Tag Archives: Mineral Resources Ltd

Core Lithium hits crushing milestone at Finniss lithium operation

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Core Lithium Ltd says crushing of lithium ore from the Finniss lithium mine in the Northern Territory of Australia has recently commenced, with the direct shipping ore (DSO) now making its way from the operation to Darwin Port where it will be shipped towards the end of the month.

Last month, Core announced it completed the first sale of a spodumene DSO product (1.4% Li2O) from Finniss.

The 15,000 dry metric tonne DSO sale was tendered on a CIF basis to several pre-screened participants active in the lithium-ion battery supply chain.

Core CEO, Gareth Manderson, said: “The transportation of DSO today is another signification milestone for Finniss, and is a very positive step towards our objective to export from Darwin Port before the end of the year.”

CSI Mining Services, a subsidiary of Mineral Resources Ltd, is providing crushing services at the operation via a relocatable crushing and screening plant designed to achieve a production rate of 1.2 Mt/y.

Mineral Resources’ FIFO staff to gain Swift Access to entertainment, engagement services

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Swift Networks says it has secured a new three-year agreement with Mineral Resources Limited to service its nine mine sites with Swift Access.

The contract comes with a subscription value of A$3.4 million ($2.1 million), with revenues expected to commence in second half of the company’s 2023 financial year, it said.

This contract represents ongoing subscription revenue for Swift Access: Swift’s premium entertainment and engagement solution powered by its proprietary technology developed specifically to enable a reliable service within low bandwidth environments, Swift’s local 24 hour support and other additional channels, Swift said.

Installation and upgrade work, which is additional to the A$3.4 million subscription revenue, will be performed by Swift’s in-house infrastructure team across MinRes’ portfolio on a site-by-site basis.

Swift’s flagship product, Swift Access, will be installed in over 2,000 accommodation rooms and common areas. Swift Access will allow staff to cast their favourite streaming apps from their mobile device straight to their room’s TV, all while maintaining user privacy and offering smart device setup and management to improve efficiencies for facility staff, Swift says. As part of the agreement, Swift Access will provide Mineral Resources staff with Swift’s full content library including first release movies and sector-specific mental health and indigenous education resources.

Swift Access also allows facility managers to easily upload and distribute site information such as inductions, health and safety messages and more directly to TVs across the site.

The entire Swift Access experience is managed by Swift’s unique bandwidth management platform and includes support services over the three-year term.

Swift CEO, Brian Mangano, says: “For the past five years, Mineral Resources and Swift have enjoyed a strong partnership based on the mutual values of innovation and high-performance outcomes. MinRes was the first mining company to trial Swift Access at its Wonmunna camp (the mine site pictured above) in Western Australia earlier this year. This latest collaboration is a natural next step in Swift’s mission to assist MinRes in providing an outstanding workplace experience.

“We are excited to grow a Swift and MinRes partnership and look forward to working together to create new, innovative solutions to address the challenges of the FIFO lifestyle.”

BHP signs up PMW Industries for crushing and screening plant gig at Mining Area C

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BHP has celebrated what it says is an historic agreement with PMW Industries and its Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO) team, which will see the 100%-owned-and-operated Banjima Pilbara Aboriginal Traditional Owner business maintain a semi-mobile crushing and screening plant at its Mining Area C operation, in the Pilbara, supported by new strategic partner and Mineral Resources Limited owned company, CSI Mining Services.

Led by Banjima business owner, Paula White (pictured on the right), PMW will operate on country at the iron ore operation as part of this large-scale, long-term scope of work. It is expected to create up to 30 new employment and training opportunities for Banjima and Indigenous people.

The agreement builds upon WAIO’s existing relationship with PMW, which started more than three years ago through its Local Buying Program.

WAIO Asset President, Brandon Craig (pictured on the left), said he was proud of the growing relationship between BHP and PMW Industries, saying the crushing contract award was one of the largest in WAIO’s history.

“Our Mining Area C iron ore operation is on Banjima country – in line with our commitment to become the partner of choice for Indigenous people, this partnership is founded on respect and mutual benefit,” he said. “We are working hard to create more opportunities for Indigenous businesses to support the growth of Indigenous enterprise, partnering for the future.”

White added: “PMW Industries is very proud to be partnering with BHP and CSI to enable more employment and economic empowerment for Traditional Owners and Indigenous people. As a Banjima woman and business owner, I’m also delighted to be creating opportunities for other Indigenous women and young girls to follow their dreams.”

This step forward builds upon BHP’s commitment to drive more sustainable, profitable and enduring partnerships with Indigenous businesses across its operations. In WAIO alone, by the 2024 financial year, BHP expects to double its current annual spend with Indigenous businesses to over A$300 million ($204 million).

