Mines and Quarry – Page 41 – Ying Hui International

Whitehaven Coal

Our operations are currently underpinned by our new Narrabri underground operation which commenced longwall production in October 2012, and our three existing open cut mines – all situated in NSW’s Gunnedah Basin.

Construction has commenced at our Maules Creek project and and approval is being sought for our Vickery project, also located in the Gunnedah Basin. These projects are expected to provide significant and exciting career opportunities across a wide range of mining-related professions.

Maules Creek is one of the last major undeveloped and significant multi-seam coal deposits in New South Wales and is expected to sustain a potential project life in excess of 30 years, with average saleable coal production of 11.0 Mtpa.

The Narrabri mine is a modern, technologically-advanced underground operation with its new longwall already exceeding initial design production rates after only one year of operation. The mine will produce over 6.0 Mtpa with an expected life in excess of 25 years.

The company also operates a Coal Handling and Preparation Plant (CHPP) and rail loader near Gunnedah.

Whitehaven has an 11% interest in the Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group (NCIG) which recently completed the construction of the final stage of a new coal export terminal at the Port of Newcastle. This is in addition to its port allocation at Port Waratah Coal Services.

Mount Gibson Iron

Mount Gibson is a leading independent player in the Australian iron ore industry.

Established in Perth in 1996 and listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) in 2002, the Company owns and operates:

Tallering Peak – a 3-million tonnes per annum iron ore mine in the Midwest region of Western Australia, approximately 175 kilometres east of the port city of Geraldton, which commenced production in late 2003.
Koolan Island – a 3-million tonnes-plus per annum iron ore mine off the Kimberley coast of Western Australia, acquired through Mount Gibson’s successful takeover of Aztec Resources in 2007 and commissioned the same year.
Extension Hill DSO (Direct Shipping Ore) – a 3-million tonnes per annum iron ore mine in the Mt Gibson Range, 260km southeast of Geraldton, where production commenced in late 2011.
Geraldton Port – Mount Gibson’s established export base at Geraldton Port in Western Australia is a key asset, which gives the Company a significant competitive advantage, and a highly strategic role in the long-term development of the Mid West iron ore industry. Mount Gibson has long-term user and access agreements in place with the Geraldton Port Authority, including 50-year leases, and owns two storage facilities with a combined ore storage capacity of 360,000-tonnes. Mount Gibson also has long standing rail access agreements in place under which it transports ore from its Mid West mines to Geraldton for export. In May 2012, a major upgrade of the rail unloading facilities was completed at the port, which effectively doubled the Company’s export capacity from Geraldton Port to approximately 6-million tonnes per annum.

OUTLOOK POSITIVE FOR THE GLOBAL AGGREGATES INDUSTRY

By Stephanie Chan • Staff Journalist

The world aggregates industry has enjoyed steady growth over nearly three decades, according to a new international report.

The XXV World Stone Report, authored by World Stone Magazine editor Professor Carlo Montani, showed that between 1990 and 2013, the volumes of aggregate globally increased 180 per cent from 46 million to 130 million tonnes, with consumption levels also rising 185 per cent during this period.

The growth trend continued in 2013 with the volume of quarried and processed materials increasing five per cent to 265 million tonnes compared to 2012.

During this time – a period the report labelled “another year of consolidation” – five countries dominated more than two-thirds of the world’s quarrying output. In order, these were China, India, Turkey, Brazil and Italy, with Asian countries accounting for more than 60 per cent of production.

“Since the 1960s, the balance of power has changed radically, with the top four producers – China, India, Turkey and Brazil – expanding from 30 per cent to 61 per cent global production,” Montani said in a press release.

In 2013, there was a 2.8 per cent rise in import/export volumes, highlighting a larger proportional expansion on domestic markets, although the export volume for China – the world’s largest producer – fell to 12.1 million tonnes, a four per cent downturn of 500,000 tonnes.

Global trade of unhewn and processed stone materials equated to more than 770 million equivalent square metres (m2) in 2013, with unhewn materials proving more popular. The unhewn material sector’s market share increased to 52.7 per cent, which indicated a “strategy that tends not to give priority to finished products”, according to the press release.

The report also found that more marble and granite had been used in the past five decades than in any previous era.

“In recent years, marble and stone have stood out for expansion better than the world economy [sic] and have suffered from the international crisis less than other sectors,” the press release stated. “Long-term trends seem to confirm this. Over the past decade, net production increased on average by seven per cent per year and global trade grew on average by more than 10 per cent in total.

“It should also be added that the use of marble and stone grew to a greater extent than ceramics, from 12 per cent in 2000 to 15 per cent today.”

Prices in the main markets remained generally stable, with some regions reporting growth.

With regards to the world stone industry’s outlook, Montani commented, “Stone boasts an extremely long history and will have an equally long future by combining technology, aesthetics and professional values. In a word – quality. Translated into numbers, prospects through to 2020 indicate a total output of at least 170 million tonnes, equal to 1.8 billion m2 equivalent.”

The annual World Stone Report has endeavoured to act as an analytical and informative tool for the global quarrying and aggregates industries for 25 years.

The full 2013 report – in Italian only – is available via www.worldstonemagazine.com

PYBAR wins contract to mine Vivien gold project

Underground mining contractor PYBAR has won the contract to develop and mine Ramelius Resources’ Vivien gold project.

The contract will start in January with a peak workforce of 49 people.

The mine, 15km west of Leinster in Western Australia, was recently bought by Ramelius from Agnew Gold Mining Company.

A feasibility study showed it would cost $20 million to develop the Vivien mine.

The project is expected to produce 109,000 ounces over an initial 30-month mine life.

The company said the underground mine would take eight months to build and have an all-in operating costs of $890 per ounce.

PYBAR chief Paul Rouse said he was delighted to have won the Vivien contract.

“We achieved this in an extremely competitive environment on the back of our ability to demonstrate flexibility, scale and safe performance,” Rouse said.

“Our track record proves that there is room to reset performance benchmarks and to deliver value by doing more with less and without compromising safety and quality, which is absolutely critical in today’s market.”

The Vivien announcement follows the extension of PYBAR’s contract at Saracen’s Red October gold mine, also in WA.

The two year extension will see PYBAR continue development and production at the mine until June 2016.

New bauxite mine in Tasmania of Australia

Tasmania will see the development of its first bauxite mine in over 30 years after approving Australian Bauxite Limited’s Bald Hill project in the state’s north.

Minster for Resources Paul Harriss said the new mine was an “exciting project” that would create jobs and economic activity.

The project is expected to create around 45 jobs, with operations expected to begin later this year.

More than 1.6 million tonnes of bauxite is expected to be mined for domestic and international markets from three pits on the site.

The ore will be shipped through Bell Bay.

ABX chief Leon Hawker said the mine will introduce a new bauxite supply to the seaborne market.

“We look forward to continuing and further developing the relationships that have been built in Tasmania. I particularly wish to acknowledge the work undertaken and the support of the Mineral Resources Tasmania, a division of the Department of State Growth and the EPA and recognise the strong community support we enjoy.”

ESCO Corporation Adds Foundries In Australia, New Zealand

ESCO Corporation, an Portland, OR-based manufacturer of castings for industrial products used in the resources, infrastructure, power generation, and transportation markets, has purchased two foundries that will pace its expansion into Australia and New Zealand.

Austcast Pty Ltd, located in Brisbane, Australia, and its Dunedin, New Zealand-based subsidiary Newlcast, were acquired in efforts to “strengthen ESCO’s product offerings and expansion efforts” by providing local foundry capacity, according to a release.

Austcast manufactures high-integrity steel and specialized alloy irons for the mining, rail, and general engineering industries. As part of ESCO, Austcast will continue to manufacture rail products and will “adjust operations in 2011 to include ESCO’s industry-leading ground engaging tools and other mining and construction wear parts,” according to the announcement marking the acquisition.

The foundry in Brisbane includes molding, melting and heat treating capabilities, as well as a pattern shop and non-destructive testing. Newlcast supplies ferrous castings, a variety of steels, and alloy irons. Both sites employ nearly 100 workers.

The addition of these foundries is another step in ESCO’s efforts to permeate the markets just this year, the company explains. In July, ESCO acquired Swift Group, a designer and producer of mining, infrastructure, and agricultural products with locations in Brisbane, Mackay, and Kingaroy. In October, ESCO selected Mine & Quarry Service Company Pty as its distributor in the region.

“Our acquisition of Austcast is a key development in ESCO’s plan to establish a national sales, supply chain, and manufacturing network in Australia, and will further our efforts to deliver quality, value, and speed to our customers on a global scale,” stated Cal Collins, president of ESCO engineered products.