MINING CORPORATIONS – AUSTRALIA

Iron ore is surging, but not all producers are joining the party

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Original article by Clyde Russell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 23-May-19

The spot price of iron ore for delivery to China has risen by more than 38 per cent so far in 2019, to over $US100 per tonne. Shares in Australian-listed Fortescue Metals Group have in turned gained 119 per cent in local currency terms, while Rio Tinto and BHP have risen by 33.7 per cent and 15.6 per cent respectively. In contrast, Brazil-based Vale has shed seven per cent in local currency terms so far in 2019, and nearly 16 per cent since a tailings dam collapse in late January.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, VALE SA, GRANGE RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX GRR, MOUNT GIBSON IRON LIMITED – ASX MGX, ARGUS MEDIA PTY LTD

BHP raises the bar on electric vehicle forecasts

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 22-May-19

Resources giant BHP is bullish about global demand for electric cars. Its forecast for the proportion of vehicle sold in 2035 that are electric has been increased from a minimum of 10 per cent to 16 per cent, while it now expects at least seven per cent of light vehicles sold in 2035 will be electric. BHP’s Huw McKay says the take-up rate of electric cars will depend on factors such as investment in recharging infrastructure. BHP has exposure to the electric car battery market via its copper and nickel mines.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES, KIDMAN RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX KDR, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO

Rare earths dispute lifts Lynas

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Original article by Paul Garvey
The Australian – Page: 20 : 22-May-19

Lynas Corporation produced 5,444 tonnes of neodymium and praseodymium in fiscal 2018, but it has outlined plans to lift this to 10,500 tonnes a year via a $500m capital investment program. Lynas has also advised that it will undertake the initial processing of ore from its Mt Weld project in Western Australia at a site near the mine, rather than exporting the raw materials to its processing plant in Malaysia. Meanwhile, Lynas share closed 14.4 per cent higher at $2.26 on 21 May, after China flagged plans to cease exporting rare earths to the US amid ongoing trade tensions between the two nations.

CORPORATES
LYNAS CORPORATION LIMITED – ASX LYC, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES

BHP warned of potash mission impossible

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian – Page: 19 & 24 : 20-May-19

BHP recently advised that the first stage of its proposed $US5.7 billion ($8.3 billion) Jansen potash project in Canada will produce 10 per cent more a year than previously forecast, but that it will cost around 10 per cent more to construct. Green Markets research director Alexis Maxwell says rival potash producers would seek to keep prices sufficiently low so that BHP did not have sufficient incentive to develop Jansen, while JP Morgan analyst Lyndon Fagan says BHP is using unrealistically high potash prices to justify the economics of Jansen. BHP is expected to make a decision on whether to proceed with Jansen within 18 months.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, GREEN MARKETS, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED

St Barbara confident of Atlantic gold

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 20 : 16-May-19

Gold producer St Barbara will finance its proposed $768m acquisition of Canada-based Atlantic Gold via a non-renounceable rights offer and cash holdings. Paul Hissey of RBC describes Canada as a "relatively safe move" for St Barbara. Atlantic has forecast that its gold production in 2019 will be within the range of 92,000-98,000 ounces. Newcrest Mining and Northern Star Resources are among the other Australian miners to have bought North American assets in the last year.

CORPORATES
ST BARBARA LIMITED – ASX SBM, ATLANTIC GOLD CORPORATION, RBC CAPITAL MARKETS, NEWCREST MINING LIMITED – ASX NCM, NORTHERN STAR RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX NST, ALLIED GOLD

BHP puts faith in nickel again

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Original article by Nick Evans
The Australian – Page: 21 : 15-May-19

BHP intends to retain its Nickel West business, which posted underlying EBIT of $US42m for the first half of 2018-19. BHP had previously deemed its nickel division to be a non-core asset and made several attempts to sell the business in recent years. However, CEO Andrew Mackenzie says that although there are still risks associated with Nickel West, it could potentially regain its status as a tier-one asset. The upbeat outlook is based on factors such as growing demand for batteries and limited supply of quality nickel sulphide.

CORPORATES
BHP GROUP LIMITED – ASX BHP, NICKEL WEST

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