Joint venture partners Covalent Lithium, Wesfarmers and Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (SQM) have opened of the Mt Holland lithium mine and concentrator project. The Mt Holland lithium project consists of an open-cut mine and concentrator, located 110km southeast of Southern Cross in the Wheatbelt region, and a refinery currently being constructed in the Kwinana Industrial Area. With an expected cost of $2.6 billion, the project is supporting 1,000 jobs during construction and 350 jobs during operations. Mt Holland will produce 380,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate per year, which will be refined into 50,000 tonnes of battery-quality lithium hydroxide.…
BMG Resources Limited has announced promising results from its ongoing exploration review of the Dragon project neighbouring WA1 Resources’ site in the West Arunta region of Western Australia. Multiple targets showing structural and magnetic features have been identified at the Dragon Project — features similar to those that represent mineralised carbonatites at WA1 Resources’ ground and the nearby Aileron Project of Encounter Resources. BMG’s Dragon Niobium-REE Project is immediately adjacent to and shares a 30-kilometre-long border with the West Arunta Project of WA1 Resources. BMG Non-Executive Chairman John Prineas said: “Our ongoing review of exploration data for the West Arunta…
Pantera Minerals Limited has announced a substantial expansion of its Smackover Brine Project in North America, with the acquisition of 3,553 acres, representing a 26 per cent increase in leased acreage. The company's total net leased acreage now surpasses 17,000 acres. The bulk of the new acreage comes from a key lease with a mineral owner covering 2,194 acres, placing Pantera in a unique position of strength. This expansion not only enhances the project's scalability but also consolidates Pantera's control, with 100 per cent ownership of the project now under its purview. Pantera, the sole junior company listed in the…
A West Australian-based lithium explorer looks well-positioned to capture significant upside when the alkali metal’s market moves into its anticipated recovery mode. In 2023, Global Lithium Resources Ltd (ASX:GL1) spent a great deal of its corporate time sizing up its wholly-owned outcropping Manna pegmatite project in its home state of WA, completing a large-scale 60,000 metre reverse circulation and diamond drilling campaign which covered infill and extensional targets. The junior also started metallurgical and geotechnical programs that have since carried over into 2024. Located around 100 kilometres east of Kalgoorlie-Boulder in the state’s Goldfields, Manna currently enjoys an indicated and…
Hillgrove Resources has commenced production of its first copper concentrate from the Kanmantoo mine in South Australia, following the successful completion of the processing facility; both milestones were met within the company's target timeframe of Q1 2024. The transition from explorer to producer makes Hillgrove Resources one of only a few copper producers on the ASX. Hillgrove Resources CEO and Managing Director Lachlan Wallace said: “Operations will be bedded down at Kanmantoo as we ramp up to steady stage production and our attention will turn to growing the business by converting future exploration and development opportunities.” “The project is well-positioned…
In mid-February a Perth-based dual-listed resources house took a major step towards establishing a sovereign national graphite project which entailed a ‘mine to market’ capability and integrated operations located within its home state of Western Australia. In doing so, it moved further towards its goal of becoming a significant player in the global processed graphite market. International Graphite Ltd (ASX: IG6) has just completed the successful wet commissioning of its new $1.5 million, 200 tonnes per annum graphite micronising plant in the coal mining town of Collie in WA using imported graphite concentrates. To be known as the Collie BAM…
An ASX-listed junior is looking to expeditiously dual-track its two lithium projects during the coming year, with the Perth-based Future Battery Minerals Ltd (FBM) targeting deposits in both Western Australia and the US state Nevada. In WA, the prize is its wholly-owned Kangaroo Hills, located just 17 kilometres south of the historic gold town of Coolgardie, where a high grade lithium-caesium-tantalum pegmatite discovery has so far returned an assay of 29 metres at 1.36 per cent lithium. Meanwhile, in southern Nevada, the aptly-named Nevada Lithium Project (NLP), in which the junior has an 80 per cent interest, is a large-scale…
