B08 Metal Ore Mining

Fortescue vindicated on hydrogen

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 : 7-Jul-21

Fortescue Metals Group has outlined the progress it has achieved in its goal of making its iron ore operations carbon-neutral by 2030. The pure-play producer has advised that it has produced high-purity ‘green’ iron from its Pilbara iron ore via a trial decarbonisation project that is being run by its Fortescue Future Industries subsidiary. The trials have also resulted in the production of ‘green’ cement by combining waste from the green iron process with other materials.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, FORTESCUE FUTURE INDUSTRIES PTY LTD

No more welcome to country for Rio Tinto, Indigenous owners say

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Original article by Lorena Allan
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 6-Jul-21

The Eastern Guruma people have told Rio Tinto that they will no longer perform ‘welcome to country’ ceremonies at any of its events or any events that it sponsors. They have also refused to have any meetings with Rio Tinto for at least three months. The Eastern Guruma people are angry with Rio Tinto after it was revealed that priceless cultural materials rescued from their sacred sites were thrown in a rubbish tip in the 1990s, and that Rio did not tell them of the error. Forty per cent of Rio’s Pilbara mine holdings in Western Australia are on Eastern Guruma traditional lands.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

China’s new front in the trade war with Australia – Africa

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Original article by Ian Verrender
abc.net au – Page: Online : 5-Jul-21

China is by far the biggest lender to Africa, with one of its more controversial strategies involving handouts being given in exchange for stakes in long-term mining projects where Chinese-government-owned firms take all the profits. It is estimated that China struck $US164 billion ($218 billion) worth of such deals across Africa in the four years to 2018, with the Natural Resource Governance Institute finding they deliver much more benefit to China than the host country. By increasing its influence in potentially iron ore-rich countries like Guinea and the Republic of Congo, China can reduce its reliance on Australia for iron ore.

CORPORATES
NATIONAL RESOURCE GOVERNANCE INSTITUTE, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

Mine workers locked down amid NT scare

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Original article by Brad Thompson, Mark Ludlow
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 29-Jun-21

Newmont Corporation is facing a lengthy shutdown of its Tanami gold mine in the Northern Territory, as a result of it having gone into lockdown. The lockdown resulted from a miner who is believed to have become infected while in a Queensland quarantine hotel, before unknowingly passing it on to his colleagues at the mine between 18 and 24 June. Around 640 miners are currently locked down at Tanami; they are being confined to their single-room quarters for 14 days and having meals delivered to their door. The Tanami mine produced 495,000 ounces of gold in 2020.

CORPORATES
NEWMONT AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Chinese seize African iron projects

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 13 & 16 : 29-Jun-21

Chinese-backed company AustSino Resources has emerged as the likely developer of a number of iron ore projects in the African countries of Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The former ASX-listed company has connections to state-owned Chinese enterprises like China Railway Construction and steelmaker Baowu, while the projects in question would add around 100 million tonnes of iron ore to global markets and could help China to reduce its dependence on Western Australia’s Pilbara region for iron ore.

CORPORATES
AUSTSINO RESOURCES GROUP LIMITED, CHINA RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION LIMITED, BAOWU

Pilbara gold find WA’s biggest since Gruyere and Tropicana

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Original article by Peter de Kruijff
The Sydney Morning Herald – Page: Online : 24-Jun-21

De Grey Mining has reported a 6.8 million ounce maiden mineral resource for its Hemi deposit in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, making it the largest gold discovery in WA since the Gruyere project in 2013 and the Tropicana project in 2005. The Hemi deposit is part of its Mallina Gold Project, which now has a total mineral resource of nine million ounces. Gold exploration expenditure rose 16 per cent in Australia in 2020 to $1.3 billion, with $908 million spent in WA alone.

CORPORATES
DE GREY MINING LIMITED – ASX DEG, CHALICE MINING LIMITED – ASX CHN

BHP sacks second worker accused of rape

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 24-Jun-21

News that BHP has sacked a second worker accused of rape will not encourage women or men to join the mining industry, according to women in mining advocate Sabina Shugg. The two former employees are both ‘fly in, fly out’ workers accused of raping female colleagues in unrelated incidents. Both have denied the police charges against them and have accused BHP of unfair dismissal.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP

BHP blasted by Indigenous elder amid WA impasse

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 23-Jun-21

Some Western Australian Indigenous leaders claim new legislation aimed at preventing a repeat of Rio Tinto’s 2020 destruction of the 46,000-year old Jukaan Gorge heritage site offers even less heritage protection, and they are seeking veto power over mining developments in WA. One such leader is Banjima elder Slim Parker, who has attacked BHP over the time it is taking to investigate damage to a culturally important cave at one of its mines on Banjima country. The WA government is not willing to allow Indigenous leaders veto powers over mining developments, while the WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy also opposes the idea.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, WESTERN AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF MINERALS AND ENERGY

BHP to overtake Rio in premium iron ore

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 7-Jun-21

BHP could soon become Australia’s biggest exporter of ‘lump’ iron ore following the recent start of production at its new South Flank mine in the Pilbara. Lump iron ore is a premium product that attracts a higher price than ‘fines’, which is Australia’s biggest iron ore export. Lump iron ore can be used in steel-making without first undergoing the sintering process, which is both energy-intensive and generates carbon emissions. The South Flank mine will increase the proportion of lump in BHP’s iron ore exports to 30-33 per cent, compared with 24-25 per cent in recent years.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP

BHP hiring as it faces critical lack of drivers

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 27-May-21

BHP plans to hire an additional 200 train drivers for its iron ore operations in the Pilbara, in response to what has been described as a ‘critical’ shortage in the sector. BHP’s iron ore asset president Brandon Craig says the new trainees will have "rewarding careers" at the resources group, which suggests that BHP will not follow Rio Tinto in shifting to driverless trains. BHP uses automated trucks at its Jimblebar iron ore mine, while the Gina Rinehart-backed Roy Hill aims to fully automate its fleet of trucks by 2023.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, ROY HILL HOLDINGS PTY LTD