Tag Archives: Western Australia

Pilgangoora-PilbaraMinerals

Primero to work on next phase of Pilgangoora P680 lithium expansion project

NRW Holdings Limited’s wholly owned subsidiary, Primero Group Limited, has been awarded a contract for Structural, Mechanical, Piping, Electrical and Instrumentation Construction by Pilgangoora Operations Pty Ltd (POPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Pilbara Minerals Limited, for the next phase of the Pilgangoora P680 Expansion project, 120km south of Port Hedland, Western Australia.

The award follows a formal Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) phase to determine construction methodology, cost and schedule.

Under the contract, Primero is responsible for the construction of the crushing and ore sorting facilities. Primero will also assist with providing commissioning, integration and shutdown support. The contract at award has an approximate value of A$64 million ($40.7 million), with the contract scheduled for completion in the September quarter of 2024 with the works commencing immediately.

Primero’s Managing Director, Michael Gollschewski, said: “It is pleasing for Primero to be awarded this contract following the combined efforts of Primero and POPL teams in the successful delivery of the first stage of the P680 Expansion. We look forward to building on what is already a strong partnership with the POPL team.”

NRW’s Managing Director, Jules Pemberton, added: “This award continues to build on the long association between Pilbara Minerals and Primero that began with the design and construction of the original Pilgan Plant and continues with the delivery of the P680 Expansion Project. We look forward to the successful completion of these works.”

The P680 Expansion project could see Pilbara Minerals step-up its production run-rate at the operation to a total of circa-680,000 t/y of spodumene concentrate across the combined Pilgangoora operation.

Topdrill subsidiary to use GeoMoby Protect for ESG reporting purposes

Australian technology company GeoMoby has been contracted by Kalgoorlie-based Topdrill’s wholly-owned subsidiary, JBC Contracting, to roll out GeoMoby’s Protect technology to 30 drilling rigs working in its Australian operations.

It is the first time a large exploration drilling contractor will begin to incorporate GeoMoby’s Protect technology fully into its operations.

Protect uses location services including GPS, fusion sensors and GeoMoby’s own patented live tracking algorithms in order to geofence sites and trigger an alert if users enter or come within close proximity of a heritage site, even in remote areas with no connectivity. Receivers can be carried on-person, in vehicles, machinery or equipment, with the app compatible to most modern devices including smart phones and tablets, according to the company.

The technology allows those operating on site to create or upload geofences on a map from any GIS systems, then define different alerts and triggers, while ensuring minimum drain on the device battery. Information is then uploaded to a cloud-based platform with replay features and reporting capabilities for compliance purposes.

GeoMoby Director, Mathieu Paul, said: “We are delighted to collaborate with one of Australia’s largest and most professional drilling contractors, in Topdrill. We look forward to working together with Tim Topham and the team, using GeoMoby location intelligence technology, to improve the protection of Aboriginal cultural heritage and environmental sites in Australia and around the globe.”

Tim Topham, founder and Managing Director of Topdrill Drilling, said: “Topdrill is known for challenging the industry with innovative solutions and thinking outside the ‘drill bit’. We have carefully researched GeoMoby’s extensive suite of Protect applications and believe it is top of its class. Its automatic reporting capability will immediately improve our ESG reporting for Topdrill’s mining clients.”

GeoMoby founder and CEO, Chris Baudia, added: “GeoMoby’s Protect is a key offering in the GeoMoby product line-up which includes three main geolocation solutions for underground mining, surface mining and cultural heritage protection. After years in development and testing, it is great to see Protect having a concrete start in the exploration industry in Western Australia. We believe our easy-to-use technology will soon become industry standard.”

Aquirian set to expand drill and blast portfolio with Hanwha ammonium nitrate emulsion plant

Specialist mining services provider Aquirian Limited, via its wholly owned subsidiaries, has entered into a binding agreement to acquire the assets and land comprising the Wubin ammonium nitrate emulsion plant from Hanwha, with the company also setting out plans to offer Hanwha’s patented X-Load™ range of products in Western Australia.

The facility was built and commissioned in 2020 and is production-ready, with licensing to produce 110,000 t/y of ammonium nitrate emulsion. It was put into care and maintenance in 2021 as part of Hanwha’s strategic decision to exit the bulk explosives market in Australia, with Hanwha selling its other emulsion production assets in Queensland and New South Wales to Orica earlier this year.

Aquirian will pay A$9.6 million ($6.04 million) for the facility, which is some way below the replacement cost of A$18 million the company previously obtained.

The facility site comprises 142 ha of freehold land in Wubin, with the company having also purchased an adjoining property of 9 ha in September this year. This additional property provides accommodation options for staff, with airstrip access, and is expected to de-risk the investment in the facility by allowing for future growth in capacity and storage.

The Wubin facility is strategically located on the northern freight corridor, removing exposure to major population centres and providing access to up to 1.25 Mt of potential explosive demand across Western Australia, the company estimates. The facility’s location provides direct access to up to 75% of the potential explosives market across the Midwest and Pilbara, it says.

Aquirian Managing Director, David Kelly, comments: “This unique opportunity evolves Aquirian as a diversified mining service company, adding further value across the drill and blast value chain. Our management team has extensive industry knowledge, including with this facility, and I am excited by this acquisition and the potential synergies and opportunities it offers. Our acquisition of a near new strategically located asset below likely replacement cost is anticipated to enable us to fast-track our growth plans and provide clients with a new range of services and products to achieve sustainable outcomes in their operations.”

Kelly was also previously the Managing Director of Hanwha in Australia.

The transfer or securing of required licences in favour of Western Energetics is anticipated to take 3-5 months and is a condition precedent to completion of the sale transaction. Once the sale transaction is completed, it is expected to take between 8-12 weeks to bring the facility back online and into production, the company says.

The facility can produce a variety of nitrate-based emulsions. These emulsions are a class 5.1 dangerous good used as a precursor raw material that is blended with other materials to produce a variety of bulk explosives, which are used in mining operations across Western Australia.

The site is also set up as a logistics and storage hub for ammonium nitrate with a storage capacity of 1,500 t currently, with the objective to be expanded to circa-10,000 t.

Aquirian’s technology portfolio is focused on optimising blast hole quality to ensure better client outcomes. This acquisition will bring the company’s offerings closer to providing drilling technology alongside optimised energetics, to meet its clients’ changing and challenging mine conditions, it says.

The acquisition of the facility is conditional on Hanwha granting the company an exclusive licence to manufacture and supply Hanwha’s patented X-Load range of products in Western Australia and a non-exclusive licence to use and sell other of Hanwha’s products. X-Load is a low-density waterproof energetics solution for the challenging and wet mining conditions in the Pilbara mining region. This region traditionally uses basic ANFO product which is not waterproofed. X-Load provides an energy profile and density that mimics ANFO while being a waterproof solution, according to Acquirian.

MLG Oz set to work with Genesis Minerals in Leonora

MLG Oz Limited has been awarded a contract to supply integrated site services and haulage works to Genesis Minerals Limited’s Leonora gold project in Western Australia.

The award is still subject to the final execution of contracts however the scope of works and commercial terms for the three-year agreement have been agreed. MLG will work closely with Genesis to support its strategic growth plans in the prolific Leonora District, playing a key role in delivering Genesis’ “right ores in the right mill” operating model, it says.

The contract is due to commence in November 2023 with ramp up of production to transition through 2024. Full year revenues in MLG Oz’s financial year 2025 are expected to be circa A$15 million ($9.6 million) growing to circa A$30 million in FY2026.

MLG founder, Managing Director and majority shareholder, Murray Leahy, said: “We are immensely excited about the opportunity to partner with Genesis and help support their strategic objectives in the Leonora district.

“MLG’s regional position across the Leonora mineral field and strength of our underlying operations across this region ensures we are well placed to grow with Genesis and help them execute on their long-term strategy.”

“We are delighted to be welcoming Genesis as a new strategically important customer through the award of this contract allowing MLG to play a major role in the enhancement and growth of mineral production in the Leonora region. The Leonora Mineral field is currently going through a level of consolidation and growth in processing capacity not experienced before. MLG’s large regional presence and scale of support infrastructure located within the region that is currently delivering for our high-quality customer base positions us extremely well to capitalise on these opportunities.”

MLG is already interacting with Genesis as part of a haulage services contract with Bellevue Gold which involves processing Bellevue’s open pit material at Genesis’s Gwalia processing facility.

GR Engineering wins EPC work on Evolution’s Mungari Future Growth project

Evolution Mining has awarded a contract to GR Engineering Services Limited to complete the plant expansion works at its Mungari gold mine in Western Australia.

These works, part of an engineering, procurement and construction contract, are expected to total A$155 million ($100 million) and are within the project budget and schedule as part of the company’s previously announced commitment to invest A$250 million to increase the site’s processing capacity from 2 Mt/y to 4.2 Mt/y, Evolution says. It also includes required changes to process plant buildings and associated infrastructure, according to GR Engineering.

Initial engineering design and procurement works have commenced with site works commencing in mid-January 2024. The project has an estimated 30-month construction period including long-lead items and approvals, with commissioning expected by the end of the March 2026 quarter.

Targeting gold production of 200,000 oz/y for the life of the mine, this project is expected to reduce Mungari’s All-In Sustaining Cost by 18% to $1,750/oz and extend the mine life to 2038, Evolution says.

Evolution Mining’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Lawrie Conway, said: “The award of this contract is a major milestone for the Mungari Future Growth project. It secures the critical processing plant infrastructure within our budgeted costs, locking in over 60% of the project costs, and secures a delivery time within the approved project schedule.

“The feasibility study established a sound investment case with an internal rate of return for the project of between 19% and 28%, at a conservative A$2,400/oz and spot price of A$2,965/oz, respectively.”

Tony Patrizi, Managing Director of GR Engineering, said: “We are extremely pleased that Evolution Mining, one the world’s leading tier one gold producers, has selected GR Engineering to deliver the Future Growth project at Mungari. GR Engineering has a long track record of successful project delivery in the mineral processing sector. We see this contract award as a strong endorsement of GR Engineering’s proven process design record and EPC delivery capability.”

MinRes takes delivery of Hitachi EX3600 excavator for Onslow Iron

Mineral Resources Ltd has taken delivery of a Hitachi EX3600 hydraulic excavator at its Ken’s Bore mine site, set to support its Onslow Iron project in Western Australia.

The brand new excavator was transported via four trucks, travelling 1,350 km from Perth, and will be used to construct haul roads, run of mine pad and mining broken stocks.

It made the trip along with a haul truck and drill – just some of the 15 haul trucks, three excavators and four drills that will work on site when the mine is fully operational.

MinRes’ A$3 billion ($2 billion) Onslow Iron project is, MinRes says, set to redefine mining in Western Australia, shipping around 35 Mt/y of iron ore from mid-2024. It is owned through the unincorporated Red Hill Iron Joint Venture, which is 40% held by MinRes, who will manage the project, with the other partners being Baowu, AMCI and POSCO.

Liontown awards Kathleen Valley wet plant lithium contract to Monadelphous

Liontown Resources says Monadelphous has been awarded the wet plant structural, mechanical, piping and electrical & instrumentation contract for the Kathleen Valley lithium project in Western Australia.

This appointment, valued at approximately A$100 million ($64 million), enables a vertically integrated approach to construction of the critical path wet plant, according to Liontown, providing efficiencies and underpinning confidence in the schedule to first production in mid-2024. It also signifies the final major construction contract award for Kathleen Valley.

The contract scope includes installation of 1,200 t of structural steel, 20,000 m of piping, 600 mechanical equipment items, 200 platework items, the SAG mill, magnetics circuit, flotation circuit, tantalum recovery circuit, concentrate dewatering and tails treatment.

Monadelphous commenced work under a Letter of Intent and began mobilising to site in August under a staged contractual award approach.

By deploying lessons learned from industry peers, the wet plant has been designed to a high specification with quality and hard-wearing materials, including polyurethane-lined steel piping and ceramic lined high-wear areas, designed to reduce future maintenance requirements, Liontown said. In addition, the adoption of the lessons learned will be applied during the commissioning and ramp up of the plant.

Liontown’s Managing Director and CEO, Tony Ottaviano, said: “The vertically integrated approach of combining the SMP and E&I packages enables Monadelphous to efficiently deliver both programs of work to a very high standard and played a large part in its successful tender.

“Monadelphous has a large resources pool, experience in the hard-rock lithium sector, and a proven track record of delivering large-scale multi-disciplinary projects in Western Australia, which came through strongly throughout the evaluation process. Their demonstrated skills, capability and professionalism reflects Liontown’s expectations of a partnership. There is a clear line of sight to first spodumene production mid-next year.”

The Kathleen Valley operations have been optimised for an initial 3 Mt/y, producing approximately 500,000 t/y of spodumene concentrate with a 4 Mt/y expansion planned in Year 6, to deliver approximately 700,000 t/y of spodumene concentrate. Mining will predominately be underground, allowing direct access to higher grade mineralisation while minimising waste and the environmental footprint of the project. Mined ore will be processed through a whole-of-ore flotation circuit which will provide an estimated recovery rate of 78% across the mine life and an estimated site recovery for tantalum concentrate of 42%.

Australia’s first Liebherr R 9300 mining excavator starts work at Karlawinda gold mine

Liebherr-Australia has recently delivered an R 9300 mining excavator to long-term customer MACA at the Karlawinda gold project, in Western Australia, with the machine becoming the first such excavator commissioned in the country.

After a successful launch – with five of these excavators already sold in Indonesia – the commissioning of the first R 9300 in Australia further demonstrates the strength of the machine’s reputation, the OEM says.

The mining excavator was commissioned in late August at Karlawinda, in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. MACA, a global contractor that works within the mining, construction and process engineering sectors and is owned by Thiess, is excited to welcome this machine to its growing Liebherr excavator fleet, it says.

It joins three Liebherr R 9200 excavators operating on the site, owned by Capricorn Metals, expanding MACA’s already extensive Liebherr fleet, totalling over 20 excavators.

The R 9300 was chosen not only for its capacity to assist in meeting the production targets of its client, but also for the excavator’s fuel efficiency; its state-of-the-art technology, such as Liebherr’s Assistance Systems; and its operational effectiveness, Liebherr says.

Liebherr-Australia completed the assembly, testing and commissioning of the R 9300 in a matter of four weeks. The company will continue to support the machine and MACA from both its Perth and Newman branches, as well as from the factory for Liebherr mining excavators in Colmar, France.

The R 9300 was launched to the global mining market in June of this year. It is the second Generation 8 excavator within the Liebherr Mining portfolio and comes with the most advanced Liebherr Mining innovations as standard. The R 9300 will replace the R 9250 as the 250-tonne mining excavator in Liebherr’s portfolio in 2024.

You can find out more about the R 9300 in this video interview here.

Iron Ore Company of Australia selects Rapid Crushing for Hancock crushing and screening ops

Alien Metals Ltd’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Iron Ore Company of Australia Pty Ltd (IOCA), has selected Rapid Crushing & Screening Contractors Pty Ltd as its preferred supplier to undertake the crushing and screening operations at the flagship Hancock iron ore project in the Pilbara of Western Australia.

IOCA says it has conducted a competitive market engagement over the previous six months to identify commercially and technically-adept contractors to undertake works as part of the Hancock development and operations. This process has involved pre-qualified and targeted proponents, submitting bids for specific scopes of works and agreeing to key commercial terms.

Rapid Crushing is a market leader in iron ore, having previously worked with Fortescue Metals Group and being the incumbent contractor at Galaxy Lithium for the past six years, with that work continuing. The selection of Rapid Crushing for crushing services reinforces the assumptions made within the scoping study to deliver a C1 cost of approximately $60 per tonne, Alien Metals says.

The 2021 scoping study on Hancock showcased a 1.25 Mt/y production profile that would sustain an eight-year life of mine with current resources. The company has said it plans to make its first shipments in 2023, leveraging its direct shipping ore options.

Earlier this month, IOCA named REGROUP Australia as its preferred primary contractor to undertake the construction works, mining operations and haulage services for Hancock.

The selection of Rapid Crushing – which remains subject to the completion of a positive definitive feasibility study – paves the way to finalise the updates to the financial model as the IOCA continues to progress the remaining studies and regulatory workstreams required for a final investment decision for the Hancock project, it says.

Troy Whittaker, Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are pleased to announce that Rapid Crushing has been selected as the preferred tenderer for crushing and screening operations at our Hancock project. Rapid Crushing’s significant hard-rock mining knowledge and experience, particularly in iron ore, will be of great benefit to our overall operations.

“We will be working closely with Rapid Crushing to finalise optimisation activities that support the accelerated DFS work streams related to price opportunity as we prepare and execute the contractual documents.

“The selection of Rapid Crushing finalises the material procurement efforts for the project. This will result in a high level of validated and secured costing for the Hancock project.”

Barminco wins extension at Regis Resources’ Rosemont, Garden Well operations

Barminco says it is further extending its relationship with Regis Resources Ltd, securing a A$70 million ($45 million), six-month extension at the gold miner’s Rosemont and Garden Well operations in Western Australia.

With both gold mines in close proximity, it allows Barminco to continue to be agile with resourcing and equipment to provide comprehensive underground mining services to our client, it says.

Regis recently opened the Balkau Decline at its Garden Well South underground mine, which is an underground extension of the Garden Well open-pit mine: a key production source at Regis’ Duketon gold project, located in the Goldfields region.

Rosemont, meanwhile, includes the Rosemont open pit and underground mine, as well as Baneygo open pit. The Rosemont and associated surface deposits are mined using conventional open-pit mining truck and shovel methods. The Rosemont underground produces approximately 600,000 t/y and is mined using mechanised open stoping.