“At the same time, we are actively improving our sourcing systems and procurement processes, in partnership with Traditional Owner and indigenous businesses,” BHP says. “This was demonstrated with the PMW agreement, which followed a competitive Banjima-only tender, structured specifically to enable Traditional Owner businesses to operate on country.”

Mineral Resources kicks off work at ‘dust free’ iron ore project in the Pilbara

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Mineral Resources has commenced early works at its Onslow Iron project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, a project that, according to Chris Ellison, will be “dust-free from pit-to-port”.

The early works at Onslow, formerly known as the Ashburton project, will support first ore on ship around December 2023, MinRes says.

Onslow Iron will unlock stranded deposits that would otherwise remain undeveloped in the West Pilbara region, using MinRes’ innovative and proprietary equipment designed to process and move bulk commodities at lower costs and with a reduced environmental footprint, the company said.

Following receipt of preliminary approvals, project preparations are on track and early construction activities including bulk earthworks have commenced at the Port of Ashburton, south of Onslow. At the nearby Truck Maintenance Facility, installation of the temporary construction village is underway, with first buildings to be installed from early September.

Mine development activities have also progressed at the Ken’s Bore Deposit, east of Onslow, with construction of the A320-capacity airport and the installation of two camps to support drilling and early construction works.

Recruitment for the construction phase of Onslow Iron is also well underway alongside a continued focus on community and stakeholder consultation.

In line with the project schedule, long-lead items have been ordered including the first transhippers, which will be used to load capesize vessels that will be anchored offshore from the Port of Ashburton. Each transhipper has a 20,000-t capacity, is fully enclosed to avoid dust pollution and has a significantly lower environmental footprint when compared with the major dredging activities that would be required to construct deepwater berths at the port, according to the company.

Onslow Iron will be one of the largest iron ore developments undertaken in Western Australia, delivering substantial benefits to the state including thousands of construction and operational jobs, billions of dollars of direct local investment through capital expenditure and billions of dollars of state and commonwealth royalties over the life of the project, it added.

Mineral Resources Managing Director, Chris Ellison, said: “Onslow Iron will be transformational, not just for MinRes but for the State of Western Australia. This project will be the cornerstone of our iron ore strategy to deliver low-cost, long-life operations with project economics that are compelling through commodity price cycles.

“We’re looking forward to delivering thousands of jobs for Western Australians and investing billions in the economy.

“Importantly, our innovations will drive lower emissions across the project. Onslow Iron has been designed with a low environmental footprint and will be dust-free from pit-to-port.

“We’re also setting a new FIFO standard with our industry first, resort-style accommodation to ensure the physical and mental safety of our people and to encourage more women, and couples, to live on site.

“It’s in our DNA to aim higher, push the boundaries and forge new paths, which is why Onslow Iron really represents a new paradigm for mining in Western Australia.”

On top of the dust-free innovation and FIFO aims, MinRes has mooted it will run autonomous road trains between the pit and the port at Onslow Iron.

Kerman Contracting to construct ore storage facility for MRL’s Ashburton Hub project

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Kerman Contracting Pty Ltd says it has been awarded a A$60 million ($42 million) contract from Mineral Resources Limited (MRL) to design and construct its Port of Ashburton Ore Storage facility in Onslow, Western Australia.

The scope includes the design, fabrication, supply and erection of an enclosed 284-m-long ore storage facility and associated materials handling. The design is already well underway and on-site construction works are expected to start in January 2023, Kerman said. The facility is part of MRL’s plans to develop the 30 Mt/y Ashburton Hub iron ore operation.

“This project fits perfectly into our core business and will provide employment for about 60 site personnel and opportunities for local businesses,” Kerman’s Managing Director, Chris Kerman, said. “To deliver a world-class facility for MRL we will call upon our previous experience in the design and construction of port bulk storage and materials handling facilities in locations such as Bunbury, Esperance, Geraldton, Port Kembla and Whyalla.

“We are very pleased with the opportunity to design and construct a storage facility with these dimensions in the Pilbara region. Once constructed this facility will be one of the largest enclosed bulk storage buildings in Australia’s cyclone region.”

Core Lithium enlists CSI for crushing services at Finniss

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Core Lithium says it has executed a crushing services contract with CSI Mining Services (CSI), a subsidiary of Mineral Resources Ltd, for the Finniss lithium project in the Northern Territory of Australia.

Run of mine ore will be stockpiled prior to feeding into the CSI crusher circuit, after which crushed ore will be stockpiled before being processed by the dense media separation (DMS) plant to make spodumene concentrate for export.

