Tag Archives: Western Australia

Bellevue Gold appoints NRW Holdings Limited as open-pit mining contractor

Mineral project development, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , ,

Bellevue Gold says it has awarded the open-pit mining and tailings facility construction contract for its namesake mine in Western Australia to a subsidiary of NRW Holdings Limited.

The contract has a total value of circa-A$24 million ($16 million), which Bellevue says is in line with the pre-production capital expenditure forecast.

Mining at the Vanguard open pit is set to commence in late March-early April 2023 and will offer Bellevue the opportunity to generate early cashflow via a toll treating arrangement, it says. Once mined, waste material from Vanguard will form the basis of the tailings facility.

Vanguard is scheduled to provide approximately 10,000 oz of gold, which will be available for processing in mid-2023, well in advance of the completion of the Bellevue processing facility. The company is exploring toll treatment options with mining companies in the region and discussions remain ongoing.

As part of the company’s plan to accelerate underground development and bring on additional ore sources, commencement of the Tribune boxcut will also be brought forward to open up the Tribune mining front.

The addition of the Tribune ore source will increase the number of active working fronts to five in the first year of production, further de-risking the production outlook by providing another independent mining area. Strategically, this will also provide options for drilling the southern extensions of the orebody from underground and allow for a top-down mining method, which will provide the most efficient method of accessing the orebody, according to Bellevue Gold.

The Tribune boxcut is scheduled to commence immediately after completion of the Vanguard open pit. This will create a considerable saving on de-mobilisation and mobilisation costs of the open pit mining fleet.

Construction of the 1 Mt/y nameplate processing facility, being built by GR Engineering, continues to advance on schedule and budget, meanwhile. Bulk and detailed earthworks for the processing plant site have all been fully completed, structural concrete on all critical infrastructure foundations has also been completed with only very minor concrete works remaining. The erection of structural steel for the crushing circuit is well advanced, while both secondary and tertiary crushers are on site and ready for installation. Work is continuing on critical path carbon-in-leach tanks, with five now at full height and well ahead of schedule.

The first two delivery lots of the three for the ball mill and components have landed in Perth ready for transport to site with a third due to land this quarter, well ahead of critical path requirements.

Underground development remains on track with full ramp up of the third jumbo achieved during January 2023. All three jumbos maintained full shift production, achieving >300m per jumbo per month on mostly capital development. Ore development is underway at the Armand work area, while capital development continues to advance towards the Bellevue South/Viago, Deacon Main and Marceline production areas.

Grade control drilling activities are ongoing with two underground diamond rigs operating at the Armand, Marceline and Bellevue South areas. Recent drilling has continued to reinforce the geological model and further de-risk the resources ahead of mining. A third underground rig has commenced targeting resource/reserve growth mainly at the Deacon Lode.

BHP and bp collaborate on HVO mining equipment trial at Yandi

Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , ,

BHP is trialling the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) to help power mining equipment at its Yandi iron ore operations in Western Australia.

Supplied through a collaboration with bp, the renewable diesel made from HVO will be used in haul trucks and other mining equipment over an initial three-month trial period, the miner says.

BHP Western Australia Iron Ore (WAIO) Asset President, Brandon Craig, said: “About 40% of BHP’s operational greenhouse gas emissions come from using diesel fuel, and this is a core focus of our decarbonisation strategy. Ultimately, our aim is to have fully-electric trucking fleets at our sites, but alternative fuels like HVO may help us reduce our emissions in the meantime while the electrification transition takes place.

“This collaboration with the teams at Yandi and bp is really exciting to see, given the potential application in our WAIO business and BHP’s operations globally.”

bp President Australia, and SVP Fuels and Low Carbon Solutions, Asia Pacific, Frederic Baudry, said: “bp’s ambition to be a net-zero company by 2050 or sooner, and to help the world get to net zero, recognises the crucial role bp has to play in the energy transition.

“Globally, bp plans to increase its investment in low-carbon energy. Forging strategic partnerships with companies like BHP enables bp to create solutions that satisfy the increasing demand for lower carbon fuels in sectors like mining and transport.”

BHP has a medium-term target to reduce operational greenhouse gas emissions by at least 30% by its 2030 financial year, from an FY2020 baseline. Approximately 40% of BHP’s operational emissions in its FY2020 baseline year came from diesel-powered equipment.

The HVO is to have internationally recognised certification as being sourced from more sustainable feedstocks such as waste products.

Perenti secures largest ever Australia surface mining contract at KCGM’s Fimiston mine

Explosives and blasting, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , , , ,

Perenti Limited says its Ausdrill subsidiary has been awarded a new surface miningcontract at the Northern Star Resources-owned Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines (KCGM) Fimiston open-pit gold mine in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.

The new circa-A$160 million ($110 million), 60-month contract incorporates activities that commenced March 1, 2022, and will continue to March 2027.

Ausdrill has been contracted to provide up to 14 production blasthole drill rigs to support ongoing operations.

Given the scale and quality of its existing Ausdrill fleet, Perenti does not expect any new capital outlay to support this contract, it said.

Mark Norwell, Managing Director & CEO of Perenti, said “We continue to remain focused on supporting the families, friends, and colleagues of Trevor and Dylan following the tragic incident at the MMG-owned and Barminco-operated, Dugald River mine in Queensland last week. However, over the weekend Ausdrill executed a material contract and in-line with our disclosure obligations, we are providing the market with an update.

“We have secured our largest ever surface contract in Australia, which continues our relationship at one of Ausdrill’s first ever projects. We are very proud to be part of Kalgoorlie’s history and we look forward to continuing to deliver certainty and value for Northern Star, our employees and business partners.”

He added: “Since the release of our operational update on 19 December 2022, we have continued to deliver on our strategic objectives and while we have seen some strengthening of the Australian dollar relative to the US dollar, we have seen overall margin improvement and continued to win or extend existing contracts, positively resolve commercial negotiations and further simplify our business. Market conditions continue to remain favourable into the second half of financial year 2023 in support of further delivery against our 2025 strategy. We look forward to providing additional details when we release our first half 2023 results tomorrow.”

Paul Muller, President Contract Mining at Perenti, said “Ausdrill began with two drill rigs in 1987 at the Fimiston mine. Since then, Ausdrill has continued to expand its services to include blast hole and grade control drilling, utilising a fleet of drill rigs specifically designed and manufactured (in-house) to meet the unique specifications required by the Fimiston open-pit mine.

“We look forward to continuing to provide our value-add expertise to the KCGM operations while extending our long-standing relationship with our local and regional stakeholders.”

Duratec to carry out structural works at Rio Tinto Pilbara ops

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

Australian engineering, construction and remediation contractor Duratec Limited says it has been awarded A$34 million ($24 million) in Master Service Agreement (MSA) projects with Hamersley Iron Pty Ltd, a Rio Tinto subsidiary.

These projects consist of the structural integrity remediation at the Tom Price operation (A$18 million) and the structural integrity remediation at East Intercourse Island (A$16 million), both of which are projects that require Duratec’s specialist service offering, it says.

These contracts also demonstrate the company’s strategic growth into annuity contracts within the resources sector.

These notable project awards, coupled with a record high level of enquiry into Duratec’s service offering through its Pilbara, Goldfields, Northern Territory and Queensland Mining & Industrial operations, have contributed to Duratec’s Mining & Industrial (M&I) orderbook strengthening to A$124 million, it said.

Duratec’s Managing Director, Phil Harcourt, said: “It is pleasing to see the company’s efforts to strengthen its orderbook by targeting opportunities with key repeat clients in the M&I segment being rewarded. M&I now represents 23% of the company’s overall orderbook, which will ensure it is positioned strongly for the current financial year and beyond – in line with the business strategy.”

ZERO Automotive brings newest ZED70 Ti BEV to IGO’s Nova project

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

ZERO Automotive has delivered what it refers to as an ultra-safe ZED70 Ti battery-electric converted utility vehicle, using LTO battery technology that does not suffer from thermal runaway, to Independence Group’s Nova nickel-copper-cobalt operation in Western Australia.

This is the second convered vehicle, and the first dual cab, for Barminco, the contractor at Nova.

Like the first delivery, this conversion also allows for ultra-fast charging and maintains the highest torque rating for a mining-spec battery-electric vehicle by a factor of one-and-a-half times, the company says. Site integration activities with charging infrastructure and data capture will be the focus in the coming months, with the installation of the Geotab GO9 telematic device allowing for vehicle monitoring and tracking.

This is the third vehicle delivered with METS Ignited support previously awarded to ZERO Automotive. It also forms part of the trials being undertaken by Barminco in its role as lead of the Electric Mine Consortium light and auxiliary vehicle working group, of which ZERO Automotive is also a participant.

The next conversion for Barminco will be its upgraded production platform, which will provide available torque of 267% greater than its closest competitor, and allows for faster charging, ZERO Automotive says.

Minnovare’s Production Optimiser gold output, sustainability benefits highlighted by Gangemi

Environmental, Mining equipment, Mining services, Mining software, Precious metals, Sustainable mining, , , , , , ,

One of Australia’s leading decarbonisation and sustainability experts says Western Australian gold producers are not moving fast enough to reduce carbon emissions.