Rio Tinto will invest C$105 million to modernise its Port-Alfred Port Facilities in Saguenay, Quebec, Canada. The investment will improve the safety and efficiency of receiving and unloading operations for raw materials used to produce aluminium at Rio Tinto's operations in the region. In order to adapt the infrastructure to the dimensions of modern vessels, a new platform will be built at the end of the Duncan wharf to facilitate docking. The Powell wharf will also be redeveloped to receive and unload alumina. This work includes the addition of a new unloading system, the dismantling of part of a warehouse…
Anglo American's has announced that its Unki platinum mine in Zimbabwe has been assessed against the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance’s (IRMA) comprehensive mining standard, achieving the IRMA 75 level of performance. The Unki underground mine was the first in the world to publicly commit to be independently audited against the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining in 2019 and is both the first mine in Africa and the first producing platinum group metals operation to complete the audit. Chief Executive of Anglo American’s Platinum Group Metals business, Natasha Viljoen, said Anglo American has a longstanding commitment as a leader in…
Rio Tinto has reached an agreement with Landsvirkjun on an amended power contract that will allow the ISAL aluminium smelter in Iceland to continue operating with an improved competitive position. The agreement will deliver a more competitive power price and energy flexibility that is mutually beneficial for both ISAL and Landsvirkjun. Rio Tinto Aluminium Chief Executive, Alf Barrios, said the company is pleased to have reached an agreement on a power price that, coupled with improved efficiencies the company has delivered at the site, makes ISAL more competitive. “This provides a stronger footing to continue operations at the smelter and…
Lepidico Ltd’s proposed Phase 1 Project involves the development of an integrated lithium mine and concentrator in Namibia along with the development of a chemical conversion plant to be built within the Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD). Today, the company announced the Preliminary Environmental Review (PER) for the Phase 1 Chemical Plant site within the KIZAD has been approved by the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD). The Phase 1 Chemical Plant is designed to process 56,700 tonnes per annum (tpa) (dry basis) of lithium mica/amblygonite concentrate at a feed grade of up to 4 per cent Li2O for…
Australian Strategic Materials Ltd (ASM) has advised that the Korean Institute of Rare Metals (KIRAM) has successfully produced and tested two kilograms of pre-sintered permanent magnets from ASM’s high-purity neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) powder from its pilot plant in Korea. KIRAM’s testing provides a strong indication that ASM’s NdFeB alloy is suitable to produce rare earth permanent magnets that are commercially in demand. This certification is further validation of ASM’s strategy to become an independent, fully integrated 'mine to manufacturer' producer of critical metals. ASM’s Managing Director, David Woodall said the excellent support and collaborative work between the Ziron Tech and KIRAM…
USA-focused diversified explorer, Hawkstone Mining Limited has announced spectacular high-grade results from the Devil’s Canyon Gold Project in Nevada, USA. The results follow the completion of further rock sampling, structural mapping and airborne UAV (drone) magnetics at the project, which is located in the highly prolific Carlin trend that has produced in excess of 195 million ounces of gold. A total of 37 rocks samples (DC015-52) were collected as both outcrop and float, focused on extending areas of known mineralisation together with reconnaissance prospecting along prospective trends and targets identified from previous sampling and geological interpretations. Anomalous rock samples were…
DeepGreen Metals, which is exploring for deep-ocean polymetallic nodules as a lower impact and more cost-effective alternative to terrestrial mining, has announced an upward revision to the nodule resource reported within the NORI-D exploration contract area held by its subsidiary, Nauru Ocean Resources, Inc. The nodule resource is now estimated as 4 megatonnes (Mt) measured, 341Mt indicated and 11Mt inferred mineral resources. As countries invest in large-scale clean energy transition programmes and begin to phase out internal combustion engines, securing the minerals required to build batteries for storing renewable energy and powering electric vehicles is vital. According to some academic…
