MINING CORPORATIONS – AUSTRALIA

Best ever platinum discovery

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 25 : 10-Nov-21

Chalice Mining has released the first mineral resource estimate for its Gonneville deposit in Western Australia. The deposit contains gold, copper, nickel, cobalt, palladium and platinum; the latter two minerals are relatively scarce in Australia, and Chalice MD Alex Dorsch says Gonneville is the biggest discovery of platinum group elements in the nation’s history. The Gonneville deposit could potentially make Chalice a takeover target from global resources groups such as Anglo American, BHP or Rio Tinto.

CORPORATES
CHALICE MINING LIMITED – ASX CHN, ANGLO AMERICAN PLC, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

Dozens of Rio Tinto workers sacked, disciplined over harassment cases

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Original article by Caitlyn Rintoul
The West Australian – Page: Online : 28-Oct-21

Simon Trott, the head of Rio Tinto’s iron ore division, has conceded that sexual misconduct occurs at the resources group’s mine sites and accommodation camps. He has told a parliamentary inquiry that 30 workers have been disciplined in the last year due to sexual misconduct, and 15 workers have been dismissed. Trott added that Rio Tinto is committed to organisational change on the issue. The inquiry into sexual misconduct in the ‘fly-in, fly-out’ sector has received more than 70 submissions from mining companies, industry bodies, unions and workers.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

Pilbara Minerals sets new record for spot lithium cargo

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Original article by Stuart McKinnon
The West Australian – Page: Online : 28-Oct-21

Pilbara Minerals has held its third auction of lithium concentrate since launching its Battery Material Exchange earlier in 2021. Pilbara Minerals has advised that it received a record bid of $US2,350 per tonne for a 10,000 tonne cargo of 5.5 per cent lithium concentrate in its latest auction via the digital platform. The price of lithium has more than doubled in the last year, amid rising demand for the battery mineral.

CORPORATES
PILBARA MINERALS LIMITED – ASX PLS

Rio Tinto fined for exposing workers to extreme weather conditions

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Original article by Kate Purnell
The West Australian – Page: Online : 26-Oct-21

Sally North says it is very important that companies make staff aware that working in extremely hot weather conditions can result in heat stroke. North is from Western Australia’s Department of Mines, Industry Regulation & Safety, and was commenting on a case it brought against Rio Tinto. The resources group was fined $80,000 after pleading guilty to failing to ensure the safety of workers. It followed an incident in 2017 when a worker died of heat stroke after he and two colleagues had to walk over 32 kilometres across rugged terrain and in temperatures that were estimated to exceed 37C.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF MINES, INDUSTRY REGULATION AND SAFETY

Rio spreads wings in asset hunt

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 16 : 22-Oct-21

Rio Tinto is to broaden the range of commodities that it is willing to develop, with a particular emphasis on base metals required to support global electrification. It is also looking to widen the range of locations that it is prepared to explore for assets in, with Russia being among only a handful of exceptions. Rio’s stance is similar to that echoed recently by BHP CEO Mike Henry, who stated that it was contemplating a return to "tougher jurisdictions" in its efforts to discover more "future facing" commodities such as nickel and copper.

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

Unions slam BHP over FIFO searches

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian – Page: 3 : 20-Oct-21

BHP has been criticised for implementing a new policy that allows it to search the personal belongings of ‘fly in, fly out’ workers. Western Mine Workers Alliance spokesman Greg Busson says FIFO workers in Western Australia have been told that they will not be permitted to stay in BHP’s mining camps if they do not agree to the policy. He adds that the policy is "wide open to abuse". BHP has indicated that searches will only be carried out if there is reason to believe that a worker is in possession of prohibited items.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, WESTERN MINE WORKERS ALLIANCE

BHP aims to crush South Flank glitches

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 14 & 20 : 20-Oct-21

BHP shipped 70.8 million tonnes of iron ore in the September quarter, which is 3.5 per cent lower than the same period in 2020. The resources group’s iron ore export volumes for the first nine months of 2021 were also 3.8 per cent lower than the previous corresponding period. This has largely been due to technical issues at its South Flank mine, which commenced production in May. BHP has experienced mechanical problems with one of the crushing machines at South Flank, prompting it to hire temporary crushing equipment. BHP’s iron ore volumes in the Pilbara have also been impacted by a shortage of train drivers. BHP produced 71 million tonnes of iron ore in the Pilbara during the September quarter, which is three per cent lower than the June quarter.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP

BHP processing breakthrough extends iron ore mine life

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 19-Oct-21

Asian steel mills ‘covet’ iron ore from BHP’s Yindi mine in Western Australia’s Pilbara region because of the low level of impurities it contains. BHP had advised investors and customers in 2020 that Yandi’s working life would end in mid-2021, but its application of hyperspectral imaging – traditionally used to determine the value of exploration samples – in a new manner has enabled BHP to indicate that Yandi’s mine life could be extended by at least another five years.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP

Fortescue sets ambitious new hydrogen goals

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 16 : 6-Oct-21

Iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group has set a net-zero target date of 2040 for its scope 3 emissions. Fortescue’s plans to become a major player in the global hydrogen industry will be central to achieving the ambitious target. Buyers of Fortescue’s iron ore account for about 98 per cent of the group’s scope 3 emissions; this equates to around 246.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2020-21. Fortescue has also set a target of 2030 for its mining operations to become carbon-neutral, while it has outlined plans to decarbonise its fleet of ore carriers.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG

Fortescue, ANZ link to bribes tycoon

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Original article by Liam Walsh, Neil Chenoweth
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 2 : 6-Oct-21

The Pandora Papers have revealed that several prominent Australian companies have links to Chinese businessman Du Shuanghua, who had testified in 2010 that he had paid bribes to secure Australian iron ore. The documents released by the International Confederation of Investigative Journalists show that Fortescue Metals Group had sold iron ore to Bright Ruby Resources, a commodities trading hub that is controlled by Du. Fortescue has stated that it has a "zero tolerance" approach to bribery and corruption. The Pandora Papers also show that the ANZ Bank has been providing banking services to Bright Ruby Resources since 2013, via its office in Singapore. Du was not prosecuted for his role in the alleged bribery scandal that involved former Rio Tinto executive Wang Yong.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, INTERNATIONAL CONSORTIUM OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISTS, BRIGHT RUBY RESOURCES PTE LTD, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO