IRON MINES AND MINING – WESTERN AUSTRALIA

It’s ‘inevitable’ Fortescue will need a Chinese equity partner

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Perry Williams
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 22 : 28-May-15

The China Iron & Steel Association’s deputy secretary Li Xinchuang believes that Fortescue Metals Group will eventually need an equity partner in order to be globally competitive. He argues that a Chinese partner would make sense for Fortescue, and notes that the iron ore producer’s high level of debt could become a problem unless it takes on an equity partner. Fortescue CEO Nev Power has stressed several times that an equity partner is not on the group’s agenda.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, CHINA IRON AND STEEL INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION, CHINA METALLURGICAL INDUSTRY PLANNING ASSOCIATION, SHANGHAI BAOSTEEL GROUP CORPORATION, CITIC LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD, VALE SA, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

FMG defends plan to expand

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Peter Ker, Shaun Drummond
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 21-May-15

Fortescue Metals Group’s Peter Meurs says encouraging results from the first stage of a magnetite project in Western Australia may prompt it to proceed to the next stage. The Iron Bridge joint venture has initially targeted two million tonnes of magnetite ore, and Meurs believes that this could be increased to 20 million tonnes. He has refuted suggestions that this would add to the global oversupply of iron ore, arguing that the bulk of iron ore exported from Australia is haematite ore.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, SHANGHAI BAOSTEEL GROUP CORPORATION, FORMOSA HA TINH STEEL CORPORATION, GRANGE RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX GRR, MINERALS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, CHINA INTERNATIONAL TRUST AND INVESTMENT CORPORATION, ANSHAN IRON AND STEEL COMPANY, GINDALBIE METALS LIMITED – ASX GBG

Haoma Mining protects itself from Atlas Iron’s woes

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Tess Ingram
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 10-Apr-15

Australian-listed Haoma Mining has put a caveat on two of Atlas Iron’s iron ore tenements in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Haoma holds the exploration rights for non-iron ore minerals, and chairman Gary Morgan says the group wanted to protect its interests should Atlas sell the tenements. Shares in Atlas Iron were placed in a trading halt in early April 2015, pending a review of its operations

CORPORATES
HAOMA MINING NL – ASX HAO, ATLAS IRON LIMITED – ASX AGO, BC IRON LIMITED – ASX BCI

Iron ore price war rocks Atlas

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Amanda Saunders, Tess Ingram
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 8-Apr-15

Atlas Iron’s shares were placed in a trading halt on 7 April 2015, pending a review of its operations. The company has been hard hit by the downturn in the iron ore price, which has reached a long-term low of just $US46.70 per tonne. Atlas may put production at some of its mines on hold until the iron ore price recovers, while asset sales are also possible. However, there are concerns that its US bondholders could seek to appoint receivers or administrators

CORPORATES
ATLAS IRON LIMITED – ASX AGO, BC IRON LIMITED – ASX BCI, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, ARRIUM LIMITED – ASX ARI, GRANGE RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX GRR, DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED, ASHURST AUSTRALIA, LAZARD PTY LTD, BGC CONTRACTING PTY LTD, MACA LIMITED – ASX MLD, McALEESE LIMITED – ASX MCS, HOULIHAN LOKEY HOWARD AND ZUKIN, PATERSONS SECURITIES LIMITED

Rinehart blames high costs on government

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Julie-Anne Sprague
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 & 24 : 12-Mar-15

Billionaire Gina Rinehart says high labour costs have a bigger impact on the profitability of Australian mining companies than low commodity prices. She stated on 11 March 2015 that the regulatory burden is too heavy and costly for companies. Roy Hill Holdings CEO Barry Fitzgerald revealed that the company had to seek more than 4,000 approvals for its iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia

CORPORATES
ROY HILL HOLDINGS PTY LTD, POSCO AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, MARUBENI AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CHINA STEEL AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CLIFFS NATURAL RESOURCES INCORPORATED, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, VALE SA, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET

Fortescue pledge to hammer costs

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Amanda Saunders
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 18-Feb-15

Australian-listed Fortescue Metals Group has posted a 2014-15 interim net profit of $US331m, which is 81 per cent lower than previously. The group received an average of $US66 per tonne for its iron ore in the half-year, compared with the benchmark price of $US82. CFO Stephen Pearce says Fortescue hopes to reduce its cash costs to $US20 per tonne in the next 15 months. Shareholders will received a half-year dividend of $A0.03

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

Roy Hill delays put schedule in doubt

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Tess Ingram
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 : 16-Feb-15

The Roy Hill iron ore project in Western Australia is slated to commence shipments in September 2015. However, CEO Barry Fitzgerald has conceded that some elements of the $A10bn project have been hit by delays. A series of safety problems since mid-2014 have contributed to the delays, and some analysts believe that the project will not reach full capacity for some time

CORPORATES
ROY HILL HOLDINGS PTY LTD, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF MINES AND PETROLEUM, PATERSONS SECURITIES LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN WORKERS’ UNION-FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING EMPLOYEES

Atlas boss backs royalty easing

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 19 : 21-Jan-15

Atlas Iron has advised that it lost around $US3 for each tonne of iron ore that it shipped in the December 2014 quarter, due to the sharp decline in the price of the steel input. MD Ken Brinsden has welcomed the Western Australian Government’s temporary measure of a 50 per cent rebate on iron ore royalties for smaller producers. He adds that the royalty relief should boost Atlas’s quarterly cash flow by about $A8m in 2015

CORPORATES
ATLAS IRON LIMITED – ASX AGO, FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

Mine probe over poisoned fruit

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Alex Massey
The West Australian – Page: 17 : 19-Dec-14

Western Australian police are investigating allegations that fruit supplied to workers at the Roy Hill iron ore mine was poisoned. A contractor on the site reported that a piece of fruit he was eating looked discoloured and had a bad taste, although he suffered no ill-effects. Several workers have claimed that the fruit was laced with cyanide, which is not used at the site, although police have yet to confirm the nature of the chemical involved

CORPORATES
ROY HILL IRON ORE PTY LTD, WESTERN AUSTRALIAN POLICE SERVICE, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF HEALTH

Court dismisses Palmer’s attempts to thwart Citic

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 20 : 12-Dec-14

Supreme Court of Western Australia (WA) judge James Edelman has ruled in a matter that forms part of the wider and drawn-out legal battle between Chinese state enterprise Citic Pacific and the Mineralogy vehicle of federal MP Clive Palmer. The latter had sought to have declared invalid two environmental permits held by Citic for the Sino Iron joint venture in WA. This was rejected by the court, and Edelman also criticised Mineralogy for attempting to drag out the proceedings even further

CORPORATES
MINERALOGY PTY LTD, CITIC PACIFIC LIMITED, SINO IRON PTY LTD, SUPREME COURT OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF ENVIRONMENT REGULATION