“Some are leading in the carbon space, but most are slow in implementation,” Adam Gangemi, Managing Director of Super Smart Energy, an environmental services company based in Perth, said. “It is time to see more action.”

Gangemi says there are cost-effective solutions to reduce emissions on mine sites that will impact the bottom line, but mining organisations aren’t taking advantage of the technology options that are available on their doorstep.

Speaking on a recent webinar, Gangemi said a Western Australian innovation, Minnovare’s underground drilling optimisation technology, the Production Optimiser, was increasing drilling efficiency, resulting in reduced CO2 emissions, and enabling companies to drill faster, cheaper and more sustainably.

“Minnovare’s Production Optimiser is one of the better solutions that’s come across my desk,” he said. “Even small projects can get big bang for their buck. This drilling solution is one example where a small investment can deliver a 10-fold return through increased production, and significantly avoid those mine site emissions simultaneously.

“Not having to haul or process waste material is a smart way to do this and it is delivering huge results not only from an emissions perspective (thousands of CO2 per year) but also increasing production. If we start to look at opportunities that will both increase production and have the benefit of reducing emissions, this will be a no brainer for underground mining companies.”

Gangemi compared a range of Western Australia Goldfields producers and found that most could be saving anywhere between 1,000 to 8,000 t of CO2 emissions each year by using the Minnovare technology.

“By using the Production Optimiser on site, you drill more accurately and that means more gold on the trucks, less waste and a significant reduction in emissions,” he said. “If we talk about avoiding even 1,000 t of emissions, a WA gold producer could be taking the equivalent of 300 Hilux utes (utility vehicles) off the road every year.”

To demonstrate the emissions savings, Minnovare has launched a new Environmental Impact Calculator, allowing mining companies to quickly compute the emissions they could avoid on site by using the technology.

The Minnovare calculator shows how CO2 emissions are reduced through improved drilling accuracy and uses the company’s own data to forecast emission savings across an operation.

Gangemi’s benchmarking of Australian gold miners showed a greenhouse gas emissions intensity range between 0.2-1.7 t CO2-e/oz of gold.

Mick Beilby, Director and co-Founder of Minnovare, said: “We know the industry wants sustainable outcomes. Through using our technology, companies will achieve less dilution and deviation from an increase in drill quality and this results in less waste.”

Gangemi describes the calculator as ‘very accurate’ and encourages Western Australian producers to use the calculator to understand the savings they can achieve implementing technology products such as the Production Optimiser.

Atlas Iron names load and haul, drill and blast contractors for McPhee project

Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , ,

Atlas Iron says it has awarded the major haulage, mine load and haul as well as drill and blast contracts for its McPhee project in Western Australia, bringing the iron ore project one step closer to construction and commissioning.

With these contracts, the total number of major contracts awarded for the project is over 50%, with five of nine now awarded. All contracts are subject to the relevant government approvals being approved.

The McPhee project is 100 km north of the Roy Hill mine, and is situated between the townships of Marble Bar and Nullagine. The project scope includes haulage of up to 10 Mt/y of crushed ore to Roy Hill for processing, transport to the port and shipping. For this scope, the haulage contract was split between MGM (60%) and REGROUP (40%).

MACA has been awarded the mine load and haul contract, and a separate contract for drill and blast mining services has been awarded to the Nyamal joint venture, EWP-Ozland.

Indigenous contractor, East West Pilbara (EWP), is a Nyamal-owned firm, with EWP-Ozland previously awarded civil and construction works at Atlas Iron’s Miralga Mine, which has been recognised as an industry first, it said.

This announcement marks the first instance of REGROUP, a full-service civil construction, mining services, labour resourcing and equipment hire company, being engaged as a contracting partner.

CEO Group Projects at Hancock Prospecting Group, Sanjiv Manchanda, noted: “The McPhee project is another step in the successful integrated Hancock Group development approach focusing
on the product strategy for the broader group. Atlas will continue to engage local and Indigenous contractors and maintain a practical approach to operations.”

McPhee is expected to commence operations in the 2024 financial year with first ore reaching Roy Hill in thr 2025 financial year. This is subject to the regulatory approvals being granted in early 2023, which will enable the contractors to mobilise to site and commence the works under their respective contracts.

Northern Star engages Zenith for renewable power expansion at Jundee

Environmental, Mine operation news, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Precious metals, , , ,

Northern Star Resources and Zenith Energy have signed a preliminary works agreement and term sheet related to the supply of electricity from a solar farm, battery energy storage facility and wind turbines to the Jundee gold mine in Western Australia.

The aim of the initiative is to cut Jundee’s Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 35-50% by 2030.

Supply contracts and planning, engineering and design works are currently being progressed by Zenith while negotiation of the definitive renewable energy power purchase agreement is ongoing, Northern Star said.

Back in 2019, Zenith completed and commissioned its 6 MW build own and operate power station expansion at Jundee, with the addition of Jenbacher 620 Spark Ignition gas generator technology.

NRW subsidiary wins drill and blast contract at Talison’s Greenbushes lithium mine

Explosives and blasting, Mine operation news, Mining services, , , , , ,

NRW Holdings’ wholly-owned subsidiary, Action Drill & Blast Pty Ltd, has been issued a notice of award by Talison Lithium Australia for drill and blast services at the Greenbushes lithium mine in Western Australia.

This award follows the longstanding relationship Action has with Talison Lithium since Action commenced drill and blast activities on site in 2011.

The seven-year (plus two-year option) contract is valued at circa-A$300 million ($213 million) over the initial period and is scheduled to commence in July 2023.

The scope of works under the contract include ore, waste, pre-split and RC grade control drilling together with loading, stemming and initiation of bulk explosives. Plant requirements for the project will be sourced from within the Action business together with new equipment capital expenditure of circa-A$30 million over the life of the contract, it said.

The contract will require a peak workforce of some 160 personnel, including the 56 currently employed on site.

Action said the majority of the workforce will be sourced from the local community, building on current relationships and training programs.

Together with its predecessor company, Talison Lithium has been producing lithium concentrates at Greenbushes since 1983, which are ultimately used in lithium-ion batteries. The Greenbushes project, directly south and adjacent to the town of Greenbushes in Western Australia, is a major supplier of lithium mineral concentrates.

RCT turns Gold Fields’ Granny Smith mine into ‘digitally connected powerhouse’

Automation, Communications in mining, IoT, Mining equipment, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , , , ,

RCT’s latest partnership with Gold Fields in Australia has seen, it says, the transformation of the Granny Smith mine and machine fleet into a state-of-the-art, digitally connected powerhouse.

The project, which RCT says embodies the mining company’s key value of innovation, is designed to increase productivity.

Gold Fields’ Granny Smith mine is no stranger to RCT, having been one of its technology partners for more than 20 years.

This latest project has seen the Eastern Goldfields underground gold operation become one of the most innovative, digitally-connected mines in the world, according to RCT. The project saw its Kalgoorlie-based team of innovative technicians upgrade the site’s six existing Caterpillar loaders from analogue to digital.

This required the Kalgoorlie branch team to design and build specialised mounts and overhaul the site’s existing cabins. In addition, a total of 11 Area Access Controls (AAC) were also converted from analogue to digital to facilitate the upgrade.

“We recognise that they made a significant investment into the original technology, and we wanted to find the most cost-effective and sustainable solution available,” RCT’s Kalgoorlie Branch Manager, Rick Radcliffe, said.

The team converted three of the site’s existing analogue TeleCabins and transformed them into digital ControlMaster® Automation Centres for underground use and two surface Automation Centres to digital, bringing them into the future.

The site chose to use RCT’s own full-scale digital communications solution – RCT Connect – to meet the demands of autonomous machines across the mine site. The technology will cater to Granny Smith’s current and future machines, according to RCT.

The Kalgoorlie branch finished the upgrades in December last year, and although the technology has only been in place for a few months, the site has experienced amazing results from day one, according to the company.

Granny Smith Mine Manager, Michael Place, said: “The ability for the operators to mine from the surface with a pristine picture/video thanks to the digital network has meant they have been able to increase the number of buckets per shift, while adding to the comfort of the operators.

“Implementing the new digital infrastructure RCT Connect has significantly improved both the availability and reliability of Granny Smith’s semi-autonomous remote production loaders and stoping fronts to date.”

The upgrade saw the popular analogue technology that uses the Yagi antenna replaced with RCT Connect.

Radcliffe added: “While the Yagi’s have been a tried and tested technology for many years, our digital RCT Connect Access Points has taken the Control Master underground communications system to another level. The system is now more reliable and provides a clearer picture and improved operator visibility.

“The feedback we have received from site is that the operators love the new technology and they wished they implemented it ages ago.”

As well as experiencing the significant benefits of digital technology today, Granny Smith is futureproofing its operations, allowing it to make small, incremental changes as and when they are ready, RCT said.

RCT Connect, RCT says, is a plug-and-play system, making it easy to install and maintain. The technology has produced a clearer picture, which has greatly assisted Granny Smith personnel to continue operating their machines safely in high-risk locations.

Radcliffe concluded: “Another added benefit to moving to digital is that RCT can now remotely support our clients to a higher level and are able to monitor and complete repairs in a short timeframe, as it eliminates the need for a technician to travel to site to troubleshoot in many cases.”