Tag Archives: Queensland

Rajant and Acubis BreadCrumb solution solves Stanwell Meandu comms issues

Communications in mining, IoT, Mining services, , , , , , , , , ,

Rajant Corporation, the pioneer of Kinetic Mesh® wireless networks, and Acubis Technologies, a Kinetic Mesh Premier Partner in Australia, have delivered what they say is the first FE1 series BreadCrumbs® – Rajant Peregrine and Hawk – at Stanwell’s Meandu mine in Queensland, Australia.

Stanwell was battling the ever-evolving data and application requirements of its operational technology (OT) network, which supports CCTV, access control, in-vehicle fleet management and autonomous haulage, and needed the additional throughput that Peregrine and Hawk provide, Rajant said.

Chris Acton, Acubis General Manager, said: “Stanwell owns Tarong power stations, one of Queensland’s largest electricity-generating sites, and the stations receive coal from the Stanwell-owned Meandu Mine via a conveyor. Dependency on sustained operations and critical infrastructure security are paramount.

“Industrial conditions are harsh and towering ridges surround the mine. Running multiple applications, video streams, real-time data transfer, and edge devices required Rajant for unfailing networking with high throughput and low latency. The Peregrine and Hawk are robust and secure. Moreover, these BreadCrumb radio nodes can grow with the capacity needs for future applications and deliver cost-saving efficiencies to Stanwell’s thermal power production.”

Stanwell’s Manager of Business Improvement and Technology, Julio Romani, said: “The Meandu Technology Roadmap highlighted that a prerequisite for Meandu to accelerate and realise the value provided by technology advances was the establishment of suitable networks and communications platforms. The Rajant Peregrine & Hawk are an integral OT infrastructure component. These BreadCrumb nodes maximise the use of the fleet management system, enable telemetry and high precision GPS technologies, and provide connectivity for CCTV, environmental and control systems that operate across our Rajant wireless network.”

Bowen Coking Coal brings BUMA Australia on-board for Broadmeadow East project

Coal technology, Mineral project development, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , ,

Bowen Coking Coal Ltd has appointed BUMA Australia Pty Ltd to provide mining services to its 100% owned Broadmeadow East Mine (BME) in Queensland, Australia.

First phase mobilisation of site infrastructure, ancillary equipment, haul tucks and a Hitachi EX3600 excavator are underway and site work is expected to commence within the next two weeks, BCC said.

Bowen has appointed BUMA on a three-year contract, with the option to extend for a further year (at Bowen’s election) to operate the BME mine, using its own equipment, staff, systems and procedures in accordance with production requirements set by Bowen.

The contract also makes provision for the seamless transition into the Burton mine at already agreed rates and production volumes, which the company intends to trigger immediately on completion of the Burton transaction.

The Broadmeadow East Project was acquired from Peabody Energy in June 2020 for A$1 million ($724,086) plus a royalty of A$1 per tonne for the first 1.5 Mt sold. The project hosts a 33 Mt resource and was initially planned to be mined though conventional truck and shovel open-cut mining at a rate of 800,000 t/y to 1 Mt/y over a period of between five to seven years.

A fast-tracked program for this contract targets the same tonnages to be mined at an average rate of circa 1.2 Mt/y over a shorter period.

Bowen Coking Coal Managing Director and CEO, Gerhard Redelinghuys, said: “We welcome the experienced team from BUMA on-board and we look forward to a long and mutually prosperous partnership. BME is a critical building block in Bowen’s plans to become Australia’s next significant independent coking coal producer.

“The rapid start-up of production from BME will be a testament to the team’s ability to transform a green fields project into a producing mine in a short time frame. Bringing BME into production diversifies the Bowen production base and will be the first of a number of our metallurgical coal projects to be exported from the world-class Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal. It’s a great time to be bringing on our second producing asset in this extraordinary high priced environment.

“This agreement with BUMA puts Bowen in a very strong position to expand production further via a quick start-up of the larger, adjoining Burton mine post-transaction completion.”

