Group 6 Metals has uncovered more ore tonnes and metric tonne units of tungsten trioxide from the Dolphin tungsten mine than originally anticipated, alongside a record month of shipments.
The company’s in-pit reconciliation methodology uses in-pit sampling, UV (ultraviolet light) lamping, and production drill hole assaying to compare mining results to the geological model.
When compared to the geological model, recoveries from the Dolphin open pit exceeded expectations up until the end of April.
Dolphin produced about 94 dry tonnes of concentrate in April at an average grade of 57.1 per cent for 5380 metric tonne units of tungsten trioxide. A total of 115.05 dry tonnes of concentrate at 57.38 per cent tungsten trioxide was shipped in April, a record month for Group 6.
“Over the past six months, our geology and mining teams have excelled at maximising ore recovery,” Group 6 managing director and chief executive officer Keith McKnight said.
“This means we’ve collected more valuable tungsten ore than forecast while working the outer areas of the Dolphin open pit. While this has caused a temporary delay in the mining sequence, the extra effort has resulted in a detailed understanding of the mine’s geology, giving us a lot of confidence in our mine forecast.
“Excitingly, the high-grade C-lens (deposit) is now accessible at -30 RL (reduced level) in the main Dolphin pit, and production drill assay results confirm the presence of high-grade ore in the mining blocks (is) scheduled for June.”
Group 6 has also made progress in sustainability. It, along with Climate Capital, has been looking into integrating a 7.5 megawatt solar panel array and a 5.5 megawatt hour battery storage system at the Dolphin mine’s power plant.
Climate Capital has finished power modelling and an extensive site assessment. If implemented, the solar power system would sit adjacent to Group 6’s process plant.
Group 6 and Climate Capital are expected to negotiate a power purchase agreement under a build own operate model to deliver the solar project.
After being closed for three decades, the Dolphin tungsten mine officially re-opened in August 2023. It is located near Grassy, a town on the south-east coast of King Island.
New report on aggregate usage revealed. Image: Enrique del Barrio/stock.adobe.com
New research from the Mineral Products Association has revealed that the usage of recycled construction aggregates has reached a record high in Britain.
The new report from the Mineral Products Association, which represents the major aggregate firms in Britain, shows that the total volume of recycled and secondary materials reached a record 73.5 million tonnes in 2022.
“The substantial contribution of recycled and secondary aggregates to total supply is a huge but largely hidden success story for the industry. Aggregates producers have been recycling suitable construction and demolition waste for years to meet our construction needs as efficiently and sustainably as possible, whilst meeting stringent technical standards,” MPA director of economic affairs Aurelie Delannoy said.
“As we look ahead, further progress in recycling can be anticipated, supported by the major investments that have recently taken place in the extractive sector. However, it is important to recognise that the availability of recycled aggregates is inherently tied to demolition activity and the availability of suitable waste materials.
“With increasing demands to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 and address key infrastructure and housing needs, primary aggregates extraction will remain essential for meeting the majority of demand over the long term.”
Total aggregates supply (million tonnes) in Great Britain, 2022. Image: Mineral Products Association (MPA)
In the report ‘Construction Aggregates Supply in Great Britain: Primary, Recycled and Secondary Aggregates in 2022’ the MPA demonstrates that non-primary materials accounted for over 30% of the country’s total demand for aggregates (which stood at 241.8 million tonnes in 2022, the biggest flow of materials in the economy).
The data illustrates Britian has one of the highest recycling rates in the European region. The breakdown of this figure of this figure showed 60.3 million tonnes of recycled aggregates was compromised of construction, demolition and excavation wastes (CDEW) such as concrete and brick rubble, old rail track ballast and earthworks spoil. Meanwhile, 5.8 million tonnes of asphalt planings were reused in road networks in 2022.
“Whilst the construction industry may well be the country’s largest source of waste, MPA members have become proficient in recovering materials arising from build development and processing them so they can be put back to good use elsewhere in construction,” MPA’s executive director for planning and mineral resources Mark Russell said.
