Rio Tinto investors lean to London

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 4-Feb-26

Rio Tinto’s Australian-listed shares have fallen by 1.5 per cent since the resources giant confirmed in early January that it is holding merger talks with Glencore, while its London-listed shares have gained nearly nine per cent. Rio Tinto’s Australian shares have traditionally traded at a premium to its London stock, but this premium has fallen from 23 per cent at the start of 2026 to around 14 per cent. Some observers believe that Rio Tinto is more likely to pay for the Glencore deal by issuing new Australian shares, which could result in the shareholdings of local investors being diluted.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, GLENCORE PLC