Coal mined from BME will initially be hauled to Fitzroy Australia’s Carborough Downs coal handling and preparation plant where it will be washed and exported to global steel producers through the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal under an infrastructure access agreement.

BUMA Australia was established in 2021 to acquire the Open Cut Mining business of Downer. This acquisition included the transition of all people, mining services contracts, assets, systems and intellectual property from a business which has successfully provided mining and civil services in diverse locations and across many commodities for over 75 year including recent contracts with the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance and Stanwell.

NRW’s Golding subsidiary extends mining pact at Baralaba North PCI mine

Coal technology, Mine operation news, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , ,

NRW Holdings Limited says its Golding Contractors Pty Ltd subsidiary has received a Binding Letter of Intent to enter into a 5.5-year Mining Services Agreement with Wonbindi Coal Pty Ltd at the Baralaba North Mine in Queensland’s Bowen Basin.

The award is valued at approximately A$800 million ($592 million) and, the company says, continues the strong relationship between Golding and Wonbindi Coal Pty Ltd where Golding has provided the Contract Mining Services at the Baralaba North Mine over the last four years.

The scope of work remains the same and includes maintaining and operating a client owned fleet of equipment, producing an ultra-low volatile pulverised coal injection coal. The original contract included overall mine planning; the removal of topsoil; drilling, blasting, loading and hauling overburden; loading and hauling of coal; and handling coal through the crushing and screening plant.

The agreement will commence on July 1, 2022.

Liebherr R 9350, R 994B shovels arrive at Anthill copper project in line with Thiess mobilisation

Base metals, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , ,

Thiess says its Australia team has made major strides to mobilise at the Austral Resources-owned Anthill copper project in Queensland, Australia, following the award of a three-year mining services contract in December.

The scope of works includes loading and hauling waste and ore to meet the client’s growing development and production needs. Anthill Site Manager, Glen McDonald, recognised his team’s efforts, with the support of Thiess’ functional teams, to safely assemble people, equipment and support services over the past two months.

“We’ve consistently delivered on project milestones – safely, efficiently and with pride,” McDonald said. “This is recognition of our team’s ability to deliver and embed Thiess’ principles into how we work.”

He also recognised members of the team in Western Australia who flew to the project to support early creek diversion works.

“As a global business we are fortunate to be able to draw on expertise within and across state and international borders,” McDonald said. “Their multi-commodity knowledge and experience ensured we were able to complete the works on time and budget.”

The Thiess Anthill team is moving into the final stages of mobilisation recently welcoming new team members and a second fleet to the project.

“We’ve quickly mobilised and commissioned two excavators, including a Liebherr R 9350 and Liebherr R 994B, to support the site’s production requirements,” McDonald said. “This has enabled us to commence waste stripping and the construction of the ROM stockpile ready for ore mining in the coming months.

“These efforts are also ensuring our client is on track to produce 10,000 t of copper cathode from mid-2022.”

Anglo American commences first longwall shear at Aquila met coal mine

Automation, Coal technology, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , ,

Anglo American’s new Aquila mine has achieved its first longwall shear of steelmaking metallurgical coal on schedule and on budget, marking the project’s final stages of construction and commissioning, it says.

The Aquila mine, located near Middlemount in Central Queensland in Australia, extends the life of Anglo American’s existing Capcoal underground operations by seven years, after the company’s nearby Grasstree mine reached its end of life in recent weeks.

Themba Mkhwanazi, CEO of Bulk Commodities, said: “We have delivered the Aquila project on time and within our budgeted attributable cost of $226 million. This new mine will have a total average annual saleable production of around five million tonnes of premium quality hard coking coal and benefits from low capital intensity as we are using the existing infrastructure and systems from our adjacent operations. Aquila offers us highly attractive returns and margins at conservative long term consensus prices.”

Tyler Mitchelson, CEO of Anglo American’s Metallurgical Coal business, said: “Safely starting up longwall mining at Aquila Mine on our original schedule, despite the effects of the pandemic, is an important milestone for our Metallurgical Coal business and will support our ongoing contribution to both the Middlemount community, and Queensland’s economy. The mine uses our existing infrastructure at our Capcoal complex and supports around 600 ongoing operational roles for our Queensland-based workforce, including providing continuity of employment for our Grasstree mining team.”

The Aquila Mine has been developed as one of Australia’s most technologically advanced underground mines, leveraging Anglo American’s advancements in underground automation technology, remote operations and data analytics, the company says. The mine features two longwalls, allowing operations to continue without the downtime usually required for longwall moves. Both longwalls are fully remote-capable and will be sequentially operated from a site-based remote operations centre on the surface of the mine.

Anglo American’s Capcoal complex comprises Capcoal Open Cut Mine, Grasstree Mine, Aquila Mine, the Coal Handling and Preparation Plant and associated infrastructure. Aquila is owned 70% by Anglo American and 30% by Mitsui & Co. Ltd.

Austin Engineering ramps up APAC truck body expansion plans

Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , ,

Austin Engineering has announced what it says is a major expansion of its APAC truck body, final build and assembly locations with the establishment of six new partnerships located in Queensland, New South Wales and New Zealand.

In addition, Austin is to invest in additional sales and product support personnel in eastern Australia and New Zealand to support its expanded network.

Austin expects this new focus will give it a significant advantage in securing new customer orders and increase revenue in key locations across the Asia-Pacific region.

The company said it had successfully implemented the first stage of its global strategy to reduce operating costs across all operations, with this partnership expansion being the key next step to increase revenue through developing market share.

The partnerships are a continuation of the “hub-and-spoke” strategy being rolled out by Austin globally whereby Austin establishes a network of accredited “spokes” to support its major manufacturing centres, it explained. The partner firms are located close to key mining areas and will undertake the final assembly and customer delivery of truck bodies that are designed and partially built in Austin’s major APAC manufacturing facilities in either Perth, Australia, or Batam, Indonesia.

Austin has already established similar style partnerships and operations in North America, including a wholly-owned final assembly facility in Western Canada and a partnership with equipment manufacturer Melter in Mexico, to support its major US manufacturing centre in Casper, Wyoming.

In Austin’s 2021 financial year, truck bodies accounted for 63% of revenue in the APAC region. Under its Advanced Manufacturing strategy, Austin has completed significant design upgrades to its main line of truck bodies for its APAC markets to improve operational performance and improve shipping logistics, it said. The new hub-and-spoke partnerships will see overall shipping costs and supply chain complexities reduced, improving the performance and economics of Austin’s core offering, according to the company.

Austin CEO and Managing Director, David Singleton, said: “The reduction in operating expenses is already paying significant dividends and now our focus is moving to revenue enhancement.

“In this new phase of Austin – Austin 2.0 – we are looking at the world’s major mining regions to see how we better service our customers with market-leading products and enhanced customer support at commercially competitive rates. It is natural that we are now focusing on one of the largest truck fleets in the world, right on our doorstep in eastern Australia and New Zealand.

“Our newly established Canadian operation is already building its first seven truck bodies from kits built in Casper, whilst our partnership in Mexico was an essential element in securing new truck body orders in that region. We look forward to similarly rapid success in Australia and New Zealand.”

Glencore’s Mount Isa ops set for renewable power injection from APA Group

Base metals, Environmental, Mine operation news, Power supply for mines, Precious metals, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , ,

APA Group has reached a Final Investment Decision (FID) to build stage two of the Mica Creek Solar Farm in Mount Isa, Queensland, a decision that has brought with it an agreement to supply Glencore’s Mount Isa Mines copper-lead-zinc-silver operations in the state with renewable electricity.

The stage two investment is underpinned by a variation to the existing offtake agreement with APA customer Mount Isa Mines Limited (MIM), a Glencore company, according to APA. The variation adds a new service for the supply of electricity from the Mica Creek Solar Farm for 15 years, requiring additional capital expenditure by APA of around A$70 million ($49.8 million).

FID on stage two, which comprises 44 MW of additional solar power generation, follows APA’s announcement on November 1 that APA had reached FID on stage one of the Mica Creek Solar Farm and entered into an offtake agreement with MMG’s Dugald River operation to supply an initial 44 MW of renewable electricity to the miner. APA’s total investment for both stages of the works is estimated to be around A$150 million.

The second stage of the solar farm is to be co-located on the same site as stage one, near APA’s Diamantina Power Station Complex, on land which is leased from the Queensland Government. The solar farm is expected to be operational by mid-2023.

APA’s solar offtake agreement has been negotiated at a commercially competitive tariff, consistent with utility solar pricing, and will reduce the average delivered cost of power for MIM, APA said.

“This A$150 million investment will support APA’s vision for a world-leading hybrid energy grid in Mount Isa and our aspiration to support the further increases of renewable energy penetration for the region,” APA CEO and Managing Director, Rob Wheals, said.

“The support for the 88 MW Mica Creek Solar Farm demonstrates the enthusiasm of customers in the Mount Isa region for integrated energy solutions that can both meet their energy needs and help reduce their operational emissions.

“With continued strong interest from customers, APA is investigating a potential expansion for a third stage.”

Anglo American looks to leverage hydrogen power tech on Aurizon’s Moura rail corridor

Coal technology, Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Australia’s largest rail freight operator, Aurizon, and Anglo American have agreed to work together on a feasibility study to assess the introduction of hydrogen-powered trains for bulk freight.

Aurizon and Anglo American have entered into an agreement to conduct the study that will explore the application of Anglo American’s proprietary hydrogen fuel cell and battery hybrid power units in heavy haul freight rail operations. If the study is successful, the agreement between the two companies could be extended to further phases of collaboration, which could include detailed engineering and the development of a hydrogen-fuelled heavy haul locomotive prototype.

The feasibility study, commencing in January, will focus on the potential deployment of Anglo American’s hydrogen power technology on Aurizon’s Moura rail corridor that operates between Anglo American’s Dawson metallurgical coal mine and the Gladstone Port, and the Mount Isa rail corridor that operates between the North West Minerals Province to Townsville Port, via Aurizon’s Stuart Terminal. The study is expected to be completed in 2022.

As part of its commitment to carbon-neutral mines by 2040, Anglo American has developed green hydrogen solutions for its ultra-class 290-t payload mine haul trucking fleet. The company’s combination of powertrain technologies, designed to operate safely and effectively in real-world mine conditions, will displace the use of the majority of diesel at its mining operations, with an advanced trial of the prototype truck at its Mogalakwena platinum group metals mine in South Africa.

The decarbonisation of Aurizon’s supply chains is at the centre of its target to reach net zero operational emissions by 2050. The rail freight operator has also commenced research and development for battery-powered trains with a number of industry parties and Australian universities.

“Hydrogen offers enormous opportunity in decarbonising and continuing to improve the competitiveness of Australia’s export supply chains,” Aurizon’s Managing Director and CEO, Andrew Harding, said. “This is especially true for bulk products underpinning the Australian economy including minerals, agricultural products and fertilisers, industrials and general freight.

“Zero-carbon hydrogen-powered trains would also significantly boost the current environmental benefits of transporting more of Australia’s bulk freight on rail. Rail freight already produces up to 16 times less carbon pollution per tonne kilometre than road.”

He concluded: “Aurizon is excited to be teaming up with Anglo American on this project, particularly given their success to date in developing unique technology solutions for use in mine haul fleets.”

Tyler Mitchelson, CEO of Anglo American in Australia, said: “Anglo American has committed to carbon-neutral operations by 2040, and we are aiming to reduce our Scope 3 emissions by 50% in the same timeframe. We know that we cannot achieve all of this alone, so we are working with partners along our value chains and outside our industry to find technical solutions to decarbonise.

“This collaboration with Aurizon is a great example of the power of partnerships to help address the urgent issue of climate change, while we also look to catalyse new markets to support the development and growth of the hydrogen economy,” he said.