“The most efficient way to process and reuse these materials is close to where they are sourced to minimise transport, and the bureaucracy of the planning and permitting system is often a barrier to delivering the most efficient solutions.
“That said, there are major investments taking place to improve the quality and availability of recycled and secondary materials, giving developers and contractors the confidence to specify them. Even the small amount of soft inert waste that cannot be turned into aggregate is put to good use in quarry restoration and land remediation.”
The PNG Expo will take place in Port Moresby this year. Image: andriano_cz/stock.adobe.com
From new mines to critical minerals, the Papua New Guinea resources sector is thriving with potential.
The 2024 PNG Industrial and Mining Resources Exhibition and Conference (PNG Expo) will be the premier event for industry professionals to discuss the latest developments in the Pacific nation.
Quarry takes a look at the top talking points.
Critical minerals
With its vast reserves of copper, cobalt, nickel and mineral sands, PNG is well-placed to help provide the critical minerals necessary for the world’s transition to net-zero.
Mayur Resources has been working to get its lime and mineral sands project up and running to help strengthen supply.
The company’s Central Lime Project is located along Papua New Guinea the coast near Port Moresby and was recently bolstered by a $9.4 million funding commitment.
“This capital injection is a vote of confidence in our ability to deliver high-value, sustainable projects,” Mayur managing director Paul Mulder said.
“It enables us to continue progressing the early development works at our Central Lime Project, setting a solid foundation for the commencement of construction.”
Mayur is aiming for the Central Lime Project to become Asia-Pacific’s first carbon-neutral cement and lime producer.
It’s this sort of innovative planning that will be on show at the PNG Expo in Port Moresby from July 3–4.
“PNG Expo will be the platform to engage and drive transformative changes towards a sustainable future,” show director Lauren Chartres said.
“Our mission is to equip the industry with the right tools.”
The conference will showcase experts from across the mining and resources sector. Image: stock.adobe.com/Adam Constanza
Education and training
The name Ok Tedi Mining (OTML) often goes hand-in-hand with education, training and apprenticeship opportunities in Papua New Guinea.
The first three months of 2024 have seen OTML deliver over $121,000 in scholarships to university students, welcome 22 new apprentices, and pledge to donate vehicles and an analytical chemistry laboratory facility at PNG University of Technology.
The scholarshipshave seen 10 third-year university students supported with full tuition and boarding for the year, as well as a book allowance and stipend, travel assistance, industrial training and an automatic offer into the two-year graduate development program upon completion of studies.
“The program aims to assist university undergraduate students with school fees and other associated costs while ensuring OTML maintains an industry-institution relationship with respective universities that provide graduates into its training programs and workforce,” OTML said.
Elsewhere in the resources sector, Kumul Petroleum’s training entity Kumul Petroleum Academy is building a new facility to expand its coaching and employment capabilities.
“We are passionate about investing in programs and projects that will upskill and develop our young Papua New Guineans so that they are ready for the projects that are coming online now,” Kumul Petroleum managing director Wapu Sonk said.
The Kumul Petroleum Academy is expected to open within two years and will have the capacity to train 350–400 trainees.
Current projects
The restart of the Porgera gold mine has been in the news a lot recently, and for good reason.
The Porgera mine, owned by Barrick Gold, is located in the Enga Province of Papua New Guinea, about 600km north-west of the capital of Port Moresby.
The Papua New Guinea Government backed the restart throughout 2023 and the mine was able to pour first gold in February 2024, with Prime Minister James Marape on hand to witness the milestone.
“Today marks a significant moment where we are witnessing New Porgera Limited’s first gold pour and stamping of the first gold bar,” Marape said at the time.
“This first gold pour is the outcome of the [Papua New Guinea] Government, New Porgera Limited, Enga Provincial Government, and mine-affected communities working together. This is teamwork.”
Enga landowners, the Enga Provincial Government and the state will receive a combined equity share of 51 per cent from Porgera. A three per cent royalty has also been included for landowners, a step up from the previous five per cent.
In the energy sector, the PNG LNG project is ramping up, with Santos selling its five per cent stake to Kumul Petroleum.
The $US19 billion liquified natural gas project is an integrated development that includes gas production and processing facilities that extend from the Hela, Southern Highlands, Western and Gulf provinces to Port Moresby in Central Province.
As Papua New Guinea’s national oil and gas company, Kumul is already an existing partner in the PNG LNG project.
These key projects, and much more, will be among the top discussion points at the 2024 PNG Expo, the safest and strongest place to network, share ideas and learn more about what companies are doing in these spaces. •
Drilling operations at the Springdale graphite project in WA. Image: International Graphite.
International Graphite has welcomed the US’ decision to impose tariffs on a range of Chinese imports, including batteries, battery components and parts, and critical minerals.
Earlier this week, the US Government announced the tariff rate on natural graphite and permanent magnets from China will increase from zero to 25 per cent in 2026, and the tariff rate for other critical minerals will increase from zero to 25 per cent in 2024.
The tariff rate on electric vehicles (EVs) will also increase from 25 per cent to 100 per cent in 2024, meaning EVs that use Chinese graphite for battery components will not be eligible for the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) tax incentives.
The IRA legislation encourages innovation by giving firms various demand- and supply-side incentives to invest in developing and deploying clean energy technologies, while helping the country transition to net-zero.
“Despite rapid and recent progress in US onshoring, China currently controls over 80 per cent of certain segments of the EV battery supply chain, particularly upstream nodes such as critical minerals mining, processing, and refining,” the US Government said.
“Concentration of critical minerals mining and refining capacity in China leaves our supply chains vulnerable and our national security and clean energy goals at risk. In order to improve US and global resiliency in these supply chains, (the US Government) has invested across the US battery supply chain to build a sufficient domestic industrial base.”
International Graphite said graphite from its Springdale project in Western Australia will be free of US tariffs and Springdale customers will be eligible for IRA incentives as per the free trade agreement between Australia and the US.
“The timing of US tariffs coincides with the dates we expect to bring our Springdale mine into production,” International Graphite managing director and chief executive officer Andrew Worland said. “It is also the point at which world markets are expecting graphite demand to exceed supply.
“Our plan for a vertically integrated mine to market graphite business from Western Australia, fits perfectly with the goals of the US to reduce its reliance on China and secure other sources of trusted, reliable graphite.
“We have shown that Springdale has the potential to be a multi-decade, low-cost operation that will produce high quality graphite concentrates specifically for lithium-ion batteries.”
The Springdale graphite project in located in the Ravensthorpe region of WA. Since International Graphite took ownership of the project in 2022, it has grown to become one of the top 15 graphite deposits in the world.
A drilling program carried out by First Quantum Minerals at Boss Energy’s Honeymoon uranium project in South Australia has intersected copper and gold mineralisation.
The mineralisation was uncovered below the Yarramba Palaeovalley along the Honeymoon tenements.
Three holes at the Atlas target, 4km east of Honeymoon, were drilled as part of the campaign, totalling 1029.5m.
Recent assays from Atlas include:
23CURDD002: 16m at 0.27 per cent copper (Cu) and 0.1 grams per tonne (g/t) gold (Au) from 288m
23CURDD006: 47m at 0.19 per cent Cu from 404m, with several narrower zones of 5–6m containing up to 0.5 per cent Cu and 0.12g/t Au.
“The intercepts are proof of process; evidence for movement and precipitation of copper (~gold/~zinc) within the Bimba Formation in the target area,” Boss Energy said.
Two holes equalling 701.6m were also drilled at the Pandora target, located 8km south of Honeymoon.
“One hole intersected an interval of stratiform low grade zinc-bearing stratigraphy, inferred to be the upper portion of the Bimba Formation,” Boss Energy said.
“This zone potentially lies outboard of a lower copper (~gold) zone, at the currently untested base of the Bimba Formation.”
One deep hole totalling 742.3m was also drilled at the Yarramba dome target, located 15km north of Honeymoon. However, no appreciable mineralisation was intersected.
The recent drilling carried out by First Quantum Minerals follows a maiden diamond drilling program carried out by the company along the Yarramba Palaeovalley in October 2023.
Boss Energy first entered into an exploration earn-in agreement with First Quantum Minerals in February 2022. The agreement covers the base metals rights of five tenements at the Honeymoon project.
“With a proven track record in discovering and developing deposits, Boss considers First Quantum Minerals an ideal partner in the exploration and potential development of any base or precious metal discoveries at Honeymoon,” Boss Energy said of the agreement.
After the drilling program’s completion, First Quantum Minerals may choose to earn a 51 per cent interest in its agreement with Boss Energy by spending $6 million on exploration within five years, as well as maintaining minimum annual expenditure on the project of $500,000.
If First Quantum follows this path, it will enter into a joint venture (JV) agreement with Boss Energy.
Subscribe to Australian Mining and receive the latest news on product announcements, industry developments, commodities and more.
The Hazemag Roller Screen is the next generation of roller screens. Image: Hazemag
European manufacturer Hazemag believes many Australian quarries could benefit from installing a roller screen.
Traditionally, the roller screen has been the domain of limestone producers due to its ability to handle sticky and difficult material.
However, a new generation of roller screens is being developed to help quarries with more than just a sticky situation, especially if they want extra versatility.
“We’re seeing a lot of inquiries at the moment for the roller screen because in the rainy season and winter time, quarries can get flooded with water, and the material can get quite sticky, so they need something that can be used in the dry and wet season,” Hazemag and allmineral managing director of Australia Teddy Craies told Quarry.
It is a familiar story for Craies and project and service engineer Jaco Botha when they visit quarries, especially around the Victorian and eastern coast markets.
When winter strikes and the seasonal conditions worsen, their productivity drops as their equipment struggles to handle the change.
Prescreening can help increase profits. Image: Hazemag
The Hazemag Roller Screen can help quarry operators handle different weather conditions, raw material consistencies and specification requirements.
The Hazemag Roller Screen has a separation surface area featuring disc-fitted rollers. The polygonal-shaped rollers help transport, circulate, and loosen material for the downstream equipment. Fines pass the gaps between the rollers while coarse material is conveyed from the screen to the screen overflow.
Compared to a vibrating screen, the Roller Screen from Hazemag is non-vibrating, which is helpful in specific operations like limestone, clay stone, natural stone, and gypsum.
Hazemag has heard from customers that their roller screens have become an effective pre-screening tool.
“We’ve heard from a few Australian quarries when they’ve approached us about the roller screen, the main reason is their crushers and chutes are getting clogged up during winter,” Craies said.
“The roller screen, in installations across South East Asia and PNG helps the crusher do the job and helps operations in terms of variance in materials and the season and optimised energy utilisation.
“It helps the crusher perform better.”
The Hazemag new generation of roller screens, with gap setting adjusted for product size primary 70mm to 120mm and secondary 20mm to 70mm, is available to the quarrying industry.
This enables operators to adapt to changing requirements and suit material specifications easily. It can handle difficult material, which means less wear and reduced energy consumption for downstream equipment.
“You can put it in front of your primary crusher because it can handle quite a big lump size compared to a conventional vibrating screen,” Jaco Botha said.
“Putting it in front of the primary crusher enables you to get away with a smaller crusher because you’re dealing with smaller sizes.”
Hazemag’s Roller Screen can benefit other machines with a quarry’s downstream set-up.
“This helps the crusher do what it is meant to do and crush the bigger material, not crush things that don’t need to be crushed,” Craies said.
“When you compare it to a vibrating screen, they can’t handle the lump sizes and volume (like a roller screen).
“The roller screen helps pre-screen material which optimises the crusher’s lifespan and the production and energy consumption as well.”
In a traditional vibrating screen, which has two oscillating screens, these types of materials can adhere and bake onto the screen. This enhances wear and the need for maintenance.
The Hazemag Roller Screen has none of this movement, and each roll is equipped with scraper elements to ensure an enhanced clean.
“Each roller has a scraper which helps to scrape and move and then breakdown the separated materials to help get them moving forward,” Craies said.
Hazemag has designed its roller screen with a modular design, available in modules of four or six shafts. The roller screen’s modular nature enables customers to place extra steps between the individual modules.
All Hazemag’s shafts are solid core but can be altered to fit the customer’s application. For example, the welded three-bow disc design is better suited to heavy-duty applications, while the form-locked join design is more versatile.
The roller screen drive system and disc arrangement are selected based on the customer’s application. The chain-link system is where one geared motor drives several shafts, and the individual drive system is where each shaft is driven by a geared drive.
“We can customise it to the customer’s requirements to their needs and application,” Craies said.
“We use all the information, including what the customer is trying to achieve and what their current set-up and footprint are, and we will do some testings to find the best solution for them.”
Hazemag’s updated HAZconnect system enables site managers and operators to access data on all Hazemag machines including the Roller Screen.
The digital maintenance platform enables operators to perform preventative maintenance using detailed data insights from the dashboard on HAZconnect.
“It brings information about the machine to the operator, and they can adjust the settings and gives them control,” Craies said.
“This kind of preventative and digital maintenance lets them reduce downtime.”•
Tungsten is considered a critical mineral under Australia’s Critical Minerals List. Image: Wirestock Creators/shutterstock.com
The Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC) will fund the expansion of EQ Resources’ (EQR) Mount Carbine tungsten mine in the state’s north with a $20 million loan.
The funding comes from the Queensland Critical Minerals and Battery Technology Fund, which aims to assist critical minerals development and the manufacturing of battery technologies.
EQR will welcome the funding in two instalments over the loan’s three-year period. The first round will see $12 million provided to assist in doubling the site’s processing capacity and commencing underground drill testing.
The second round of $8 million will be used to continue underground drill testing and start underground trial mining.
Queensland Minister Resources and Critical Minerals Scott Stewart said the Government is committed to developing the state’s critical minerals resources like tungsten.
“The resurgence of tungsten production is another remarkable success story in Queensland’s critical minerals boom,” Stewart said.
“Since returning to operation in 2019, Mount Carbine tungsten mine has become a major employer in the Far North, where 175 workers and contractors are on track to produce about 3000 tonnes of tungsten concentrate every year.
“The existing open-cut mine is forecast to reach its end of life by 2029, but the Queensland Government is committed to supporting these workers and the communities they call home.”
EQR chief executive officer Kevin MacNeill welcomed the funding, which will see drilling kick off this year.
“We are pleased that the opportunity has arisen for such extensive and attractive funding support from the Queensland Government,” he said.
“The provision of financing will support our recently announced expansion program to double capacity at Mt Carbine, but we also consider this a strong endorsement of the company’s corporate strategy to further establish ourselves as a leading and responsible producer of globally relevant critical minerals.”
The Ravensthorpe nickel operations. Image: First Quantum Minerals
While many of the staff members from the Ravensthorpe nickel operation (RPO) will be made redundant, owner First Quantum Minerals is taking steps to keep as many employed as possible.
It comes as First Quantum places the WA site into a care and maintenance process from May 1. All production at the site is expected to cease by late May, with wind-down activities planned over the coming weeks.
“First Quantum acknowledges that its decision will have a significant impact on its employees and their families,” a spokesperson for the miner said in a statement.
“A smaller, dedicated care and maintenance team will be appointed from current RNO employees to ensure the site is safe and preserved for a future re-start.”
In addition to keeping on as many staff as possible, First Quantum will continue to support the Ravensthorpe and Hopetoun communities in any way it can.
