Tag Archives: Kimberley

Northern Minerals rare earth pilot plant keeps up thyssenkrupp REC deliveries

Energy minerals, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, , , , , , , ,

Northern Minerals’ Browns Range rare earth pilot plant in Western Australia has continued to churn out more product, with the company set to soon make a shipment of more than 40,000 kg to offtake partner thyssenkrupp Materials Trading GmbH.

The Browns Range pilot plant has now surpassed a new production milestone of 210,000 kg of rare earth carbonate (REC), Northern Minerals said.

A shipment of 40,406 kg of REC that contains 1,835 kg of dysprosium oxide and 233 kg of terbium oxide is ready at Browns Range for delivery to thyssenkrupp, bringing total production of REC from the pilot plant to 211,109 kg.

The REC produced to date contains a total 103,731 kg of rare earth oxide, which, in turn, contains 9,751 kg of dysprosium oxide and 1,245 kg of terbium oxide: critical elements in the permanent magnet motors used in E-mobility powertrain applications.

Northern Minerals CEO, Mark Tory, said: “Despite the operational and supply chain challenges in the past 12 months, the global trend toward electrification of transport continues to accelerate as a result of regulatory changes and bold decisions by car manufacturers in transition to fully-electric fleets.

“Browns Range is still the most strategically placed heavy rare earths operation in the western world, and we continue to apply our significant R&D learnings to successfully produce batches of REC for our European offtake partner thyssenkrupp from our pilot plant in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.”

Northern Minerals started producing rare earth carbonate through the Browns Range pilot plant in October 2018 as part of a three-year pilot assessment of economic and temporary technical feasibility of a larger-scale development at Browns Range.

The company expects to commission a Steinert sensor-based ore sorter at Browns Range in the June quarter as part of its latest R&D work at the pilot plant.

Panoramic looks to Barminco for Savannah nickel-copper-cobalt ramp up

Base metals, Energy minerals, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , , , , , ,

Perenti’s hard-rock underground mining subsidiary, Barminco, has been selected as the preferred contractor by Panoramic Resources at its Savannah nickel-copper-cobalt project in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

The contract, worth around A$200 million ($135 million), will see Barminco carry out mine development, production, and haulage over a three-year term. Work is expected to commence in March 2020.

Barminco anticipates it will employ around 170 people for the project and use predominately new equipment, which has been included in the capital guidance previously provided, to deliver the project.

Savannah, 110 km north of Halls Creek in Western Australia, saw mining operations recommence in December 2018, with the first shipment of concentrate departing Wyndham in February 2019. The miner is currently developing the higher-grade Savannah North orebody focusing on high speed development and a ramp up to full production in 2020, Perenti said.

Perenti Managing Director, Mark Norwell, said: “This project demonstrates our ability to capture organic growth opportunities, with the Barminco business now well integrated into the Perenti group whilst further embedding itself as a leader in underground mining.”

Underground Chief Executive Officer, Paul Muller, added: “We look forward to working closely with Panoramic Resources in driving the development of the Savannah North orebody safely and efficiently as it ramps up to full production.”

Sodexo to help Rio Tinto with Argyle diamond mine transition

Diamond mining, Mine operation news, Mining services, , , , , ,

Sodexo will continue to provide services to Rio Tinto’s Argyle diamond mine, in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, after the two companies agreed to renew their contract for another two years.

The move, valued at A$15.4 million ($10.6 million), further cements Sodexo’s commitment to Rio Tinto, which also includes delivering services to the leading global mining group’s Pilbara operations in the state.

Sodexo will work with Rio Tinto as it transitions the iconic diamond mine from a production site into rehabilitation, with the almost 37-year-old mine set to close at the end of 2020.

The contract was signed in November 2019, with the renewed period beginning retrospectively in February 2019. Sodexo is engaged until January 2021.

Sodexo will continue to deliver services to the site in the remote East Kimberley region of Western Australia, including managing aerodrome operations, village and industrial cleaning, village catering, retail, accommodation management, bus services, onsite industrial laundry operations and handyman services, it said.

Darren Hedley, Sodexo CEO of Energy & Resources Asia-Pacific, said: “The renewed contract is a great result for Sodexo, and thanks must go to our dedicated team for their commitment to building a strong relationship with our client, after we acquired Morris Corporation that had previously held the contract for three years.”

One of Sodexo’s recent focuses has been re-energising the site to enhance facilities and provide economic outcomes, thinking beyond standard village operations, it said.