The crusher civil works are nearing completion with CSI expected to start mobilising to the project during June 2022, the company said.

Core Managing Director, Stephen Biggins, said: “The award of the crushing contract is another significant step in the development of the Finniss lithium project. Core staff have done a great job getting the site ready for CSI to start work next month.”

In mid-2021, Core released a definitive feasibility study for the Finniss project, marking a major milestone in its goal to become Australia’s next major lithium producer by the end of 2022.

The study highlighted an average production of 173,000 t/y of high-quality lithium concentrate at a C1 operating cost of $364/t and a start-up capital cost of A$89 million ($63 million) thanks to the incorporation of a 1 Mt/y DMS processing plant in the project’s design.

CSI to deploy ‘innovative’ screening solution at Roy Hill iron ore operations

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CSI Mining Services (CSI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Mineral Resources Limited (MRL), has been awarded a mining services contract by Roy Hill at its iron ore operation in Western Australia’s Pilbara region.

This new contract builds on CSI’s long-standing relationship with Roy Hill, which has seen CSI provide crushing and screening works since early project inception. The new contract will see CSI deliver an expanded scope of work which includes crushing, screening and haulage services.

CSI says it is uniquely positioned as a key service provider to Roy Hill given its strong track record of exceeding performance targets and detailed understanding of the mine and its operational processes and procedures.

In delivering the new contract CSI will deploy an innovative new screening solution to deliver industry-leading efficiencies to the project. The screening solution is an exclusive product to CSI and is not available on the market, giving CSI a distinct design advantage.

Mineral Resources’ Chief Executive Mining Services, Mike Grey, said: “We are very pleased to be selected as preferred mining contractor by Roy Hill to provide safe and efficient crushing, screening and haulage services, following the successful completion of our previous contract.

“Our track record at the operation demonstrates that we can mobilise quickly and exceed production targets, while maintaining an industry leading safety record.

“Our mining services business has delivered strong growth year-on-year and this new contract for Roy Hill reinforces CSI’s position as a market leading mining services contractor.”

Roy Hill Chief Operating Officer, Anthony Kirke, said: “CSI has been a valued partner to Roy Hill since February 2017, initially providing crushing services, followed by the addition of screening and associated haulage services for our Direct Shipped Ore. CSI’s agility in responding to changing operational requirements, commitment to innovation and continuous improvement and alignment with our values have resulted in positive outcomes for Roy Hill.

“The award of this new and expanded multi-year contract reflects the strong relationship between our two companies and we look forward to the deployment of CSI’s new screening solution at our mine site.”

Hancock, Mineral Resources and Roy Hill consider Australia-first infrastructure sharing pact

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Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd and Mineral Resources Ltd have entered into a legally binding agreement under which they will jointly investigate the potential to develop a new iron ore export facility at Port Hedland’s Stanley Point berth 3 in South West Creek.

The agreement would see Roy Hill Holdings, a Hancock subsidiary, provide services to both MRL and Hancock for development and operation of the project, including rail haulage and port services.

MRL said: “The project aligns with MRL’s strategy to unlock stranded deposits in the Pilbara by developing pit-to-port solutions and expanding its capability to be a long-term, low-cost sustainable supplier of iron ore to international markets.”

Hancock and MRL will conduct an expedited study to assess the economic and technical feasibility of the proposed project in the coming months, to usual market standards, they said.

In addition, Hancock and MRL will seek to undertake discussions with the Government of Western Australia and the Pilbara Ports Authority (PPA) in relation to the potential project. It is acknowledged that in order for the proposed project to proceed, the parties would need to first receive a development approval and a capacity allocation for the project from the PPA to jointly develop and operate Stanley Point berth 3 and other associated supporting port infrastructure.

MRL Managing Director, Chris Ellison (pictured in shot with Hancock Prospecting Executive Chair, Gina Rinehart on screen), said this partnership and infrastructure sharing proposal is the first-of-its-kind in the Australian resources industry and would enable significant value to be unlocked for the company in a sustainable manner.

“Our long-stated strategy is to transition from short-life, high-cost mines to lower-cost, long-life operations underpinned by innovative infrastructure solutions,” he said. “Developing our stranded assets will provide additional growth for MRL’s unique mining services build-own-operate model.”

The project  will be subject to a final investment decision by both parties, and other necessary approvals and agreements (including a lease, licence and an infrastructure development agreement or similar) from the PPA on agreed terms.

