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AngloGold Ashanti and its Tropicana joint venture (JV) partner Regis Resources have approved the development of the Havana underground project in Western Australia. 

This development is set to deliver gold production, primarily between 2027 and 2029, above the existing Tropicana mine plan. 

Located 330km east-north-east of Kalgoorlie, the Tropicana gold mine spans a 6km strike length and houses four mineralised zones including the Havana deposit, where the new underground project will be developed. 

Regis Resources holds a 30% stake in the JV while AngloGold Ashanti owns the remaining interest. 

The Havana underground project will involve the creation of an underground mine beneath the producing Havana open pit, with mineralisation extending from around 500–700m below the surface. 

The project is expected to utilise the existing infrastructure at Tropicana, requiring only minor additions for power, communication, ventilation and dewatering. 

The extracted ore from Havana will be processed through the Tropicana plant, which has a capacity of approximately 9.4 million tonnes per annum.

Australian Pacific Coal (AQC) and its joint venture (JV) partner Tetra Resources have produced coal to the surface stockpile at Dartbrook coal mine in New South Wales. It marks the first production at the mine since it was put under care and maintenance in 2006. 

The Dartbrook JV comprises AQC with an 80% stake and Tetra Resources with a 20% interest. M-Resources will secure a 10% indirect economic interest in the JV through AQC.  

The production of run of mine coal was achieved following the completion and testing of a new 4km conveyor system, used to transport the coal for processing at the surface coal handling and preparation plant (CHPP). Commissioning is underway, ahead of Dartbrook’s commercial operation in the “coming weeks”.  

The CHPP refurbishment, expected to be completed in early 2025, will allowing production of washed and graded ROM coal for export.

Critical metals producer Alpha HPA has started stage two construction on what it claims is the world's largest high-purity alumina facility, in Gladstone, Queensland.  

The ten-hectare facility builds upon the existing stage one operation, utilising Australian-developed process intellectual property. Upon completion, the facility is expected to produce more than 10,000 tonnes of high-purity aluminium products annually. The expansion will create 120 jobs, with a further 300 during construction. 

To fund this stage two development, Alpha HPA has secured a A$400m ($271.18m) Australian Government debt facility and raised an additional A$180m in equity. 

Alpha HPA managing director Rimas Kairaitis said the start of construction "not only underscores our commitment to innovation and excellence but also solidifies our position as a global leader in ultra-high-purity aluminium materials.”

Horizon Minerals has started mining activities at the Boorara gold project near Kalgoorlie-Boulder in Western Australia (WA).

The project, which is fully owned by Horizon, has completed Phase I of its grade control drilling programme and is set to gradually increase load and haul production through August and September. The first milling and subsequent gold production are anticipated in October 2024.

Boorara’s development was approved in late July 2024, with plans to mine four open pits containing 1.24 million tonnes of ore at a grade of 1.24 grams per tonne, yielding approximately 49,500oz of gold.

Horizon expects the mining operations to span 14 months, with processing over 19 months at Norton Gold Fields' Paddington plant, projected to generate $30m in free cash flow at a gold price of A$3,600/oz.

The company has awarded the mining services and surface ore haulage contracts to Hampton Transport Services.

Australia’s Stanmore Resources has announced an agreement with the Queensland Government to construct a new 20MW gas-to-electricity power station at the South Walker Creek open-cut coal mine as part of the Low Emissions Investment Partnerships (LEIP) programme.  

The project aims to lower future fugitive mine emissions by capturing coal seam gas at South Walker Creek and converting it into electricity to be reused on-site, providing a sustainable and long-term power source for the mine.   

Upon successfully completing regulatory approval processes, the company intends to complete the construction of the project by 2027 and then implement coal seam gas drainage and electricity generation at a commercial scale for at least 15 years.  

The LEIP funding will be released upon reaching project milestones until the project’s completion.  

Stanmore plans to establish joint venture agreements for gas extraction, power plant construction and ongoing operations.