B08 Metal Ore Mining

Forrest baulks at sugar hit pledges

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Original article by Perry Williams
The Australian – Page: 17 & 20 : 30-Oct-19

Fortescue Metals Group chairman Andrew Forrest has criticised iron ore rivals such as BHP and Rio Tinto for their stance on issues such as Scope 3 emissions and gender parity. He has described their announcements on such issues as "sugar hits" that have no real substance. Fortescue CEO Elizabeth Gaines has told the pure-play miner’s AGM that its own Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions are a priority, rather than the emissions of its customers. Meanwhile, 24.72 per cent of votes cast at the AGM rejected Fortescue’s remuneration report.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

Slow restart at Samarco will be small beer for Australian miners

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 29-Oct-19

Lachlan Shaw of National Australia Bank says the resumption of production at the Samarco joint venture in Brazil is unlikely to have much impact on Australia’s iron ore exporters. BHP and Vale has been granted environmental approval to resume production in late 2020. Shaw notes that based on the initial production rate that has been flagged, it would take about 10 years for production at Samarco to return to the levels prior to the tailings dam disaster in November 2015.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, VALE SA, SAMARCO MINERACAO SA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

BHP, Vale to resume at Samarco

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 28-Oct-19

BHP and Vale are hopeful of resuming production at their Samarco joint venture’s Germano iron ore mine in Brazil by late 2020. This follows the granting of a Corrective Operating Licence for the mine by Minas Gerais state’s environmental regulator. The mine has been closed since a tailings dam collapse in November 2015. BHP has indicated that restarting Germano is dependent on Samarco receiving funding for a new filtration plant at the mine.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, VALE SA, SAMARCO MINERACAO SA

Miners tipping China’s winter halts to ease

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Original article by Peter Ker, Brad Thompson, Mike Smith
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 20 : 28-Oct-19

Fortescue Metals Group COO Greg Lilleyman says China’s annual winter shutdown of industries such as steel-making is likely to have less impact on commodity prices than in recent years. He adds that it is hard to predict the extent of the shutdowns, given that much of the responsibility for implementing the policy to improve air quality has been delegated to provincial governments. South32 CEO Graham Kerr says that some winter production cuts are likely, but he adds that China is also likely to prioritise economic growth.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, SOUTH32 LIMITED – ASX S32, WOOD MACKENZIE

Flush Fortescue now close to net cash

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 25-Oct-19

Pure-play iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group has advised that its shipments totalled 42.2 million tonnes in the September quarter. Fortescue has maintained its full-year export guidance of 170-175 million tonnes. The company received an average price of $US85 per tonne during the quarter, which is 89 per cent higher than the previous corresponding period. Fortescue reduced its net debt to $US500m ($730m) during the quarter, while it has gross debt of $US3.9bn.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, MORGANS FINANCIAL LIMITED

Rio sharpens axe as costs hit aluminium smelters

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 22 : 24-Oct-19

Rio Tinto has advised that its Tiwai Point aluminium smelter is under review and could be shut down because high energy costs and the low price of aluminium mean that it is currently not profitable. Rio Tinto has a 79.36 per cent stake in the smelter, which employs about 1,000 people. The future of Rio Tinto’s smelters in Tasmania, Queensland and New South Wales is also uncertain, as is Alcoa’s Portland smelter in Victoria.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, ALCOA INCORPORATED, PACIFIC ALUMINIUM PTY LTD, SUMITOMO CHEMICAL COMPANY LIMITED, MERIDIAN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX MEZ, AUSTRALIAN ALUMINIUM COUNCIL LIMITED

Sinosteel cautions Oakajee doubters

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Original article by Peter Ker, Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 22-Oct-19

Western Australia’s Premier Mark McGowan says he would welcome any move to proceed with the stalled Oakajee port and rail project, after Sinosteel’s recent deal to acquire Mitsubishi’s interest in it. However, Ports Minister Alannah MacTiernan ha expressed doubts regarding the $10bn project’s viability. Stuart Griffiths, the CEO of Sinosteel Midwest, says people should keep "an open mind" on the issue, adding that good quality iron ore will always be in demand.

CORPORATES
SINOSTEEL CORPORATION, SINOSTEEL MIDWEST CORPORATION LIMITED, MITSUBISHI CORPORATION, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

BHP dumps coal for green energy

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Original article by Perry Williams
The Australian – Page: 19 : 22-Oct-19

BHP has secured four contracts to supply renewable energy to its Escondida and Spence copper mines in Chile for 15 years. BHP’s 2019-20 half-year accounts will include a $US780m ($1.14bn) provision associated with the cancellation of existing coal supply contracts. The company estimates that the new contracts will displace about three million tonnes of carbon each year from 2022 and reduce energy prices at the two mines by around 20 per cent. BHP recently committed to spending $US400m over five years to minimise climate risks.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, COAL21, AUSTRALASIAN CENTRE FOR CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY

China launches $10b push for Oakajee iron ore

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 & 22 : 21-Oct-19

Sinosteel has acquired Mitsubishi’s interests in the long-stalled $9.7 billion Oakajee port and rail project in Western Australia. Sinosteel’s $2 billion Weld Range iron ore project was to be a customer of the Oakejee project, but cost blowouts saw proposed port tariffs increased, leading Sinosteel to conclude that Weld Range would not be viable, and it stopped work on Weld Range in June 2011. Sinosteel’s acquisition of Mitsubishi’s stake in the Oakajee project has sparked hopes that it could be revived, and that a new iron ore export province in WA can be created.

CORPORATES
SINOSTEEL CORPORATION, MITSUBISHI CORPORATION, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

Clock ticking on South32 manganese smelter jobs

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 18-Oct-19

Diversified miner South32 has reported that production at its Illawarra metallurgical coal mines increased by 30 per cent quarter-on-quarter in the three months to September, while manganese ore production rose by 10 per cent. South32 has also advised that it is continuing to review the TEMCO manganese alloy smelter in Tasmania, and it will further update the market in the March 2020 quarter. Closure of the smelter would result in the loss of about 250 jobs; other options include selling or mothballing the facility.

CORPORATES
SOUTH32 LIMITED – ASX S32, TASMANIAN ELECTRO METALLURGICAL COMPANY PTY LTD