Mining

Northern Minerals and Venturex Resources have announced share placements of $20 million and $3.65 million, respectively.

Pilbara Minerals has exercised an option to enter into a joint venture with steelmaker Posco to develop a lithium processing facility in South Korea.

Altura Mining has increased its share purchase plan (SPP) by $4 million, just two days after it upsized the offer from $5 million to $10 million.

David Flanagan has moved to a new executive chairman role at Battery Minerals, making way for former Atlas Iron chief operating officer Jeremy Sinclair to become managing director, among several board changes at the graphite company.

40under40: It’s said that adversity often provides opportunity, and the success of this year’s Medium Business category winner bears that out.

40under40: Tim Topham had to wrestle with big challenges to create one of the Goldfields’ most prominent drilling businesses.

Altura Mining has declared its Pilgangoora lithium project is now producing commercial amounts of lithium, while increasing its share purchase plan from $5 million to $10 million.

A BHP Group rail maintenance crew applied brakes to the wrong locomotive when they tried to help the driver of a runaway iron ore train, which ended up being deliberately derailed in the Pilbara region.

Hastings Technology Metals has reported that capital costs of its Yangibana rare earths project are expected to be approximately $427 million, compared to the $335.3 million figure it outlined in its definitive feasibility study.

The board of Gindalbie Metals has recommended shareholders accept a takeover offer from its Karara project partner Ansteel, and has proposed to demerge its wholly-owned subsidiary Coda Minerals.

Panoramic Resources has announced its intention to raise $22.4 million via two share placements and an entitlement offer, while juniors Black Rock Mining and Kibaran Resources are also involved in capital raisings.

Newcrest Mining will pay Toronto-listed Imperial Metals Corp $US807 million ($A1.15 billion) for a majority stake in a Canadian copper and gold mine.

Automotive Holdings Group has slipped out of the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index, while six Western Australian companies have moved into the S&P/ASX 300 index.

Argosy Minerals and Alta Zinc are both undertaking rights issues, to raise up to $6.2 million and $4.38 million, respectively.

Australia's trade surplus increased to $4.5 billion in January, the second largest surplus on record, as the value of gold exports exceeded expectations.

BGC Contracting has been awarded a $30 million contract to develop the Ramone Gold Project for Northern Star Resources, a week after BGC confirmed it would still seek to sell the contracting business.

Panoramic Resources will undertake a $19 million capital raising in return for favourable loan repayments to project financier Macquarie Bank, after production issues plagued its Savannah nickel-copper-cobalt project.

An $800 million expansion of Talison Lithium’s Greenbushes site will go ahead after Talison and Global Advanced Metals resolved a legal dispute over the plans.

Capricorn Metals’ managing director and chief financial officer have resigned after two shareholders of the gold junior successfully ousted three of its directors.

A national survey released today by the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) has identified major issues in the resources sector, with a majority of female respondents believing the industry is not diverse.

West Perth-based Northern Minerals and ASX-listed Golden Rim Resources have announced share placements of $3 million and $2.25 million, respectively.

Coolgardie Minerals has appointed Pitcher Partners’ Daniel Bredenkamp and Bryan Hughes voluntary administrators six months after the Neil Warburton-chaired gold hopeful was added to the ASX.

Western Australia is the second most attractive jurisdiction for mining investment, moving up from fifth place in the year prior, according to the Fraser Institute Annual Survey of Mining Companies for 2018.

RCR Tomlinson Administrators McGrathNicol has announced UGL has purchased the RCR Upgrades and Maintenance business.

A project to automate the Roy Hill iron ore benefication plant, predictive analytics for equipment in copper and nickel mines, and sensors to detect rocks to big for crushing were among the local initiatives to receive $2.2 million of federal innovation funding today.

Catalyst Metals has announced that Gold Exploration Victoria, a subsidiary of Hancock Prospecting, has agreed to subscribe for a $13.02 million placement of Catalyst shares.

Westgold Resources will not go ahead with its planned purchase of Doray Minerals’ Andy Well and Gnaweeda gold projects.

Middle Island Resources has made a $9.4 million all-scrip takeover offer for fellow Western Australia-based gold junior Alto Metals.

Civmec has secured a fabrication and assembly contract at BHP’s South Flank iron ore project in the Pilbara, taking its total at the project to $48 million.

Bardoc Gold will raise up to $11.3 million via a share placement and rights issue, while Ausgold will raise $1.8 million through a share placement, with both companies to put the funds towards their respective flagship projects.

BGC Australia has deferred indefinitely the sale of its core building materials and construction business because of weak market conditions but is pressing ahead with the sale of its contracting business and property assets.

Rio Tinto has upped its estimates for the amount of iron ore at its deposits in the Pilbara region, a day after its earnings beat expectations.