Tag Archives: South Australia

BHP to trial Epiroc Boomer M2 battery-electric jumbo at Olympic Dam mine

BHP has unveiled a battery-electric Epiroc Boomer M2 jumbo at its Olympic Dam mine in South Australia to help support the company’s target to reduce operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including by minimising reliance on diesel.

The 28.7-t, 14.5-m long battery-electric rig will be powered by a 150 kW traction motor and 150 kW battery system, eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from diesel-powered tramming. It will be tested for efficiency, productivity and comfort over the 12-month trial period, BHP said.

Jumbos are used in underground mining development to drill holes, which are then loaded with explosives and open up new areas. Post-blasting, jumbos install large bolts to stabilise mine walls. BHP currently operates 16 Epiroc jumbos at Olympic Dam.

The fully-electric machine will also break new ground in its user experience by reducing noise and vibration, and eliminating heat and the emissions of diesel particulate matter, the miner said.

Andrew Harris, General Manager Olympic Dam Mine, said: “The world is going to need a lot more of South Australia’s high-quality copper, and the team at Olympic Dam is behind our push to produce that copper more sustainably.

“Collaboration with supply partners like Epiroc will be critical to developing the technology required to reduce emissions, while ensuring we continue to improve the safety and productivity of our operations. I can’t wait to see what this new fully-electric jumbo can do.”

BHP’s Group Procurement Officer, James Agar, said: “The fully-electric jumbo is yet another innovation that will support our progress towards achieving our medium-term target of reducing operational greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by financial year 2030.”

Alisa Bennett, Underground Business Manager for Epiroc Australia and Mongolia, said: “Epiroc are excited to partner with BHP in a new era of electrification in Australia. Epiroc’s ambitious sustainability targets like halved carbon emissions by 2030 matches BHP’s sustainability agenda well. The Boomer M2 Battery rig will facilitate a healthier and safer underground working environment for our customers without compromising on productivity.”

BHP has a medium-term target to reduce operational GHG gas emissions by at least 30% by the 2030 fincial year, from a financial year 2020 baseline. Approximately 40% of BHP’s operational emissions in its baseline year came from diesel-powered vehicles.

The trial of the jumbo also supports BHP’s efforts to minimise the operational impact of diesel particulate matter in underground mining operations by 2025, as part of BHP’s participation in the International Council on Mining and Metals’ Innovation for Cleaner, Safer Vehicles initiative.

The fully-electric jumbo trial builds on electric vehicle initiatives at Nickel West in Western Australia, Olympic Dam in South Australia and BMA’s Broadmeadow mine in Queensland. BHP is also collaborating with Caterpillar Inc and Komatsu to develop zero-emissions electrified haul trucks, and battery-electric locomotives with Wabtec Corporation and Progress Rail.

BHP has also signed Power Purchase Agreements to source renewable power for a number of its operations in Chile, Queensland, South Australia (with Iberdrola and Neoen) and Western Australia. BHP also has customer decarbonisation partnerships with steelmakers in China, Japan, Korea, India and Europe, which collectively represent around 17% of reported global steel production capacity.

BHP eyes South Australian copper basin consolidation with latest OZ Minerals offer

BHP has submitted a revised non-binding indicative proposal to the Board of OZ Minerals Limited (OZL) that, subject to a successful four-week due dilligence period, could see the major miner acquire the mid-tier base metal-focused miner.

The offer to acquire 100% of OZ Minerals by way of a scheme of arrangement for a cash price of A$28.25/share ($18.9/share) is a 13% increase on the offer BHP previously put forwad and was rejected by the OZ Minerals Board. It, according to BHP, represents the best and final price the mining major is willing to offer under, in the absence of a competing proposal.

The OZ Minerals Board has confirmed to BHP that it intends to unanimously recommend the revised proposal to OZ Minerals shareholders as being in their best interests in the absence of a superior proposal, subject to the parties entering into a binding scheme implementation agreement (SIA) following completion of BHP’s confirmatory due diligence and an independent expert concluding that the revised proposal is in the best interests of OZ Minerals shareholders, it said.

The proposed transaction, valuing OZ Minerals at an enterprise value of A$9.6 billion, is expected to deliver significant value creation for both BHP and OZ Minerals shareholders, BHP says, explaining that OZ Minerals shareholders would receive an offer price significantly above trading levels and average broker price targets, prior to BHP’s initial proposal on August 5, 2022. At the same time, BHP shareholders would gain increased exposure to future-facing commodities, adding copper and nickel resources that are essential to support the global megatrends of decarbonisation and electrification.

