Critical minerals exposure was a key drawcard for a Canadian company behind the $125 million purchase of ambitious Osborne Park mining services group Iron Mine Contracting.
Wesfarmers and SQM's Covalent Lithium has engaged Iron Mine Contracting for more than three years' worth of mining service work at the Mt Holland operation near Southern Cross.
The lithium hopeful has recruited Qube Holdings to transport spodumene concentrate from Kathleen Valley to the Port of Geraldton ahead of anticipated first production in mid-2024.
The first open-pit blast has been fired at Liontown Resources' Kathleen Valley lithium mine after the company announced the project's $300 million cost blowout last month.
