IRON MINES AND MINING – WESTERN AUSTRALIA

BHP plugs into battery boom, holds line on ore

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 19 : 23-May-19

CFO Peter Beaven has told investors that BHP is unlikely to increase its Pilbara iron ore output to capitalise on reduced supply from Brazilian rival Vale. BHP will also maintain its current annual production target for metallurgical coal. Beaven also indicated that BHP will pursue growth in copper and nickel sulfide production in response to rising demand for electric vehicles and battery storage technology. He added that BHP may be open to nickel acquisitions, after dropping plans to divest its Nickel West division.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, VALE SA, NICKEL WEST, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, GOLDMAN SACHS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

Forrest in $654m payday from surprise Fortescue dividend

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Original article by Brad Thompson, Lucas Baird
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 22 : 15-May-19

Pure-play iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group will pay a fully franked dividend of $0.60 per share on 14 June, ahead of possible changes to the franking credits regime if Labor wins the federal election. Fortescue chairman Andrew Forrest will earn $654m in dividend payments from his 35 per cent stake, lifting his total payout for 2018-19 to $981m. Fortescue has previously paid an interim dividend of $0.19 per share and a special dividend of $0.11 per share. CEO Elizabeth Gaines say Fortescue will continue to pay fully franked dividends, regardless of any change in government policy.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SHAW AND PARTNERS LIMITED

Rinehart’s Roy Hill comes clean about digging the dirt: lots of it

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 19 & 30 : 14-May-19

A Roy Hill spokesperson has indicated that the iron ore project’s costs will not be affected by the revised mining plan it has submitted to Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Authority. Roy Hill has advised that the amount of waste ore it expects to shift over the mine’s 17-year life has been increased by 62 per cent, due to "variable iron ore quality". The Gina Rinehart-backed company says it has gained a better understanding of the ore body since mining commenced at Roy Hill in 2015.

CORPORATES
ROY HILL HOLDINGS PTY LTD, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AUTHORITY, HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD, MARUBENI CORPORATION, POSCO, CHINA STEEL CORPORATION, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, SAMSUNG C&T CORPORATION

Rio Tinto mulls iron ore boost as Vale struggles

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 24 : 10-May-19

Rio Tinto Jean-Sebastien Jacques says the resources giant will only increase its Pilbara iron ore shipments if doing so makes financial sense. The price of the steel input has rallied in the wake of supply disruptions following a tailings dam collapse at a Vale mine in January, and it was trading above $US94 per tonne on 9 May. Meanwhile, just six per cent of shareholders at Rio Tinto’s Australian annual meeting supported a Market Forces resolution which would have required Rio Tinto to set carbon emission reduction targets for its customers.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, VALE SA, MARKET FORCES, FRIENDS OF THE EARTH, GRANGE RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX GRR, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, ROY HILL HOLDINGS PTY LTD

Smart trucks for Rio’s future mine

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 8-May-19

WesTrac has secured a deal to supply Rio Tinto’s Koodaideri iron ore mine in the Pilbara with 20 autonomous Caterpillar haulage trucks. The contract, which is said to be worth about $US200m ($285m), also includes four autonomous blast drills and other industrial equipment. WesTrac CEO Jarvas Croome notes that miners are increasingly opting to buy haulage trucks that are autonomous-ready rather than converting them after purchase. Production at Koodaideri is slated to commence in 2021.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, WESTRAC HOLDINGS PTY LTD, CATERPILLAR, SEVEN GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX SVW, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

Cashed-up Fortescue flags higher dividend

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Weekend Australian – Page: 27 : 20-Apr-19

Fortescue Metals Group has advised in its production report for the March quarter that its average cost of production is now tipped to between $US13 and $US13.50 a tonne. It had previously advised that its average cost of production would be between $US12 and $US13 a tonne. CEO Elizabeth Gaines said its new 60.1 per cent iron grade West Pilbara Fines product has been well received by customers, while CFO Ian Wells said some of the spare cash generated by its Pilbara iron ore operations could be paid to shareholders in the form of higher dividends.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

Iron ore players hit by Vale mine restart

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 17 & 26 : 18-Apr-19

Shares in Fortescue Metals Group, BHP and Rio Tinto fell sharply on 17 April, after Vale was cleared to resume production at its Brucutu iron ore mine. News that Vale expects production to resume within days also weighed on the iron ore price. Meanwhile, BHP has advised that its iron ore production costs will rise due to the impact of Cyclone Veronica; full-year production guidance for its Pilbara operations has been reduced to between 265 and 270 million tonnes. BHP’s Pilbara iron ore shipments totalled 64 million tonnes in the March quarter.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, VALE SA, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS, CITIGROUP PTY LTD

Rio cuts iron ore production guidance as port problem lingers

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 17-Apr-19

Rio Tinto has advised that its iron ore production in the Pilbara is likely to be within the range of 333 million to 343 million tonnes in 2019. This compares with previous guidance of 338 million to 350 million tonnes. The downgrade follows disruptions caused by Cyclone Veronica and fires at two separate screening plants. Peter O’Connor of Shaw & Partners says the impact of these disruptions on Rio Tinto’s output should be offset by higher iron ore prices.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, SHAW AND PARTNERS LIMITED

Rio faces new iron ore output hit after fire

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 10-Apr-19

Rio Tinto’s iron ore shipments from the Pilbara will be further disrupted following a fire at a screening plant on East Intercourse Island. It follows a fire at another iron ore screening plant in early 2019, while Rio Tinto declared force majeure on some of its supply contracts in the wake of Cyclone Veronica in March. The latest incident may affect Rio Tinto’s ability to meet its full-year production guidance of 338 million to 350 million tonnes. Meanwhile, Rio Tinto has advised that it paid $US4.8bn ($6.5bn) in taxes and royalties in Australia in 2018, and $US6.8bn globally.

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

BHP’s forecasts blown away by wild weather

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 42 : 3-Apr-19

BHP has advised that Cyclone Veronica did not cause major damage to its iron ore operations in the Pilbara. However, the resources group has warned that its annual output will be reduced by 6-8 million tonnes due to the cyclone. BHP indicated earlier in 2019 that its export volumes had been cut by four million tonnes due to the forced derailment of an iron ore train in late 2018. Rio Tinto also recently downgraded its iron ore production forecast in the wake of Cyclone Veronica.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, INCITEC PIVOT LIMITED – ASX IPL, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, INSURANCE COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED