Australia's first lithium hydroxide refinery at Kwinana has commenced production five years after the start of construction, but with full capacity still 18 months away.
Mineral Resources has reported record iron ore shipments for the past year but fell short of its downgraded guidance because of labour shortages and port congestion.
Christian Porter says he's taking the long view in his new portfolio, sharpening the focus of industry policy and hoping to improve research commercialisation.
Eight businesses including Lynas Rare Earths, Albemarle Corporation and Australian Vanadium have secured nearly $50 million in federal government manufacturing grants.
Nickel miner IGO has announced a transformational deal to buy 49 per cent of Tianqi Lithium, giving it a minority stake in both the Greenbushes lithium mine and the Kwinana lithium refinery.
Chemical producer Coogee and corporate advisory firm Lisle Group have joined more than a dozen mining and engineering firms on a state government taskforce targeting future battery industries.
The state government has allocated $3.8 million for studies into reopening the rail line to the Greenbushes lithium mine and building unloading facilities at Kwinana and Bunbury.
An array of companies, from blue chip miners to SMEs, is pursuing downstream processing of WA's battery minerals, despite the sharp downturn in the lithium market.
Albemarle Corporation could have the whip hand in a further consolidation of Western Australia's lithium industry, as its partner in the Greenbushes mine, Tianqi Lithium, seeks to sell a stake in its Kwinana refinery and/or the mine itself.
The conditions that have slowed growth in WA's lithium sector won't last forever and there are some great opportunities for companies taking the long-term view.
In an initiative led by the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of WA, the Western Australian resources sector has pledged $6.6 million to Royal Flying Doctor Service Western Operations, Foodbank WA and Lifeline WA.
A decision by Wesfarmers and partner SQM to pause investments at the Mount Holland mine and Kwinana refinery bring to about $3 billion the value of lithium projects deferred in Western Australia during the past year.
Perkins Builders has unveiled a pair of significant contract wins, with the Bunbury-headquartered construction group to deliver new aerobridges for Perth Airport's international terminal and non-process infrastructure for Albemarle Corporation's $1 billion Kemerton lithium processing plant.
Southern Cross Electrical Engineering has been awarded $100 million in contracts, including works with Talison Lithium, Energy Resources and MARBL Lithium.
At least $1.6 billion of equity has been raised by WA-linked critical minerals hopefuls in the past five years, but achieving consistent returns is another battle.
About $300 million will be invested by Mineral Resources into expansion projects in the 2020 financial year, led by moves to boost Yilgarn iron ore output nearly 50 per cent.
There's no bad news in Western Australia's battery industry, Energy Minister Bill Johnston says, shrugging off the deferral of major projects in recent months.
The $600 million Wodgina lithium project is being placed on care and maintenance, after its ownership was transferred to a joint venture between US company Albemarle Corporation and local company Mineral Resources.
Rio Tinto is studying ways to extract lithium from waste rock at a mine it controls in California, making it the latest company trying to produce the battery metal in the US for the fast-growing electric vehicle market.
The state government has factored in lithium hydroxide and carbonate into its royalty arrangement for lithium producers, which it claims will encourage downstream processing and manufacturing.
Kerman Contracting has been awarded a contract for the design and construction of multiple warehouses and buildings at Albemarle Corporation's lithium hydroxide production plant in Kemerton.
A widely publicised report out today that claimed Western Australia will need 10,700 more operational workers in the mining sector by 2024 appears to be misleading, according to a review by Business News.
Tianqi Lithium has officially started operations at the first lithium hydroxide refinery built outside China, with the company aiming to achieve practical completion of stage one of the Kwinana plant next month, while works on stage two have been put on hold.
Business News has updated its listing of WA's biggest mining projects to reflect the downturn in lithium, the dearth of new gold mines and the increasing dominance of iron ore.
Engineering and construction contractor Monadelphous has announced a major contract with lithium producer Albemarle, on the same day the group expressed caution about its outlook following a decline in earnings last financial year.
A $1 billlion-plus lithium refinery planned for the Pilbara has been put on hold and a second refinery under construction in the South West has been reduced in size as local company Mineral Resources and its US partner restructure their joint venture after a sharp fall in lithium prices.
Mineral Resources has secured Chinese regulatory approval for its $US1.15 billion Wodgina stake sale, and was the best performer among the ASX 200 today, despite the miner also releasing weak quarterly results.
Construction costs for many lithium refining projects have been revised up in the past year as proponents rethink the scale and scope of their developments, with Tianqi Lithium's Kwinana project the latest to run higher than forecast.
The state is developing from a gas exporter to produce a range of energy commodities and technological innovations, with energy exports to potentially hit $50 billion in a decade.
Construction has officially commenced at Albemarle Corporation's Kemerton lithium plant, which is expected to cost in excess of $1 billion and create 500 construction jobs and another 500 operational jobs in the south-west of Western Australia.
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.
Civmec has reported a profit of $1.27 million for the second quarter of the 2019 financial year, while also announcing a new contract at Albemarle Corporation's Kemerton lithium project.