The deal would also create a South Australian copper basin, which, according to BHP, could unlock potential operational synergies due to the proximity of OZ Minerals’ Carrapateena and Prominent Hill operations with BHP’s existing Olympic Dam asset (pictured) and Oak Dam development resource.

The West Musgrave project, meanwhile, will add a large greenfield nickel option to BHP’s Nickel West premier nickel sulphide resource position in Western Australia.

BHP has now entered into a Confidentiality and Exclusivity Deed with OZ Minerals in relation to the revised proposal. This has seen OZ Minerals grant BHP four weeks to undertake exclusive confirmatory due diligence and negotiate a binding SIA reflecting the key terms of the revised proposal. The four-week period is expected to commence on or around November 21, 2022.

BHP CEO, Mike Henry, said: “BHP’s proposal represents a highly compelling offer for OZ Minerals shareholders, providing certainty at a time of macroeconomic uncertainty and market volatility, and increasing risks for the industry.

“The combination of BHP and OZ Minerals’ assets, skills and technical expertise provides a unique opportunity not available under separate ownership, with complementary resources including the Oak Dam exploration prospect and existing facilities within close proximity, backed by BHP’s strong balance sheet, capital discipline and commitment to sustainable development.”

OZ Minerals Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Cole, said: “BHP’s revised proposal is a clear reflection of OZ Minerals’ unique set of highly strategic, quality assets in quality jurisdictions and an enviable multi-generational growth pipeline of copper and nickel
assets in strong demand due to global electrification. We look forward to working with BHP in a collaborative way to progress the revised proposal in the best interests of OZ Minerals’ and its stakeholders.”

Hawsons Iron and Flinders Ports engage in greenfield port option talks in South Australia

Hawsons Iron Ltd says it has signed a legally binding agreement with Flinders Ports Pty Ltd to co-operate on the potential development and operation of a greenfield port at Myponie Point Port on South Australia’s eastern Spencer Gulf.

The scope of the agreement, formalising the terms of an earlier non-binding Memorandum of Understanding, has been expanded to include evaluation of lower tonnage options using existing rail
and port infrastructure and possibly scaling production and export options over time.

Hawsons Managing Director, Bryan Granzien, said the terms of the agreement reflected the board’s decision to slow the pace of work on the 20 Mt/y bankable feasibility study (BFS).

“Importantly, this agreement will enable us to collaboratively assess and agree on the optimum achievable port to support a revised BFS, if required, including consideration of potential short- and long-term solutions for our preferred site at Myponie Point,” he said.

“Flinders Ports fully understands our decision to consider scaling up the project’s production output and using existing rail and port infrastructure initially to reduce capital costs, and they could not be any more supportive.”

Granzien said options for Myponie Point included using the existing rail network and the construction of initial port infrastructure to support a barging operation during the first stage of the project’s development.

“This approach at Myponie Point could deliver the best of both worlds through a lower output start-up operation at a lower capital cost and a clear pathway forward to expand production to 20 million tonnes per annum using the direct to port underground slurry pipeline,” he said.

Under the terms of the agreement and subject to further agreement in final transaction documents, Flinders Ports would construct, own and operate the proposed Myponie Point Port – reducing the Hawsons Iron project’s capital requirements, while enabling the company to participate in future growth as the port’s ‘cornerstone’ customer.

Granzien said Flinders Ports was equally committed to meeting environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards and embedding ESG considerations in business processes and decision-making wherever possible.

“This milestone agreement with an operator of Flinders Ports’ calibre is an important step to our goal of meeting demand for high-grade products so essential for decarbonising steelmaking,” he
said.

Flinders Port Holdings Chief Executive Officer, Stewart Lammin, said: “This agreement with Hawsons reflects our ongoing commitment to facilitating large-scale export projects from South Australia by leveraging existing infrastructure and exploring the development of new ports where necessary.

“The Hawsons project is an exciting prospect and aligns with our Sustainability Plan and aim to develop sustainable supply chains that meet the growing expectations of the market.”

The Hawsons Iron Project is some 60 km southwest of Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia, in the emerging Braemar Iron Province. Prefeasibility Study results for the project, which was completed in 2017, showed that it is capable of producing the world’s highest-grade iron product (70% Fe), making it the world’s leading undeveloped high-quality iron ore concentrate and pellet feed project, the company says.

BHP partners with Neoen on Olympic Dam renewable power pact

BHP says it has signed a renewable Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Neoen, which is expected to meet half of Olympic Dam’s electricity needs from its 2026 financial year.

The agreement, which is based on current forecast demand, will allow Olympic Dam to record a net zero emission position for the contracted volume of supply, according to BHP.

The PPA is expected to supply 70 MW of electricity to Olympic Dam and will support Neoen to construct the 203 MW Goyder South Stage 1b Wind Farm, assuming all relevant consents are obtained, BHP said. This wind farm is to form part of the larger Goyder Renewables Zone in South Australia, and will introduce new renewable generation into the South Australian electricity grid.

In addition, Neoen will construct a large-scale battery energy storage system in Blyth, South Australia, to support the PPA, which will also assist in improving the stability of the South Australian electricity grid.

Goyder South Stage 1, consisting of Goyder South 1a and 1b, is the first stage of Neoen’s flagship project known as Goyder Renewables Zone – a hybrid wind, solar and storage project located in mid-north South Australia. Goyder South has development approval for a total of 1,200 MW of wind generation, 600 MW of solar generation and 900 MW of battery storage capacity – making it South Australia’s largest renewable project.

BHP Olympic Dam Asset President, Jennifer Purdie, said: “The world needs South Australia’s high-quality copper to build renewable technologies and infrastructure, and BHP is focused on producing that copper more sustainably.”

“This agreement will support BHP on its decarbonisation journey, and provide new firmed renewable energy and increased stability to the South Australian grid.”

This latest agreement follows commitments BHP has made in recent years, which have seen renewable electricity contribute to powering BHP facilities in Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and Chile.

This PPA continues the actions BHP is taking to contribute to its medium-term target to reduce operational greenhouse gas emissions (Scopes 1 and 2 from its operated assets) by at least 30% from adjusted 2020 financial year levels by its 2030 financial year.

BHP’s Chief Commercial Officer, Vandita Pant, said: “BHP is consciously working towards our target of at least a 30% reduction in our operational emissions by FY2030. Renewable energy partnerships, such as this agreement with Neoen, are important steps towards that outcome, and our longer-term 2050 net zero goal.”

Louis de Sambucy, Neoen Australia’s Managing Director, said: “We are delighted to provide BHP with this highly innovative solution. We are convinced that our ability to combine our assets and our energy management capabilities to create bespoke commercial offers will be a key element of success for our future developments.”

Xavier Barbaro, Neoen’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, added: “We thank BHP for their vote of confidence. Thanks to its storage assets and deep expertise, Neoen is now able to offer 24/7 energy to its customers. This first baseload PPA is a significant step forward for Neoen and will serve as a template for future contracts, opening up new market opportunities in Australia and in the rest of the world.”

Neoen, BHP says, is one of the world’s leading independent producers of exclusively renewable energy, having close to 5.6 GW of solar, wind and storage capacity in operation or under construction across numerous countries.

Byrnecut to use six Sandvik 18-t-payload BEVs at OZ Minerals mines

Leading Australia-based contract miner Byrnecut is embracing the many benefits of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) by purchasing six Sandvik battery-powered loaders with AutoMine® for use at OZ Minerals’ operations in South Australia.

Under a deal with Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, Byrnecut will take delivery of the LHDs in 2023 and 2024 for use at the Prominent Hill copper, gold and silver mine, south-west of Coober Pedy, and the Carrapateena copper and gold mine, north of Port Augusta. Byrnecut has been engaged by OZ Minerals to provide underground mining services at the mines and currently has a fleet of Sandvik LH621i loaders equipped with autonomous solutions operating on both sites.

We’re excited to be leading the way with battery-electric vehicles in Australia by putting these six Sandvik loaders into service over the next two years,” Max Woods, Asset Manager for Byrnecut, said. “Not only will the use of electric vehicles significantly improve the working environment underground, but it will also help our customers to work toward their emissions reduction goals – something that is increasingly important in the mining sector.”

Woods says the purchase of the electric loaders is part of Byrnecut’s commitment to explore and embrace new technologies that make its operations safer, more efficient and more sustainable.

“Eliminating emissions from loaders from the underground environment helps us create a better workplace, as does AutoMine technology that enables operators to work from comfortable remote control rooms,” he said.

Another major benefit to Byrnecut is the anticipated increased performance the new loaders could provide, Sandvik says.

The company worked closely with Sandvik prior to purchase to model various application scenarios, including both manual and automated operation.

“We’re expecting the loaders to provide greater throughput in both manual and automated modes while delivering a similar total cost of ownership per tonne delivered to their predecessors,” Woods says.

The new Sandvik loaders are also expected to bring major cost savings across their entire lifecycles, according to Woods. They are likely to require fewer replacement parts than their predecessors, and servicing is also more efficient and simpler.

Sandvik 18-t battery loaders are the most compact on the market, according to the OEM. The powerful electric motors, innovative electric driveline and the smaller tyres on the rear compared with the front, result in a small machine size, high payload with good visibility and unmatched speeds.

Battery machines produce no underground exhaust emissions and significantly less heat than traditional diesel engines, supporting the mines to reach sustainability targets, through reduced CO2 emissions.

Andrew Dawson, Business Line Manager for Load & Haul at Sandvik, praised Byrnecut for helping to pioneer the use of BEVs in Australia.

“The first Sandvik battery-electric loaders only began arriving in the country about a year ago, and the interest has been extremely strong,” he says. “We’re very pleased that Byrnecut and Oz Minerals see the benefits of this technology and is demonstrating it to the rest of the industry. We have always had an excellent working relationship with Byrnecut and look forward to cooperating with them throughout the roll-out and beyond.”

OZ Minerals backs in-situ copper-gold recovery project

OZ Minerals has committed funds to support in-situ recovery (ISR) research at the Kapunda copper-gold ISR project in South Australia, putting the project owners closer to outlining the potential economic extraction of copper resources via ISR.

Kapunda is being steered by EnviroCopper Ltd, which, itself, has a joint venture in place with tenement holder Terramin to earn up to a 75% interest in the mineral rights over metals which may be recovered via ISR.

As part of the agreement with OZ Minerals, the company has committed to A$2.5 million ($1.75 million) over 18 months to support ISR research at the Kapunda project, according to Thor Mining, which as a 30% interest in EnviroCopper.

This funding will continue studies into the potential economic extraction of copper resources via ISR, with collaboration between the two companies kicking off this quarter.

EnviroCopper plans to develop a Mining Lease application for the Kapunda project, which, from 2018-2021, was subject to extensive research into solving existing knowledge gaps in the ISR industry. Funded by a Cooperative Research Centres (CRC) Program Grant from the Dept of Industry, Innovation and Science to the total value of A$6 million (cash and in-kind), EnviroCopper partnered with industry, CSIRO and University of Adelaide to carry out this work.

The key objective was to research the core values of environmental, social and economic impacts of ISR mining, a proven method of metal recovery that has been used for over 50 years and, with recent technological improvements, is being considered for the recovery of metals like gold and copper from mineral deposits that can not be mined by conventional methods.

Kapunda is a town with a rich mining history, growing from Australia’s first ever commercial copper mine in the 1840s. Even though the mine ceased production in the early 1900s, successive mining companies have looked at recovering the remaining copper over time, but, due to the proximity to town, conventional mining would not be possible. ISR mining is a possible solution to extracting this remaining copper in an environmentally- and community-sensitive manner.

Zero Automotive overcoming barriers with BEV conversion offering

Zero Automotive is one of several Australia-based companies looking to supply the clean and green light utility vehicles the domestic hard-rock sector requires over the next decades to achieve crucial sustainability goals while retaining high productivity levels.

Thanks to the support of a significant copper-gold miner in Australia, its membership of the Electric Mine Consortium (EMC) and METS Ignited backing, the company finds itself in a strong position to deliver these machines against a backdrop of supply chain issues and ever-evolving safety and regulatory requirements.

“We’ve got commitments for six machines altogether and are in the process of offering our production version to the market,” Dan Taylor, Business Development Manager for Zero Automotive, says.

The first and second units are already running at OZ Minerals’ Carrapateena copper-gold mine in South Australia – Zero Automotive’s home state.

The first machine – a ZED70 Ti™ battery-electric light vehicle – was originally delivered to the mine at the back end of 2020 for testing. After successful trials, the company acquired this unit outright and, in early-2022, added a second Zero Automotive ZED70 Ti to enable its workforce to familiarise themselves with the capabilities and charging methodology that come with electric light utility vehicles.

