MINING CORPORATIONS – AUSTRALIA

Banks might be warming to lithium

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 23 : 16-Nov-18

Patrick Cocquerel of Westpac says the lack of a benchmark price for lithium has made banks somewhat reluctant to provide financing for Australian lithium producers. The nation’s burgeoning lithium industry has instead been largely financed via debt, equity, specialist lenders and payments from forward sales of the metal. Foreign banks have also been more willing to provide financing for lithium projects, but Cocquerel notes that local banks – including Westpac – are becoming more active in the sector.

CORPORATES
WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, PILBARA MINERALS LIMITED – ASX PLS, GALAXY RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX GXY, BNP PARIBAS SA, KIDMAN RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX KDR, SOCIEDAD QUIMICA Y MINERA SA, S&P GLOBAL MARKET INTELLIGENCE, ALBERMARLE CORPORATION

Forrest says Fortescue will embrace new energy, AI

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 22 : 16-Nov-18

Fortescue Metals Group chairman Andrew Forrest says the pure-play iron ore miner views thermal coal as a 20th century energy source and it will only invest in "new energy". Forrest adds that Fortescue is also committed to investing in automation and artificial intelligence, and says such technology should be embraced rather than feared. Fortescue is deploying automated haulage trucks at its iron ore mines in the Pilbara. A decision on a proposed expansion of its Iron Bridge magnetite concentrate joint venture is expected by the end of 2018.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, CHINA BAOWU STEEL GROUP CORPORATION LIMITED, FORMOSA PLASTICS CORPORATION

Consolidation frenzy grips gold industry

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 19 : 15-Nov-18

Further consolidation among Australian gold producers is expected following Silver Lake Resources’ deal to acquire Doray Minerals. Other activity in the sector includes Ramelius Resources’ bid for Explaurum and Northern Star Resources’ offer to buy out its partners in the East Kundana project. Meanwhile, Newcrest Mining CEO Sandeep Biswas says the company would be open to selling the Telfer gold mine at the right price.

CORPORATES
SILVER LAKE RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX SLR, DORAY MINERALS LIMITED – ASX DRM, RAMELIUS RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX RMS, EXPLAURUM LIMITED – ASX EXU, NORTHERN STAR RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX NST, NEWCREST MINING LIMITED – ASX NCM, TRIBUNE RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX TBR, RAND MINING LIMITED – ASX RND, AUSTRALIA. TAKEOVERS PANEL

Rio execs say good faith in assets call

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Original article by Ben Butler
The Australian – Page: 22 : 14-Nov-18

Rio Tinto and former executives Tom Albanese and Guy Elliott have denied any wrongdoing over the 2013 write-down of its coking coal assets in Mozambique. Albanese and Elliott have argued that they had acted in good faith and therefore should be excused from any liability. Both the Australian Securities & Investments Commission and the US Securities & Exchange Commission have launched legal action over the write-down.

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, RIVERSDALE MINING LIMITED, FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Mystery still shrouds BHP derailment

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 13-Nov-18

BHP Billiton has resumed rail operations in Western Australia’s Pilbara region after it was forced to detail an iron ore train on 5 November. The cause of the incident is still being investigated, but sources within BHP have suggested that the problem may have been linked to maintenance issues. Meanwhile, heavy rain and flash flooding is believed to have contributed to the derailing of an empty iron ore train that was returning to Mineral Resources’ Koolyanobbing mine on 11 November. The company does not expect the incident to affect the mine’s output.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, MINERAL RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX MIN, BROOKFIELD ASSET MANAGEMENT INCORPORATED, ARC INFRASTRUCTURE

Rio still upbeat on Chinese demand

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Original article by Perry Williams
The Australian – Page: 20 : 13-Nov-18

Rio Tinto CEO Jean-Sebastien Jacques says the Chinese steel industry’s demand for higher-grade iron ore remains strong in the wake of production capacity cutbacks and measures aimed at reducing air pollution. He has also told the UBS Australasia conference in Sydney that structural changes in the aluminium sector will take longer to have an impact

CORPORATES
RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD

BHP expects to resume iron ore exports in mid-November after WA derailment

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Original article by Peter Ker, Simon Evans
The Australian Financial Review – Page: Online : 9-Nov-18

BHP CEO Andrew Mackenzie told its AGM on 8 November that he expected its iron ore exports from Western Australia to resume in mid-November. Deliveries from its mines to Port Hedland have been halted after BHP was forced to deliberately derail an iron ore train that had departed without any driver. Mackenzie said it was too early to determine the financial impact of the incident. BHP chairman Ken MacKenzie told shareholders it had no plans to sell either its Mount Arthur thermal coal mine in New South Wales or its Olympic Dam copper mine in South Australia.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP

BHP train wreck hits contracts

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Original article by Brad Thompson
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 22 : 8-Nov-18

BHP Billiton hopes to partially resume rail operations in the Pilbara in the next week, after it was forced to deliberately derail a train that was carrying iron ore to Port Hedland. BHP is using its iron ore stockpiles at Portland to meet its contractual obligations, but the resources giant has conceded that they will be exhausted before rail shipments resume. Glyn Lawcock of UBS says the benchmark price of iron ore could rally, depending on the length of BHP’s supply disruption.

CORPORATES
BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, UBS HOLDINGS PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN TRANSPORT SAFETY BUREAU, AUSTRALIA. OFFICE OF THE NATIONAL RAIL SAFETY REGULATOR

China’s steel mills thriving

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Original article by Glenda Korporaal
The Australian – Page: 20 : 8-Nov-18

Fortescue Metals Group Elizabeth Gaines says the trade war with the US has not affected China’s steel production, which was higher than expected in September. Gaines adds that China’s infrastructure investment program has been a key driver of the high level of steel production, which in turn has prompted a rally in the iron ore price. Fortescue has signed memorandums of understanding with eight public and private steel mills at the China import expo in Shanghai.

CORPORATES
FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LIMITED – ASX FMG, BAOWU STEEL GROUP, HEBEI WENFENG IRON AND STEEL COMPANY LIMITED

Adani’s cut-price Carmichael coal

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Original article by Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 28 : 6-Nov-18

Adani recently gave indications that thermal coal from its Carmichael mine in Queensland is likely to boast energy content of around 5,500 kilocalories per kilogram. Rory Simington of Wood Mackenzie estimates that if the coal were offered to buyers at current market prices, it would be likely to fetch between $US50 and $U55 per tonne. This compares with $US106 per tonne at present for higher-grade coal from the Hunter Valley. Simington expects Adani’s coal to have an energy content of 4,800 kilocalories per kilogram, although he adds that washing the coal could increase this to around 5,500 kilocalories.

CORPORATES
ADANI MINING PTY LTD, WOOD MACKENZIE, WHITEHAVEN COAL LIMITED – ASX WHC, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG