Mining

Australia could become the epicentre of global mining if it had more ambition and more competitive tax policies, says the chief executive of mining giant Rio Tinto.

The founding managing director of Doray Minerals has announced his resignation after nearly eight years in the role, citing personal reasons for his departure, with non-executive director Leigh Junk to fill the role until a full-time candidate is found.

Perth-based Valmec has won a $6.6 million contract to provide its services to Saracen Mineral Holdings at the gold miner’s Thunderbox operations.

Global mining giants BHP Billiton and Brazil's Vale have offered new loans to their Brazilian joint venture, Samarco, as it assesses whether it can reopen the iron ore project where a dam disaster killed up to 19 people last year.

Rio Tinto has flagged a possible 2019 start date for construction of its next big greenfields project in the Pilbara, but in the interim will rely on the rollout of its rail automation program and better asset utilisation to drive a major round of productivity improvements.

Pilbara Minerals has further bolstered its board with the appointment of Fortescue Metals Group director of operations Nick Cernotta as an independent non-executive director.

The Environmental Protection Authority has recommended approval of Fortescue Metals Group’s proposed extension plans at its Solomon iron ore operations near Tom Price, subject to a number of strict conditions.

Sydney-based Resources & Energy Group will buy Kidman Resources’ Burbanks gold mine near Coolgardie in a $4.5 million deal announced today, its second Western Australian gold project buy so far this year.

Picton-based Piacentini & Son has won a contract to undertake mining work at Galaxy Resources’ Mt Cattlin lithium project near Ravensthorpe.

Business News sat down to lunch at Julio’s with the CEO of local uranium developer Vimy Resources.

Mining junior Atlas Iron plans to be in production at its planned Corunna Downs project by March 2018, the company announced at its annual general meeting today, while current operations at Wodgina and Abydos will end in late 2017 and early 2018 respectively.

Dacian Gold says it will cost $220 million to bring its Mt Morgans gold project near Laverton into production, which it hopes to do by early 2018.

Aspiring gold miner Gold Road Resources has received the Environmental Protection Authority’s nod of approval for its proposed development of its $507 million Gruyere project near Laverton.

The state government reached a milestone in its asset sales program last night after passing a bill to enable the leasing of Port Hedland's Utah Point, despite opposition from a lobby group representing the miners that currently use the wharf facility. 

Global miner BHP Billiton says it has no clarity over the timing of a potential restart at its Samarco joint venture operation in Brazil, underlining the continuing uncertainty over the business that was hit by a fatal dam disaster last November.

The head of Perth-based Sandfire Resources has sold down a fifth of his stake in the miner, pocketing $6.1 million from the on-market trade.

ANALYSIS: Green shoots are popping up in WA as improved conditions for iron ore and gold, and strong prospects for the upcoming crop harvest, offer sources for optimism.

Global miner Rio Tinto has sacked two top executives who it sidelined last week over their role in a payments scandal related to the Simandou iron ore project in West Africa.

A local company that produces fused zirconia, which is used to make nuclear fuel rods and furnace linings, is on the hunt for processing opportunities to utilise excess capacity at its Rockingham plant.

Poseidon Nickel has landed an agreement for Kidman Resources to use its mothballed Lake Johnston infrastructure to process lithium ore from the Melbourne-based company’s Mt Holland mine, in a deal potentially worth at least $18.5 million.

Retail and mining conglomerate Wesfarmers is considering offloading its east coast coal operations following a doubling of coal prices since June.

Belmont-based GR Engineering Services has been contracted to undertake a scoping study at Primary Gold’s Mount Bundy project in the Northern Territory.

The mining and civil arm of BGC will add 500 employees to its team of 1,220 after acquiring Geraldton-based DIAB Engineering for an undisclosed sum.

Rox Resources has locked horns with Marindi Metals over a failed bid to acquire its stake in the Reward zinc project, a day after Marindi started legal action against Kidman Resources over another deal which Kidman says doesn’t exist.

Diversified surveying and contracting group OTOC said today there had been a reduction in the volume of work available for its infrastructure division at the immigration detention centre on Nauru, with the slowdown expected to hit divisional earnings.

SPECIAL REPORT: Electric vehicles and other technology applications have driven investor interest in graphite and lithium, and cobalt might be next.

SPECIAL REPORT: Gold Road Resources could be the next gold junior to make it into the mid tier after its recent moves on the Gruyere project.

Before the unexpected (and perhaps unsustainable) rise in the price of iron ore, a more interesting trend was developing in the mineral that could put a spring under one of Western Australia’s most

Fortescue Metals Group has signed a $US473 million ($A626 million) financing agreement with a unit of China Development Bank to fund the ongoing construction of eight very large ore carriers (VLOC).

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says it won’t be probing Emeco Holdings’ three-way tie-up with Orionstone and Andy’s Earthmovers.

The first contribution of the Roy Hill project has failed to balance the impact of falling iron prices on the accounts of Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting which recorded a one third drop in net profit from operations to $443 million.

Swick Mining Services shares closed 14 per cent higher on the ASX today after the company announced it had been named the preferred proponent for underground drilling work for Newmarket Gold.