Mining

Contractor Indigenous Construction Resource Group has suffered two setbacks, with its half-owned joint venture ICRG North expected to go into liquidation owing creditors about $4 million.

Gresham Investment House-owned mining contractor Barminco has secured a $100 million credit facility and closed a $US350 million bond issue to refinance its bond debt.

Western Areas has reignited plans to upgrade its Cosmic Boy concentrator in the light of interest in nickel in the electric vehicle battery market, with GR Engineering Services to carry out the work.

Peak Resources has progressed its majority owned Ngualla rare earth project in Tanzania with the release of a bankable feasibility study today, which revealed a development capex of $US356 million ($A475 million).

Lithium Australia’s $23.8 million takeover offer for lithium-focused rival Lepidico looks set to fall short, with the bidder lifting its stake to only 18.28 per cent a week out from the offer's closing date.

After locking in a $US20 million ($A26 million) debt facility agreement last week, aspiring coal miner Paringa Resources has tapped investors for $53 million to fund development of its Poplar Grove mine in Kentucky.

Mining giant BHP Billiton has rejected a proposal by hedge fund Elliott Advisors to restructure its business by shedding its dual Australia-UK listing and spinning-off its petroleum business.

An international hedge fund holding 4.1 per cent of the shares in BHP Billiton's UK-listed stock wants the global miner to scrap its dual listing in Australia and the UK and spin-off its US petroleum business for listing on the New York share market.

Iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group has paid a $25,000 fine to the Department of Environment Regulation over a discharge accident in 2015.

SPECIAL REPORT: OreCorp is the latest in a string of Perth-based gold companies to complete large capital raisings this year.

Minerals explorer RNI says it has received competing proposals from credible parties for both its assets and the business as a whole.

Georgiou Group will build Tianqi Lithium’s new Australian headquarters, under a deal worth $17 million with the Chinese lithium miner’s head contractor, for its $400 million processing plant in Kwi

Neometals hopes to reap about $US96 million ($A125 million) from the sale of its interest in the Mt Marion lithium mine near Kalgoorlie, with the operation’s joint venture partners given a pre-emptive right to buy the stake.

ANALYSIS: Technology is exposing the resource-rich but isolated Yamarna region.

A joint venture between Sandfire Resources and Talisman Mining has approved plans to spend $72 million on developing a new copper-gold mine north of Meekatharra.

Todd River Resources has closed higher on its ASX debut, after spinning-out of Perth-based minerals explorer TNG and raising $6 million in an initial public offering.

Gold explorer Cardinal Resources has announced plans to raise up to $22.7 million to fund ongoing drilling work at its Namdini project in Ghana, while also putting forward plans to dual-list on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Mining giant Rio Tinto has been hit with an additional tax bill of $447 million over a dispute on transfer pricing of commodities to its Singapore marketing hub.

The top Western Australian company in this year’s Energise accelerator program is developing an ambitious plan for robotic on-site manufacturing of equipment it believes will boost safety and dramatically cut costs at open pit mines.

Bronwyn Barnes has been appointed the new chair of West Perth-based Indiana Resources, on the same day the company went to the Takeovers Panel to fight attempts by a group of shareholders to oust existing directors.

Ian Middlemas-chaired coal explorer Paringa Resources has secured a $US20 million ($A26 million) facility to fund ongoing development of its Poplar Grove project in the US.

Perth-based Geopacific Resources has put forward a takeover bid for its joint venture partner, gold-focused Kula Gold, in an all-scrip deal that values the target at about $9.3 million.

Aspiring mineral sands miner Sheffield Resources has entered into offtake agreements for 20 per cent of zircon produced from its planned $348 million Thunderbird project near Derby.

Gold miner St Barbara has taken a 9.5 per cent stake in junior explorer Peel Mining for $3.3 million, with the funds to be put towards development of Peel’s copper-gold deposits in NSW.

A suite of contract announcements has been made for Gold Road Resources' $507 million Gruyere project, including for GR Engineering Services, Maca and Civmec, while Macmahon Holdings said today it had been selected as preferred contractor for a new Queensland coal mine.

Shares in gold producer Blackham Resources fell by 21 per cent today after the company revealed a raft of problems at its Matilda project, where operations have been affected by heavy rain and lowe

Paladin Energy’s planned $US10 million sale of a 30 per cent stake in the Manyingee uranium project to Avira Energy has been thwarted, with Avira unable to secure financing in time.

Draig Resources has a new management team that includes former Gryphon Minerals managing director Stephen Parsons, who will focus on the company's recently acquired Bellevue gold project west of Laverton.

Junior explorer Dragon Mining has announced plans to delist from the ASX as it progresses its listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, while also revealing a $17.5 million capital raising.

Gold explorer GBM Resources has been forced to terminate merger plans with Canadian company WCB Resources after a loan agreement with a funding party fell through.

Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Johnston says the McGowan government will keep a close check on usage of the industry’s mine rehabilitation fund to ensure unscrupulous operators don’t shift costs onto honest players, while also confirming the existing state exploration incentive scheme will continue operation.

Nickel miner Western Areas will progress plans to develop a new deposit at its mothballed Cosmos project, after today revealing a $210 million capex to bring the mine into production.