Charge On Innovation Challenge sparks more miner interest

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The organisers of the Charge On Innovation Challenge have reported an overwhelming response to the preliminary phase, which closed on July 31, with 21 mining companies joining as patrons, over 350 companies from across 19 industries registering their interest as vendors, and more than 80 organisations submitting expressions of interest (EOI).

The challenge, a global competition, is expected to drive technology innovators across all industries to develop new concepts and solutions for large-scale haul truck electrification systems aimed at significantly cutting emissions from surface mining. It also aims to demonstrate an emerging market for charging solutions in mining, accelerate commercialisation of solutions and integrate innovations from other industries into the mining sector.

BHP, Rio Tinto, and Vale, facilitated by Austmine, launched the Charge On Innovation Challenge in May of this year, initiating the EOI process on May 18. Since the initial launch, Roy Hill, Teck, Boliden, Thiess, Antofagasta Minerals, Codelco, Freeport McMoRan, Gold Fields and Yancoal came forward as patrons by early July.

The latest release has highlighted another nine miners to join as patrons. This includes Barrick Gold, CITIC Pacific Mining, Evolution Mining, Harmony Gold, Mineral Resources Ltd, Newcrest Mining, OZ Minerals, South32 and Syncrude.

The patrons, supported by Austmine, will assess the proposals over the next month and select a shortlist of vendors who will then formally pitch their challenge solutions.

At least one of these proposals has come from ABB, which confirmed earlier this month that it had submitted its ideas for the challenge using its mine electrification, traction and battery system eand charging infrastructure expertise.

At the end of the pitch phase, the challenge patrons will look to select the most desirable charging concepts identified as having broad industry appeal and application, as well as providing a standard geometry that enables chargers to service trucks from different manufacturers. The first concepts could be ready for site trials in the next few years, according to the organisers.

BHP’s Charge On Innovation Challenge Project Lead, Scott Davis, said: “The Charge On Innovation Challenge is a great example of the current collaborative work being done by the mining industry in seeking solutions to decarbonise mining fleets. The challenge received interest from companies based in over 20 countries, showing the truly global reach of the opportunity to help reduce haul truck emissions.”

John Mulcahy, Rio Tinto’s lead for the Charge On Innovation Challenge, said: “Twenty-one mining companies, all focused on lowering carbon emissions, have joined as patrons. Together we’re encouraging technology innovators to help us introduce large-scale haul truck electrification solutions. The sooner we bring these technologies to market, the sooner we can introduce them to our fleet, and reduce emissions.”

Vale’s Charge On Innovation Challenge Project lead, Mauricio Duarte, said: “We are very happy with the results of the first phase of the project. It´s still early to talk about the success of the challenge, but it is clear that the industry has reached a new level: we worked together on a common sustainability agenda and we will work collectively to reach our goals, gaining safety and speed on our way to low carbon mining.”

CSI to carry out load and haul, drill and blast work at Rio’s Brockman 2 iron ore mine

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Mineral Resources Ltd’s CSI Mining Services has been awarded a mining contract by Rio Tinto to carry out work at the Brockman 2 iron ore mine in the Pilbara of Western Australia.

The scope of the contract will see CSI conduct load and haul, drill and blast, and short-term mine planning activities for Rio, the company said.

This will involve scheduling, drilling and blasting and then excavating 27 Mt of waste rock and iron ore over an approximate nine-month period, with a fleet of large-scale mining equipment, developing the Lens A/B pit for Rio.

This contract builds on a 16-year relationship with Rio, dating back to when CSI first commenced crushing services at the Nammuldi mine site. It also follows the completion of a 30 Mt load and haul contract at Rio’s Tom Price mine. CSI remains engaged at another Rio Tinto operation, Paraburdoo, where its team is carrying out 13 Mt of load and haul operations.

The Brockman 2 contract will generate around 150 jobs for CSI’s highly skilled workforce, the company said.

Mineral Resources’ Chief Executive Mining Services, Mike Grey, said: “We are delighted to have been invited by Rio Tinto to assist at another of its world-class iron ore mines. Our relationship with Rio Tinto dates back 16 years. Since then, we have been able to establish a track record of consistent project delivery for Rio Tinto, which we are very proud of.

“CSI is the world’s largest crushing contractor, so it is immensely satisfying that this latest Rio Tinto contract includes other mining activities, such as load and haul and drill and blast, to demonstrate CSI’s diverse skills set. We are confident this Brockman 2 scope of work will become the latest chapter of our ongoing association with Rio Tinto.”

Brockman 2 is one of the 16 mines that make up Rio’s world-class Pilbara iron ore operations.

The CSI team has begun mobilising to site, including delivering a new fleet of Komatsu 830E electric-drive dump trucks and a new Komatsu PC4000-11 excavator.