B08 Metal Ore Mining

Green issues curb Hancock project target

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 : 9-Oct-24

Documents filed with the Western Australian government show that Gina Rinehart has significantly scaled back the size of her proposed Mulga Downs iron ore project. The Mulga Downs mine was initially slated to produce 20 million tonnes of iron ore each year, but this has been reduced to 12 million tonnes. The amount of vegetation to be cleared at site has also been reduced from 8,422 hectares to just 4,339 hectares. Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting has a 95 per cent stake in the subsidiary that is developing Mulga Downs.

CORPORATES
HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD

Fortescue eyes $50m carbon free kick

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 8-Oct-24

The federal government has indicated that companies will be able to start trading its Safety Mechanism Credits from early 2025. The new carbon credit scheme will reward companies with one SMC for every extra tonne of carbon they cease emitting beyond their designated target. Given that Fortescue has a goal of achieving ‘real zero’ emissions across its iron ore mines by the end of this decade, it could be in line to earn about 1.4 million SMCs in 2030. Analysts suggest that Fortescue could gain additional revenue of between $50m and $150m by selling these credits to other emitters. However, chairman Andrew Forrest has been a vocal critic of carbon offsets in the past.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE LIMITED – ASX FMG

Green transition tailwind at our backs: Rio and BHP

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Original article by Cameron England
The Australian – Page: 20 : 2-Oct-24

Rio Tinto Jakob Stausholm says the energy transition is at the heart of the resources group’s strategy. He has used a London Metals Exchange speech to argue that while the transition to net zero emissions is underway, it is not occurring quickly enough; he adds that the energy transition will significantly boost demand for the minerals that Rio Tinto produces, including copper, aluminium, lithium and high-grade iron ore for ‘green’ steel. Meanwhile, BHP has forecast that the energy transition will boost global demand for copper.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, LONDON METAL EXCHANGE LIMITED

Diversification key to BHP’s future success

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Original article by Cameron England
The Australian – Page: 16 : 25-Sep-24

BHP CEO Mike Henry says the resources group is now o much better placed compared with a few years ago, due to a diversified portfolio of assets than includes iron ore, copper and potash. He notes that demand for all three commodities is expected to be strong in coming years. Henry has also told investors that he is "really optimistic" about BHP’s growth outlook, and notes that there is competition for capital among the group’s various growth options. Meanwhile, CFO Vandita Pant says BHP’s balance sheet is in "fantastic shape".

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP

CBA warns of $US80 iron ore price as China crisis deepens

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Original article by Alex Gluyas
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 26 : 18-Sep-24

Iron ore futures were trading at around $US92.50 per tonne on Tuesday, after falling below $US90 last week. The iron ore price has shed about 20 per cent since July, amid a rising global surplus of the steel input and growing concerns about the outlook for China’s property sector. Goldman Sachs now expects the iron ore price to test the $US85/tonne level in the December quarter, compared with its previous forecast of $US100. Meanwhile, Vivak Dhar from the Commonwealth Bank says the iron ore price could potentially fall to around $US80/tonne in the near-term.

CORPORATES
THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INCORPORATED, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA

Greatland Gold wants Telfer, but there may be a sting in the tailings

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 11-Sep-24

Greatland Gold has advised the London Stock Exchange that it is in exclusive talks to buy the Telfer gold mine in Western Australia. Greatland added that negotiations are advanced and a deal may be close. Newmont Corporation announced plans to divest Telfer in February. However, Greatland has indicated that any deal to acquire Telfer will be conditional on Newmont repairing leaks in two tailings dams at the mine. Production at Telfer was disrupted by remediation work at the dams earlier in 2024.

CORPORATES
GREATLAND GOLD PLC, NEWMONT CORPORATION – ASX NEM

Iron ore drops below $US90 in China’s contagion

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Original article by Alex Gluyas
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 25 : 10-Sep-24

The price of iron fell below $US90 per tonne on Monday; the steel input had not previously tested this level since November 2022, and it followed a fall of nearly 10 per cent in the previous week. Other commodities have also fallen sharply in recent times, including copper and Brent crude oil. The sell-off has been prompted by concerns about the outlook for the Chinese economy, and whether the official annual growth target of five per cent can be achieved. Damien Boey from Barrenjoey notes that financial markets are concerned that an economic slowdown in China could flow through to other countries.

CORPORATES
BARRENJOEY CAPITAL PARTNERS PTY LTD

China iron ore demand sliding: BHP

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Original article by Cameron England
The Australian – Page: 13 & 16 : 28-Aug-24

BHP has posted a 2023-24 statutory net profit of $US7.9bn, which is 39 per cent lower than previously. The result was marred by a $US2.7bn write down of its nickel assets in Western Australia and a $US3.8bn charge related to the Samarco tailings dam collapse in Brazil. BHP’s underlying profit was up two per cent to $US13.7bn, and revenue was three per cent higher at $US55.7bn. CEO Mike Henry says China’s steel production is expected to plateau in coming years, reducing demand for iron ore. Meanwhile, BHP has warned that labour costs will rise due to the federal government’s ‘same job, same pay’ industrial relations reforms, reducing Australia’s international competitiveness.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP

Fortescue insists spying on families wasn’t inappropriate

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Original article by Angelica Snowden
The Australian – Page: 13 & 16 : 21-Aug-24

Fortescue is being represented by Julian Cooke SC in its intellectual property dispute with ‘green iron’ start-up Element Zero. The company was founded by former Fortescue employees Bart Kolodziejczyk, Bjorn Winther-Jensen and Michael Masterman, allegedly using the iron ore miner’s intellectual property. Cooke has defenced Fortescue’s use of a private investigator to place the three executives and their families under surveillance, telling the Federal Court that there was a real risk that information pertaining to the pending court case could have been destroyed. The surveillance operation was followed by raids on the homes and business premises of the Element Zero directors

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE LIMITED – ASX FMG, ELEMENT ZERO PTY LTD, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Mining giant BHP eyes Indonesia after nickel collapse

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Original article by Duncan Evans
The Australian – Page: 19 : 21-Aug-24

BHP is believed to be holding talks with the Indonesian government regarding an investment in the nation’s nickel industry. The Indonesia Nickel Mining Association’s secretary-general Meidy Katrin Lengkey says the discussions about "specific investment opportunities" have being going on for "several months". Indonesia’s move to ramp up its nickel production with Chinese backing contributed to BHP’s decision to mothball its nickel operations in Western Australia.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, INDONESIAN NICKEL MINING ASSOCIATION