“The company remains committed to supporting the local community and will play an active role within the Shire of Ravensthorpe throughout the care and maintenance period,” the First Quantum spokesperson said.
“This will include ensuring a large proportion of the care and maintenance team are based locally and maintaining the current First Quantum-owned housing within Hopetoun.
“Recognising the impact that this decision will have on the region, the company will continue engaging with the Ravensthorpe and Hopetoun communities and provide an appropriate level of community investment and support in the period ahead.”
After first scaling back operations in January, First Quantum again cited lower nickel prices and higher operating costs as major factors in the decision.
“Despite RNO’s best efforts to maintain operations by transitioning to a new operating strategy that involved ceasing mining activities, processing stockpiles and altering its approach to production, the site is incurring significant current and projected losses,” the spokesperson said.
“RNO will continue to meet all its environmental management and monitoring, rehabilitation and other regulatory requirements for the site.”
Ravensthorpe joins the Cosmos nickel mine in WA in entering care and maintenance in 2024, with owner IGO also citing a weakening nickel market as a driver in the decision to shutter the site.
“We still believe there is value in Cosmos; however, in this nickel environment we need to be disciplined with our allocation of capital, while retaining our optionality to restart if market conditions improve,” IGO managing director and chief executive officer Ivan Vella said in January.
Duaplate DX is a revolutionary weld overlay material engineered by Bradken to perform under the most extreme abrasive operating conditions.
Trialed in the lower section of a surge bin, the Duaplate DX was installed in an iron ore mine in Western Australia’s Pilbara region. The bin was compared to an identical chute lined with Duaplate D80.
Duaplate DX is manufactured to Bradken’s proprietary composition to create an incredible fine microstructure that provides a substantial improvement in the operational life over traditional chromium carbide based overlay.
APA solar farm at Mount Isa, Queensland. Image: Glencore.
Glencore’s Mount Isa Mines operation is set to source 20 per cent of its long-term electricity needs from APA Group’s new solar farm in Mica Creek, Queensland.
Under a 15-year agreement, Mount Isa Mines can use up to 50 per cent of the solar electricity produced each year at the Mica Creek solar farm (also known as the Dugald River solar farm).
The agreement was first announced in December 2023, where Glencore zinc assets Australia chief operating officer Sam Strohmayr said the partnership will help Glencore reduce its emissions footprint.
“The partnership helps reduce our high-power costs which is one of the elements that make it difficult to compete with our international rivals,” Strohmayr said.
The 88-megawatt farm at the basis of the agreement was officially opened yesterday and is poised to boast 180,000 solar panels across 200 hectares of land. The official opening was attended by Strohmayr.
“APA has been working with us for many years providing reliable electricity for our Mount Isa Mines operations,” Strohmayr said. “We welcomed the opportunity to partner with APA on a renewables project and in the process contribute to a collective effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“There are several benefits from this agreement – not only for us but also for the community. Mount Isa Mines is reducing its carbon footprint, and in the process using renewable energy to help produce energy transition metals, such as zinc and copper, that are needed globally for a low carbon future.”
In October 2023, Glencore announced plans to close the Mount Isa Mines underground copper operations – Enterprise, X41 and Black Rock – and its copper concentrator by the end of 2025. The company cited low ore grades as the cause.
Glencore’s Lady Loretta zinc mine, which was a finite orebody with a seven-year mine life, will also close in 2025.
In response to the Mount Isa closures, the Queensland Government created the $50 million Mount Isa Transition Fund, which aims to boost projects that can commence quickly, create jobs, and build on the region’s reputation as a great place to live and work.
With $20 million going towards shovel-ready mining projects, $30 million will be used to accelerate resources projects in the Northwest Minerals Province. The initiative will be led by the Queensland Treasury and Department of Resources.
Other Mount Isa operations such as the copper smelter, the George Fisher mine, the zinc-lead concentrator, the lead smelter, and the copper refinery in Townsville remain operating.
Subscribe to Australian Mining and receive the latest news on product announcements, industry developments, commodities and more.
