Mining

Minerals explorer TNG has reignited plans to form a spin-out company by demerging its base metals portfolio through a subsidiary and floating it on the ASX.

Perth geologist Scott Halley has come up with an innovative and highly effective way to combine professional development for his peers with fundraising for prostate cancer.

Six listed resources companies operating in commodities as diverse as gold, lithium and iron ore have announced a collective $36.9m in capital raisings today.

Pilbara accommodation businesses run by one-time trucking boss Craig Mitchell and the Collinson family are set to be the winners from BHP Billiton’s surprise decision to close Kurra Village in Newman, which at its peak houses up to 1,600 fly-in, fly-out  workers

Peter McBain has stepped down as chief executive of mining and civil contractor Brierty after a series of financial and operational setbacks, and will be replaced by the company’s chief operating officer.

Gold production and cash costs have both outperformed financial year guidance for Regis Resources, with shares in the company enjoying solid gains today.

Laing O’Rourke had a pyrrhic victory in the Court of Appeal today, when it managed to overturn a previous adverse ruling but it appears the construction contractor still won't be getting the $45 million it was awarded by an adjudicator in 2015.

Debt-laden uranium miner Paladin Energy has struck agreements to sell an interest in two of its projects, with total proceeds expected to be $US205 million ($A275 million).

A rebound in iron ore prices has helped Mount Gibson Iron hit its full-year sales guidance, with the junior iron ore miner reporting ore sales volume of 5 million tonnes.

South 32 says it's met its annual production guidance for most of its commodities despite cutting production during the year, and is on course to achieve its FY17 unit cost guidance.

Below-guidance costs at Northern Star Resources have helped the gold miner increase free cash flow by 21 per cent, according to its quarterly activities report released today.

Local junior miners Prospect Resources, Azumah Resources and Sipa Resources, and Melbourne-based Red River Resources, have today announced a collective $29.8 million worth of capital raisings. 

A fuel supply system at Rio Tinto’s Cape Lambert port and work on a loading jetty at Ichthys’s Darwin LNG facilities are among $140 million of contracts recently won by Monadelphous.

BHP Billiton has fallen slightly short of its revised iron ore production target for the 2016 financial year as it struggles to make up for the suspension of operations at its Samarco joint venture in Brazil and the impact of bad weather in Western Australia.

Listed companies IM Medical and Rox Resources have struck a $15 million project deal that highlights the shift in market interest from technology stocks to the mining sector.

Contractor Resource Mining has inked an agreement to co-fund Intermin Resources’ Teal gold project to production, with the mine to cost an estimated $4.5 million.

West Perth resources hopeful Altona Mining has received amended environmental authority for its Cloncurry copper project in Queensland, incorporating a new deposit and other changes into the mine plan.

A task-based risk assessment was not performed before a drill fitter was fatally crushed while working on a rig at Rio Tinto's Channar mine in the Pilbara.

Two local gold hopefuls with interests in a Cambodian project have announced a merger, with Emerald Resources to buy Renaissance Minerals in a deal valued at about $40 million.

Rio Tinto has maintained its 2016 guidance for iron ore shipments at 350 million tonnes after lifting June quarter volumes by 6 per cent from a year ago, helped by expanded infrastructure and unwinding of stocks in Western Australia.

SPECIAL REPORT: Lithium stocks led by Pilbara Minerals and Galaxy Resources have seized the opportunities presented by the commodity’s surge.

Mt Gibson Iron has received preliminary Environmental Protection Authority approval for development of its Iron Hill deposits northeast of Dalwallinu, although there is still some process to go before work can begin.

The mining sector is still providing abundant work opportunities for law firms, from contract disputes to potential private equity acquisitions.

The largest shareholder in Metals X has sold a big line of stock and foreshadowed further sales, as the diversified miner announced plans to invest $15 million developing its Fortnum gold project.

Silver Lake Resources has sold its Great Southern gold project to ACH Minerals for $5 million in cash.

Uranium company Berkeley Energia, chaired by Perth dealmaker Ian Middlemas, plans to spend $125 million developing a mine in Spain, with the expectation that demand for yellowcake will ramp up by 2018 when the mine opens.

Sandfire Resources has lodged a mining lease application for the development of its majority-owned Monty copper-gold project, located near its flagship DeGrussa mine.

Aspiring gold miner KIN Mining says it has rejected a proposal from Victoria-based MHM Metals to merge the two companies.

Brazilian federal prosecutors say they have opened an investigation into alleged environmental crimes by Roberto Carvalho, chief executive of BHP Billiton co-owned company Samarco Minerao SA, over a deadly damburst last year.

Iron ore miner Fortescue Metals Group has topped its full-year production guidance of 165 million tonnes.

Chief executive salaries in WA are continuing to ratchet down, and companies are seeking more flexibility, a study of nearly 30 new appointments this year has found.

Gold miner Troy Resources has warned of a big hit to its production guidance for 2016 after facing a number of delays at its Karouni operation in Guyana.