DRILLING by Legend Mining at the Rockford project in the Fraser Range district of southeast Western Australia has encountered favourable geology that is consistent with the presence of nickel-copper mineralization. A reverse circulation (RC) program of five holes began in late February.

Roy Hill Holdings has officially taken-over the mine, rail and port operations from Samsung, the EPC contractor on the Roy Hill Iron Ore Project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

Opportunities to encourage greater collaboration and commercialisation for the Australian Mining Equipment, Technology and Services (METS) sector are the key drivers of a new agreement between METS Ignited, the new METS Growth Centre, and the Cooperative Research Centre for Optimising Resource Extraction (CRC ORE).

THE New South Wales Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) has recommended that Anglo American’s Drayton South Coal Mine proposal should not proceed, stating that it had balanced the economic, social and environmental factors and identified a real risk to the thoroughbred horse breeding industry and to diversity within the Hunter Valley economy.

AFTER passing another hurdle in October with Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt approving it with the ‘strictest conditions in Australian history’, Adani’s $16 billion Carmichael Coal Project in Queensland faces further challenges. The project will annually produce up to 60 million tonnes of coal for export but has faced staunch opposition because its port terminals are close to the Great Barrier Reef.

PRODUCTION at Whitehaven Coal’s newest mine Maules Creek in northern NSW has ramped up to the expected early annual rate of 6 million tonnes after the operation was declared commercial on July 1, 2015. When operating at annual design capacity of 12 million tonnes in 2018, the mine will double the company’s production to more than 23 million tonnes, making it Australia’s largest independent coal producer.

THE Department of Planning and Environment has granted Whitehaven Coal approval to increase annual production from 8 million to 11 million tonnes and to install a 400 metre wide longwall face at the Narrabri mine in northern New South Wales. Whitehaven hopes the mine will remain one of Australia’s best and most efficient underground coal mines.

Mineral exploration in Australia during the September 2015 quarter was dominated by exploration on existing deposits, leading to a fall in greenfields mineral exploration metres drilled, according to Association of Mining and Exploration Companies (AMEC) chief executive officer Simon Bennison.

Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) has approved the joint venture between Minotaur Resources and the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) covering the Osborne tenements south of Cloncurry in North Queensland.

Australia’s $90 billion Mining Equipment, Technology and Services (METS) sector, which provides vital support to the mining industry, can provide significant new productivity improvements to help miners survive and prosper during periods of low commodity prices.

General Mining Corporation has signed a sales & distribution agreement with Mitsubishi Corporation for up to 100% of the lithium-bearing spodumene concentrate produced from the Mt Cattlin Project in Western Australia, which is co-owned by General and Galaxy Resources.

WITH final shipments of underground copper, zinc and lead from KBL Mining’s Mineral Hill project in the Central West of New South Wales made in late August, the plant has started processing ore from the Pearse open cut mine. Head grades from Pearse are averaging between 6 and 7 grams/tonne gold and 40 to 70 grams/tonne silver. A plus 50 grams/tonne concentrate will be produced and regularly shipped overseas.

VISIBLE gold has been observed in samples obtained from a recently completed drilling program at Ventnor Resources’ Black Dragon Gold Project in Western Australia. The program was designed to test the potential for a new style of mineralization in this gold region northeast of Kalgoorlie and to investigate the strike, dip and plunge components of the prospect.

NEAR-SURFACE, high-grade gold intersections have been identified in results from the first seven holes drilled by Tyranna Resources, formerly IronClad Mining, in a first phase drilling program at Jumbuck Gold Project in the northwest of Gawler Craton in South Australia, about 45km from the one million ounce Challenger gold mine.

REMOVAL of overburden at Havilah Resources Portia Gold Project in South Australia has been expanding with contracting partner Consolidated Mining & Civil (CMC) moving a record amount in July. This has been made possible by steady expansion of CMC’s mining capacity along with high equipment availability.

The lack of equity finance continues to be the most significant business constraint for mineral exploration and mining companies, and this is having a significant impact on exploration expenditure and capital works, according to Association of Mining and Exploration Companies (AMEC) CEO Simon Bennison.

FLINDERS Mines has entered into an option agreement with a subsidiary of New Zealand-based Todd Corporation to sell the Pilbara Iron Ore Project (PIOP). TIO (NZ) Ltd will pay Flinders $10 million up front to purchase an option over PIOP and if it exercises this will be required to pay a further $55 million and enter a royalty agreement.

FOLLOWING the merger between IronClad Mining and Trafford Resources the IronClad Board proposes changing the new entity’s name to Tyranna Resources. The change has been proposed in order to reflect the fresh beginning created by the merger.

TEST work results for Carpentaria Exploration’s Hawsons Iron Project demonstrate the project’s potential to produce highest quality pellet feed at very competitive costs, satisfying the premium end of the processed iron market. The results also support the company’s cost targets as being within the first quartile of global processed iron costs.