IRON ORE – WESTERN AUSTRALIA

US, China trade tensions driving iron ore price surge: Rio Tinto

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 15-Oct-25

Data from S&P Global Platts shows that the price of iron ore with 62 per cent iron content has risen to its highest level since 21 February; the price of benchmark iron ore has also risen by 18 per cent since 25 June. Rio Tinto says demand for iron ore is holding up despite the trade tensions between the US and China. Rio Tinto shipped 84.3 million tonnes of Pilbara iron ore in the September quarter, putting it back on track to achieve its full-year target of 323 million tonnes following storm disruptions in early 2025; however, Rio Tinto will need to ship 88 million tonnes in the December quarter.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, S&P GLOBAL PLATTS

Iron ore told to clean up its act

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 8-Oct-25

BHP is seeking approval for the second major extension of its Jimblebar iron ore hub since it opened in 1989. However, Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Authority has stated in its assessment of the expansion plans at Jimblebar that BHP and its Pilbara rivals Fortescue and Rio Tinto will find it more difficult to gain approval for future projects if they fail to prove that they can rehabilitate land and waterways after mining has ended. The EPA noted that there is "limited evidence" that big mining companies have successfully rehabilitated any such areas after six decades of mining in the Pilbara.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AUTHORITY, FORTESCUE LIMITED – ASX FMG, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

Rio, Japanese in Pilbara mine deal

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Original article by Mark Wembridge
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 8-Oct-25

Rio Tinto has secured state and federal government approvals to develop new iron ore deposits at the West Angelas hub in the Pilbara. Rio Tinto and its Robe River joint venture partners, Mitsui and Nippon Steel, will invest $US733m ($1.1bn) to expand the West Angelas mine, with Rio Tinto to contribute $US389m. The expansion of West Angelas will maintain its annual production capacity of 35 million tonnes. Rio Tinto launched its Western Range iron ore joint venture with China-based Baowu in June, as part of its ongoing commitment to the Pilbara.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, MITSUI AND COMPANY LIMITED, NIPPON STEEL AND SUMITOMO METAL CORPORATION, CHINA BAOWU STEEL GROUP CORPORATION LIMITED

BHP stays silent on China’s iron ore ban

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 15 : 1-Oct-25

State-run iron ore trader China Mineral Resources Group is said to have imposed a temporary ban on BHP’s shipments of the steel input due to an ongoing dispute over the renewal of long-term supply contracts. The dispute began in mid-September, when CMRG instructed steel mills not to accept delivery of a BHP product known as Jimblebar blend fines or to buy such shipments on the spot market; the ban has now been extended to all BHP iron ore shipments, according to Bloomberg. CMRG was established in 2022 to improve China’s ability to negotiate with iron ore miners, and it now represents more than half of China’s steelmakers in contract discussions. BHP has declined to comment on the import ban.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, CHINA MINERAL RESOURCES GROUP COMPANY LIMITED

MinRes chairman in line for $11m windfall

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Original article by Mark Wembridge
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 & 19 : 24-Sep-25

The annual salary of Mineral Resources’ non-executive chairman Malcolm Bundey comprises $750,000 in cash and shares. However, Bundey will also be entitled to 780,000 stock options, subject to approval by shareholders at the iron ore and lithium miner’s AGM in November. His stock options will vest between $30 and $40 a share, and they have an exercise price of $25.40. Bundey’s options will be worth about $11.39m if the company’s shares remain above $40 at certain points over the next three years. Mineral Resources’ shares are currently trading at around $40, having reached a low of $14 in April.

CORPORATES
MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN

High-grade threat to Australian iron ore

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Original article by Jennifer Hewett
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 3-Sep-25

Australia exported about $120 billion worth of iron ore from the Pilbara during 2024-25. However, Vale executive Rogerio Nogueira contends that Brazil has a key advantage over Australia because its iron ore is better suited to beneficiation; this process removes contaminants such as silicon or alumina to produce the higher-grade ore that will be needed to make steel using natural gas or hyrogen instead of coal. Australia’s iron ore miners are already facing the problem of decline ore grades in the Pilbara.

CORPORATES
VALE SA

Rio reveals 80-year plan for Pilbara iron ore mines

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 29-Jul-25

Rio Tinto is seeking environmental approval from the Western Australian government for its East Pilbara Strategic Proposal. Rio Tinto has stated that the EPSP covers potential future developments in the region over the next eight decades, including iron ore mining and renewable energy projects, as well as supporting infrastructure. BHP secured approval for a similar proposal in the Pilbara in 2019, which enabled project approvals to be streamlined. Rio Tinto’s long-term commitment to the Pilbara is in contrast to recent warnings from Fortescue’s founder Andrew Forrest that the region is at risk of becoming a ‘wasteland’

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

MinRes softens on exit of Ellison

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 13 & 19 : 9-Jul-25

Mineral Resources’ MD Chris Ellison had been expected to leave the iron ore and lithium miner by April 2026. However, the company has told investors that chairman Malcolm Bundey is reviewing its leadership transition plan, which was put in place in late 2024 after Ellison was embroiled in a tax evasion scandal. MinRes indicated that the review will take into consideration the best interests of shareholders. MinRes is also under scrutiny over its dealings with Kali Metals and a deal to award a contract to a company that has links to Ellison’s daughter.

CORPORATES
MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN, KALI METALS LIMITED – ASX KM1

MinRes sells troubled Yilgarn iron ore projects

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Original article by Elouise Fowler
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 1-Jul-25

Perth-based Yilgarn Iron Investments has secured a deal to buy the mothballed Yilgarn iron ore projects in Western Australia from Mineral Resources. The Yilgarn mines in the state’s Goldfields region were shut down in late 2024, and more than 800 workers were redeployed to the company’s other projects. Mineral Resources has advised that the commercial terms of the deal are ‘confidential and immaterial’. The deal only comprises the Yilgarn hub’s iron ore assets, and Mineral Resources will retain the rights to gold and lithium deposits.

CORPORATES
MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN, YILGARN IRON INVESTMENTS PTY LTD

New mine firms up Rio, Rinehart partnership

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian – Page: 15 : 25-Jun-25

Rio Tinto and Hancock Prospecting will proceed with the the Hope Downs 2 iron ore project in the Pilbara, after it received the final regulatory approvals from the federal and Western Australian governments earlier in June. The project is part of the broader Hope Downs joint venture between Rio Tinto and the Gina Rinehart-controllled Hancock Prospecting. The two companies will split the cost of developing the new mine, which comprises the Hope Downs 2 and Bedded Hilltop deposits; annual production of about 31 million tonnes is scheduled to begin in 2027.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, HANCOCK PROSPECTING PTY LTD