MINING CORPORATIONS – AUSTRALIA

Minister cans visit after waste rebuff

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Original article by Amanda Hodge
The Australian – Page: 8 : 20-Jun-19

The future of Lynas Corporation’s rare earths processing plant in Malaysia remains uncertain after the nation’s Environment Minister Yeo Bee cancelled a trip to Australia. Yeo was scheduled to meet federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley on 19 June and Western Australian Mines Minister Bill Johnston on 20 June. Yeo advised that her visit would not proceed after Johnston indicated that the talks would be a waste of time as WA will not allow Lynas’s low-level radioactive waste to be imported from Malaysia. Ley is also of the view that disposal of the waste material is Malaysia’s responsibility.

CORPORATES
LYNAS CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX LYC, MALAYSIA. DEPT OF ENVIRONMENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF MINES, INDUSTRY REGULATION AND SAFETY

Fuel rule boost for Australian iron ore

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Original article by Matthew Stevens
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 20-Jun-19

The sulphur emissions of shipping fleets must be reduced by 80 per cent under the International Maritime Organisation’s rules that take effect on 1 January. BHP expects the new rules to give Australian iron ore producers a competitive advantage over their Brazilian rivals. It estimates that the cost of retro-fitting bulk cargo ships and higher fuel costs will increase the cost of shipping iron ore from the Pilbara to China by $US2-$US3 per tonne. In contrast, BHP expects Brazilian miners to incur increased costs of between $US3 to $US5 a tonne.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANISATION, VALE SA, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, WOOD MACKENZIE

BHP energises coal to dodge China import restrictions

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 15 & 18 : 19-Jun-19

BHP is looking at ways to upgrade the quality of thermal coal produced at its Mt Arthur mine in New South Wales, in order to increase exports to Japan and South Korea. The move is aimed at offsetting the impact of China’s restrictions on coal imports from Australia. Coal buyers in Japan and Korea generally prefer coal that contains about 6,000 kilocalories of energy per kilogram, whereas the coal that BHP ships to China typically has 5,500 kilocalories of energy per kilogram.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, YANCOAL AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX YAL, S&P GLOBAL PLATTS

Pilbara Minerals cuts exports as lithium delays bite hard

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 18-Jun-19

Pilbara Minerals has advised that production at its Pilgangoora lithium mine in Western Australia will be reduced until at least the end of July, due to delays in the commissioning of battery metals chemical conversion plants in China. Pilbara Minerals is seeking a partner to help finance the second and third stages of its expansion plan for the mine, which is slated to increase annual output to 1.2 million tonnes of spodumene concentrate. The company is also seeking to sell a stake of up to 49 per cent in the mine.

CORPORATES
PILBARA MINERALS LIMITED – ASX PLS, GENERAL LITHIUM CORPORATION, GANFENG LITHIUM COMPANY LIMITED, POSCO

BHP plans new tailings storage at Olympic Dam

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

BHP will commence work on a sixth tailings dam at its Olympic Dam copper, gold and uranium mine in South Australia in late 2019 if it receives environmental approval from the federal government. BHP has indicated that the new tailings dam is needed to maintain the mine’s current production rate, and for its proposed expansion to up to 350,000 tonnes of copper. BHP recently advised that geological conditions at Olympic Dam mean that the mine’s capacity is more likely to be increased to between 240,000 and 300,000 tonnes.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF ENVIRONMENT, WATER AND NATURAL RESOURCES, AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATION FOUNDATION INCORPORATED

Ranger rated a potential catastrophic risk by Rio

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 24 : 13-Jun-19

Rio Tinto has advised that 19 of its tailings facilities in Australia have a high hazard rating under a system established by the Australian National Committee on Large Dams. Two of the tailings dams at the Ranger uranium mine have a ‘high B’ rating, which signifies that there is a ‘catastrophic’ risk of damage to the environ­ment and people if they collapse. The Ranger mine is operated by Rio-controlled Energy Resources of Australia, and is slated to be closed in 2021. A dam at Rio Tinto’s Weipa bauxite mine has a ‘high A’ rating.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, ENERGY RESOURCES OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED – ASX ERA, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, GLENCORE PLC, ANGLO AMERICAN PLC, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE ON LARGE DAMS INCORPORATED, CHURCH OF ENGLAND

Legal setback for Adani on eve of sign-off

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Original article by Charlie Peel, Sarah Elks
The Australian – Page: 8 : 13-Jun-19

The development of Adani’s Carmichael coal mine may be further delayed due to an ‘administrative error’ by the federal government. Adani’s separate proposal to build a 110km water pipeline will have to be reassessed by Environment Minister Sussan Ley and reopened to public comment. This follows the revelation that the Department of the Environment cannot prove that it had considered all of the public submissions it received on the pipeline project. The Queensland Government is slated to make a decision regarding the groundwater management plan for the Carmichael mine on 13 June.

CORPORATES
ADANI MINING PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY, AUSTRALIAN CONSERVATION FOUNDATION INCORPORATED, ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDERS OFFICE LIMITED, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, QUEENSLAND GREENS

Fortescue challenges oil and gas over emissions

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 : 13-Jun-19

Fortescue Metals Group CEO Elizabeth Gaines says the pure-play iron ore miner supports the Paris climate agreement and Australia’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions. However, she adds that Fortescue opposes any move to make it accountable for the scope 3 emissions of customers such as Chinese steel mills. Oil and gas producers have lobbied Western Australia’s Environmental Protection Authority to take into account scope 3 assessments when approving resources projects.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AUTHORITY, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET, WOODSIDE PETROLEUM LIMITED – ASX WPL, ROYAL DUTCH SHELL PLC, CHEVRON CORPORATION, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO

Belts tighten across exploration sector: BDO

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 30 : 11-Jun-19

ASX-listed companies spent $363 million on exploration for minerals, oil and gas in the first three months of 2019, according to accounting firm BDO Global. It was the lowest quarterly exploration expenditure since the three months to June 2017, when just $338 million was outlayed. BDO also found that the average cash balance among exploration companies had declined from $5.79 million to $5.62 million, while the number of exploration companies listed on the ASX is on the decline.

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

Rio’s additional drilling adds to hype over copper find

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 7-Jun-19

Rio Tinto has advised that drilling results from its Winu copper-gold discovery in Western Australia continue to show promise. However, Rio stated that it is not yet in a position to determine the possible size and quality of the mineralisation, or to give an estimate of a mineral resource. Winu is located in the Paterson Range, and Rio is investigating whether its acreage there is big enough to support a number of copper mines.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO