The mining industry briefing
The latest news, trends, and data from the mining industry
News in Numbers
258 million
Newcrest is set to add 258 million tonnes of ore to its Cadia mine in New South Wales, with the $89m (A$120m) expansion adding around 3.5 million ounces of gold, and 660,000 tonnes of copper.
40%
Northern Star Resources has posted a 40% increase in revenue between the 2020 and 2021 financial years, following its merger with Saracen Mineral Holdings.
157
Australian gold production in the first half of the year reached 157 tonnes, exceeding China’s production of 153 tonnes, according to Surbiton Associates.
3.7 million
Australia approved plans for the reopening of the Russell Vale Colliery, which will extract 3.7 million tonnes of coal a year over the next five years.
75%
Mont Royal Resources has announced plans to acquire a 75% stake in Northern Lights Minerals, and raise $2.98m (A$4m) by issuing 20 million new shares.
Project updates
UK-based investment company Armadale Capital has secured the mining licence for the Mahenge Liandu graphite project in south-east Tanzania. Issued by the Tanzanian Ministry of Energy and Minerals, the licence provides the company with exclusive development and mining rights over the graphite resources within an 8.54km² area, which is estimated to contain 59.5 million tonnes of indicated and inferred mineral resources at 9.8% total graphitic carbon.
Australia’s New South Wales Independent Planning Commission has rejected planning permission for an underground mine proposed by Hume Coal, citing its potentially adverse environmental, social and economic impacts.
TerraCom has extended the operational life of the Blair Athol coal mine in Queensland by approximately ten years, with the mine now estimated to have JORC Marketable Reserves of 19.5 million tonnes.
Diatreme Resources and Metallica Minerals have signed a binding memorandum of understanding for the Clermont copper/gold project in central Queensland, with the latter able to increase its stake by funding exploration activities.
FURTHER READING
Australia leads the way in autonomous truck use
Research from GlobalData reveals that mines in Australia are set to see major additions to their already significant fleets of autonomous mining trucks, with BHP alone expected to add 375 trucks across its Western Australia iron ore & Queensland coal operations between 2021 and 2023. Australia already has six mines using entirely autonomous trucks, including the Christmas Creek iron ore mine, operated by the Fortescue Metals Group, with 74 autonomous trucks.
Source: Mining Technology