Since then, the company has delivered a third ZED70 Ti conversion to Barminco, which is now on site at its client IGO Ltd’s Nova nickel-copper-cobalt operation in Western Australia. This vehicle is the first single cab conversion developed by Zero Automotive and will be deployed to site foremen to allow the mining contractor to gain a good understanding of its capabilities.

All three of these machines – and the three to follow – are based off battery-electric conversions of the Toyota LandCruiser 79 Series, a vehicle that has been part of the Australian mining landscape for many years.

The modular nature of the Zero Automotive platform enables its long-life battery energy system to be reused in multiple chassis, lowering the total lifecycle cost of the fleet as well as the cost of Scope 1 emissions, according to the company.

They also include dual AC-DC charging with the CCS Combo2 connection, which is becoming increasingly standardised in the mining space.

Data and feedback from the second OZ Minerals machine and the initial Barminco vehicle will be fed back into the EMC ecosystem under the Light and Auxiliary Equipment Working Group as part of the consortium’s continual improvement and knowledge sharing remit.

The EMC said of the consortium’s ongoing light and auxiliary equipment electrification ambitions: “Converting light and auxiliary vehicles as rapidly as possible to electric is key to the industry building the broader understanding and familiarity with electric equipment and infrastructure that will accelerate adoption across all aspects of operations.”

The EMC is a growing group of over 20 mining and service companies driven by the imperative to produce zero-emission products for their customers and meet mounting investor expectations. The objective of the EMC, backed by METS Ignited, is to accelerate progress toward the zero-carbon and zero-particulate mine.

The following three machines are also expected to be deployed to EMC members, with METS Ignited agreeing to provide some A$400,000 ($297,938) of funding towards the diesel-to-battery conversion projects outside of the vehicles already delivered to OZ Minerals.

“The key thing with all of these vehicle deployments is the ZED70 Ti being able to do the job the miners need to perform safely and reliably, getting the associated charging infrastructure right and working with key stakeholders on the change management process,” Dave Mitchell, founder and CEO of Zero Automotive, says. “Operators also need to get used to the power under the hood and how to maximise the battery re-charging capabilities when going down ramp.

“As a matter of course, we train up and educate the sites about the best way to utilise these vehicles,” he said.

To this point, the two prototype vehicles already operating out at Carrapateena have shown that they can work for a typical shift without requiring a re-charge and can then utilise the battery’s AC/DC-DC fast-charge option during shift changeover to enable another user to run the machine for the following shift.

The use of LTO (Lithium Titanate Oxide) battery chemistry and a 60-kWh battery capacity has been behind this performance. This electric motor can generate continuous power of 75 kW and peak power of 134 kW, plus 358 Nm of continuous torque. These values will be increased to 100 kW, 200 kW and 520 Nm (1,200 Nm peak) for the production version.

To this point, the power dimension has often been the main metric quoted with any battery-electric machine, but Taylor pointed out that safety and regulatory considerations were often the biggest barriers to overcome in terms of getting machines operating at underground mines – a hurdle that Zero Automotive has cleared.

“We were able to successfully commission our second ZED70 Ti for OZ Minerals within two days of the machine arriving on site,” he said. “A lot of people are putting out offerings for light utility vehicles, but the required risk analysis in terms of deploying a vehicle underground has not been successfully worked through. This is rightfully a high bar to clear.

“We address any safety or regulatory considerations during our design process – not when the machine is on site – to make sure that operators can start using them quickly.”

Mitchell adds: “The user case is what we are focused on. That has allowed us to scale our offering quickly and ensure our clients can start running the machine underground as soon as they have it on site.”

Zero Automotive is expecting to deploy the other three machines on its books to the same companies (OZ Minerals and Barminco), but the final two machines of the six to be delivered will be under a revised platform to the original ZED70 Ti.

“It will be a platform that is designed from the ground up that incorporates the desired features and learnings from the first conversions, but we will simplify it to reduce complexity, weight and cost,” Mitchell said. “We’re sticking with the same battery configuration – which has proven itself in terms of power, safety and longevity – but we’re adding some auxiliary power outputs and ensuring the machine is multi-purpose.”

The latter element is tied to the company’s medium-to-long-term ambitions, which include the potential to supply battery-electric machines specific to the extended range space too.

For now, Zero Automotive is focused on getting its machines underground at hard-rock operations, ensuring operators and mining companies start realising the productivity and emission benefits that come with these zero-emission conversions.

Thiess named preferred mining services provider for Rex’s Hillside copper-gold project

Thiess says it has been named preferred mining services provider for the Hillside copper-gold project on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia.

Rex Minerals Ltd, owner of the project, has notified Thiess of its intention to enter into exclusive negotiations to finalise the terms of a five-year mining contract.

Subject to a contract being concluded, which Rex says is expected to occur by the end of the year, Thiess is expected to deliver mining services and operate and maintain mining fleets to support the greenfield copper operation.

Rex says it plans to mine the open-pit orebody in five stages with selective ore mining and stockpiling. Average total rock movement from the open pit is expected to be 60 Mt/y.

Thiess, Rex says, has shown genuine willingness to join the company and drive down project costs, including:

  • Developing appropriate and flexible mining equipment options;
  • The early integration of personnel to assist with the project planning including optimal mine infrastructure area (MIA) layouts, and;
  • Use of Thiess’ proven HSE systems to further de-risk the project with a planned commencement in early 2023.

Thiess Executive Chair & CEO, Michael Wright, said: “We are delighted to be taking the next steps towards a partnership with Rex Minerals on the Hillside project. In line with our strategy to diversify our commodities and services, we are positioning Thiess at the forefront of sustainable mining. We share Rex Minerals’ belief in the significant contribution that metals make to a renewable future, and to the local communities and broader economy.”

Thiess Executive General Manager for Australia West, Spencer Jose, said: “We look forward to collaborating with Rex Minerals, the Narungga People, local businesses and the community to deliver safe, strong operational performance and sustainable outcomes for all of our people and stakeholders.”

Mining services are expected to commence in July 2023, subject to finalisation of contracts.

Hawsons Iron takes another step towards securing export for Supergrade magnetite concentrate

Hawsons Iron Ltd says it has signed a two-year option agreement to purchase three contiguous parcels of land suitable for developing an export facility for its namesake project at Myponie Point on South Australia’s eastern Spencer Gulf.

The agreement gives Hawsons the right to purchase the three blocks of land totalling 1,000 acres (405 ha), for A$14 million ($9.7 million) at any time within two years of the execution date.

A full Bankable Feasibility Study (BFS) for the Hawsons Iron Project is underway and scheduled to be completed by the end of 2022. The Hawsons orebody’s softness, relative to ‘hard rock’ magnetite orebodies found in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, offers clear commercial advantage, the company says. It requires less energy during crushing and grinding to extract the magnetite concentrate, while a higher, 70% Fe grade is achieved because the ore is easily separated from impurities and waste.

The company has defined a 2012 JORC-compliant resource of 3,060 Mt at 13.1% Davis Tube Recovery (DTR) at a 6% cutoff for 400 Mt of concentrate with a planned production rate of 10-20 Mt/y over a 20-plus-year mine life.

Managing Director, Bryan Granzien, said the export facility agreement strategically underpinned the Memorandum of Understanding executed earlier with Flinders Ports Pty Ltd, moving Hawsons closer again to its goal of supplying high-grade products, essential for decarbonising steelmaking.

“This agreement secures a crucial export site required for the planning and development of our 20 Mt/y project and, importantly, provides significant additional space to accommodate expansion of the Myponie Point Port into a multi-user, bulk commodity export facility,” he said.

“Now that we have identified our port location, planning and detailed design work can continue on the deep-water port facility and the underground slurry pipeline from Broken Hill, including all approvals and land access agreements along the 392-km pipeline route.”

Granzien said Hawsons stood to gain from an opportunity to participate in the future growth of the Myponie Point Port as its ‘cornerstone’ customer by securing additional space required to support development and expansion. Myponie Point Port is expected to be ready to start exporting Hawsons’ Hawsons Supergrade® magnetite concentrate by the second half of 2024.

ZERO Automotive commissions second battery-electric ZED70 Ti at Carrapateena

ZERO Automotive has delivered its second ZED70 Ti battery-electric conversion to OZ Minerals at Carrapateena in South Australia.

This vehicle was successfully commissioned within a day after a prior inspection and collaboration with the underground operations team, according to ZERO Automotive.

This latest addition to the OZ Minerals zero emissions fleet has dual AC/DC-DC charging with the CCS Combo2 connection, and an In-Vehicle Monitoring System. This provides the capability to monitor the battery status remotely, the company said.

The first ZED70 Ti became one of the first Australia-made street legal light electric vehicles to enter an underground mine after making a trip into the Tjati Decline at Carrapateena back in early 2021.