As Argyle moves into its rehabilitation phase, Sodexo will work with Rio on areas including operational consolidation, while engaging with all stakeholders to support this transition, the company added.

MacLean breaks new ground in Africa mining sector

Equipment maintenance, Explosives and blasting, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining safety, Mining services, , , , , , , , , ,

MacLean Engineering’s secondary breakers have been proving their worth in Africa, with a number of machines safely and effectively eliminating ore flow blockages and releasing trapped reserves above the draw point.

Built for the tough underground mining environment, these machines provide the solution to attacking high boulder hang-ups without endangering mine workers, according to MacLean.

One only needs to look at the Palabora copper mine, in South Africa, for proof of this, where three MacLean hang-up rigs have been working underground for over 15 years.

Palabora endorses MacLean’s commitment to promoting safety and productivity in the underground environment, through purpose-built, rugged and reliable mine vehicles, MacLean says. The SB8 and SB12 Secondary Breakers (993MR, previously) are part of MacLean’s Ore Flow suite, a leading ore recovery fleet in global underground hard-rock mining, and these rigs have brought down thousands of hang-ups at the operation, ensuring smooth running of both the mine and its mill, and a safe and sustained block cave operation, according to the company.

For lower hang-ups in a drawpoint, or oversize rocks on the ground too large for scoops to handle and too disruptive to get rid of with concussion blasting, the secondary reduction rig, the Blockholer, solves the problem and ensures production isn’t held up, MacLean says.

The past 24 months have been exciting for MacLean’s branch in Africa.

Petra Diamonds ordered a BH3 for its Koffiefontein diamond mine, in Free State Province, South Africa, with the company’s success showcasing increased safety used as a “proof point” to secure another order for a BH2 (pictured), according to MacLean, this time from the Kimberley Ekapa Mining joint venture, in the Northern Cape. Palabora has since placed an order for two secondary breakers for delivery in 2020.

“Both Koffiefontein and Kimberley mines echo the same message of improved safety, increased production, and long-term savings in infrastructure upkeep due to the inclusion of MacLean secondary breaking units in their mining cycle,” MacLean said.

The two-stage process of their conventional approach to reduce oversize and bring down hang-ups (drill with one machine and manually load explosives by hand) has now been combined into a single-stage process with the Blockholers. This process eliminates the need for manually loading explosives, thus improving operator safety, and reduces damage to the draw point infrastructure.

“In addition, these units are used by both mines as utility drills to drill off cubbies as well as eye bolt holes due to their mobility and self-sustaining drilling capabilities of diesel power,” MacLean explained. “This versatility makes the MacLean Blockholers an invaluable tool to the mines.”

BlueRock hopes for Kareevlei diamond mining upgrade with Teichmann contract

Diamond mining, Mine operation news, Mining services, , , , , , ,

BlueRock Diamonds, the owner and operator of the Kareevlei diamond mine, in the Kimberley region of South Africa, has instructed Teichmann South Africa to provide mining services to the company.

BlueRock announced back on May 16 that it was in negotiations with a member of the Teichmann Group to provide the quantity of ore necessary to meet BlueRock’s production plans.

The diamond miner said Teichmann’s extensive experience in mining operations is expected to significantly de-risk the company’s mining activities and allow BlueRock to meet its production targets in a “cost-effective manner”.

The Kareevlei licence area covers 3,000 ha and hosts five known diamondiferous kimberlite pipes. As at November 2018, it was estimated that the remaining inferred resource from the four kimberlitic pipes (KV1, KV2, KV3 and KV5) represents a potential in-ground number of carats of 367,000, BlueRock says.

The contract is for a period of five years commencing with an effective start date of July 1 and includes the extraction of ore and waste, haulage of said material to a stockpile, breaking down ore to the required size when required, and delivering ore to the processing plant.

BlueRock said: “Unlike the agreement with the previous provider of these services which was paid on an hourly basis with a minimum number of hours guaranteed, Teichmann will be paid almost entirely on a cost per tonne basis and, accordingly, the effective cost per tonne is reduced with the planned increased production.”

Based on the lower end of the company’s current production expectations, the estimated cost of Teichmann’s services for the 12 months ending June 30, 2020 will be around ZAR21 million ($1.4 million).

Mike Houston, Executive Chairman, said: “The upgrading of our mining operation is key to the overall success of the business and having an experienced mining contractor is an essential part of this process. I believe that our partnership with the wider Teichmann Group will provide further benefits going forward as we continue to implement our defined growth strategy.”