Tony O’Neill, Technical Director of Anglo American, added: “Our agreement with Aurizon marks the first time our hydrogen power technology could be tested beyond our existing mine haul truck program. Displacing our use of diesel is critical to eliminating emissions at our sites and along our value chain. We believe that our innovative hydrogen-led technology provides a versatile solution, whether for trucks or trains or other forms of heavy-duty transport.”

The North West Mineral Province contains about 75% of Queensland’s base metal and minerals, including copper, lead, zinc, silver, gold, cobalt and phosphate deposits, according to Anglo. The province also has the potential to become a globally significant supplier of high-quality vanadium to the energy storage and steel markets with a number of projects under assessment.

The 180 km Moura rail corridor from Dawson to the Gladstone port, and the 977 km Mt Isa rail corridor from Mt Isa to Townsville Port both use diesel-fuelled locomotives.

(Pictured from left to right: Mick de Brenni, Minister for Energy, Renewables and Hydrogen; Tyler Mitchelson, Deputy Premier, Steven Miles; and Andrew Harding)

Schlam books Hercules dump truck body order from BHP

Equipment maintenance, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , ,

Mining products and services provider, Schlam, has been awarded a multi-million-dollar national contract to supply its Hercules dump body to BHP Minerals Australia.

The tender will see Schlam continue to supply dump bodies to BHP Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO) sites and BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) sites in Queensland and New South Wales with its world-class trays.

The contract will generate revenue in excess of A$110 million ($79 million) for Schlam, it said.

The Hercules dump body was selected due to its lightweight design and durability, according to the Western Australia-based company.

“Our engineering team was challenged by their counterparts at BHP to push the limits of the Hercules’ design to lower its already light weight and increase payload further,” Schlam CEO, Matt Thomas, said. “This resulted in the development of a new Hercules design that is 20% lighter than other already class-leading Hercules models and is maintenance-free with up to six years of service life due to steel innovations.”

The contract gives Schlam confidence to push ahead with its national and international expansion plans in both the product and service side of the business, the company said.

Thomas said the award would see Schlam transform its manufacturing processes to use the latest technology and robotics, redefining the production methodology for the business.

“We are delivering on our promise to make mining equipment more productive,” he said. “Supplying the highest quality buckets and bodies in parallel with the talent we provide through our mechanical and fabrication services division, the business is going from strength to strength. As we edge closer to the end of 2021, the outlook for Schlam has never looked better.”

Wagners to haul McArthur River zinc-lead concentrate for Glencore

Base metals, Mine operation news, Mining services, , , , , , , , , ,

Following the completion of a competitive tender process, Wagners says it has secured a new haulage services contract with McArthur River Mining Pty Ltd (MRM), a subsidiary of Glencore, for the haulage of zinc and lead concentrate from McArthur River Mine, in Queensland, Australia, to the Bing Bong Loading Facility and the Mount Isa Mines metal processing facility.

Glencore owns and operates combined surface mining, underground mining, processing and smelting operations in Queensland and Northern Territory for the production of zinc, lead and copper concentrate. This includes the mine which is operated by MRM.

Wagners’ scope of works will include the loading of the zinc and lead concentrate at the mine and its haulage to both the Bing Bong Loading Facility and the processing facility in Mount Isa. The haulage services will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the term with haulage services planned to commence in December 2021.

Based on forecast haulage requirements, the contribution to the company’s revenue over the contract term is expected to be in the vicinity of A$33 million ($24 million), Wagners said. This will remain subject to the mine’s production and ability to make the required volume of material available to meet the haulage tonnage forecast.

Wagners’ Chief Executive Officer, Cameron Coleman, said: “Wagners has a long-standing relationship with Glencore and is very grateful to be provided with the opportunity to service the McArthur River Mine operations in the delivery of these haulage services, which is a new project for us. This project will provide many employment opportunities throughout both the Northern Territory and Queensland and will require substantial capital investment to increase our haulage fleet, demonstrating Wagners’ commitment to this area of our business and the resources sector.”