News in numbers

$700m

Glencore has been ordered to make a $700m payment after the firm pled guilty over a scheme to bribe officials across a number of countries.

19.9%

Austral Gold has divested its 100% stake in SCRN Properties, and will retain a 19.9% stake.

$0.74

Sibanye-Stillwater has made an unsolicited takeover offer of $0.74 per share for New Century Resources.

96.9 million tonnes

Fortescue produced 96.9 million tonnes in the first half of the 2022 financial year.

$133m

Lynas Rare Earths has secured $133m in financing from Japan Australia Rare Earths

Project updates

Cimic Group‘s mining unit Thiess has secured a letter of agreement for a $104.8m (A$155m) contract to provide mining services to Minera Centinela’s Llano copper project in Chile. 

Minera Centinela is a joint venture between Antofagasta Minerals (70%) and Marubeni (30%). Under the contract, which is planned to commence this month, Thiess will be responsible for mining operations, maintenance, and asset management services at the greenfield copper mine.

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BHP is set to trial the use of renewable fuel at its Yandi iron ore operations in Western Australia to help power mining equipment. 

As part of the trial, the firm will use renewable diesel made from hydrotreated vegetable oil, which is supplied through a collaboration with BP. During the initial three-month trial period, the renewable diesel is to be used in haul trucks and other mining equipment.

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Australian firm PNX Metals has secured environmental approval for its Fountain Head gold project located approximately 170km south of Darwin, Northern Territory. 

The approval has been issued by the Northern Territory’s Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water Security under the NT Environment Protection Act 2019. The environmental approval completes the environmental impact statement process for the Fountain Head project.

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Lynas Rare Earths subsidiary Lynas Malaysia has renewed its operating licence for a period of three years, effective 3 March 2023. 

Located in the Gebeng Industrial Estate near Kuantan, Malaysia, close to the Kuantan deep-water port, the Lynas Malaysia rare earths separation plant is equipped to treat the Mt Weld concentrate and produce separated rare earths oxide products.

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FURTHER READING

Debswana partners with Huawei to launch 5G smart diamond mine project

Botswana’s Debswana and Huawei have unveiled what they claim to be the world’s first 5G-oriented smart diamond mine project. The new smart diamond mine project was announced at the Mobile World Congress Barcelona 2023 conference. 

Debswana information management head Molemisi Nelson Sechaba said the Huawei-enabled smart mine platform is currently being used at Debswana’s Jwangeng open-pit diamond mine in Botswana. This project was commissioned in December 2021. 

Huawei’s 4G eLTE private network connects more than 260 pieces of equipment at the Jwangeng mine, subsequently improving interconnection between the production, safety and security systems of the mine.

Source: Mining Technology