Ground is shifting for engineers
June 19 - 25, 2013
MINE geomechanics has been big news in 2013, though the average mining industry observer would hardly know it. For while the giant ground movements at Bingham Canyon and Grasberg have reinforced the magnitude of the challenges the industry faces in the ‘mass mining’ era, news headlines have focused on supply disruptions and, far more poignantly, the significant loss of life at Grasberg.
Orica’s big bang theory
June 5 - 11, 2013
WITH mechanical rock excavation and energy efficiency hot ‘mine of the future’ themes, Orica’s Angelo Labriola wanted as much time as possible to press the case for blasting advances. He did okay, though, in an allotted 20 minutes.
Ahead of the game
May 8 - 14, 2013
IF OPERATIONAL performance was the be-all and end-all for miners, Western Areas’ chairman and major shareholder Terry Streeter wouldn’t have needed to write a letter to his fellow investors last month reassuring them all was well. For when it comes to exploring, mining and processing, Western Areas is par excellence.
Didipio ramp-up on target
May 1 - 7, 2013
THE operations in New Zealand continue to be reviewed in light of the changed gold price environment, but in the Philippines, OceanaGold is pleased with how the new Didipio gold-copper mine is performing.
Caution urged on Medusa
May 1 - 7, 2013
PROTECTED though it is by grade, Philippines gold miner Medusa Mining may be set to suffer a cash squeeze and needs to significantly lift its game after another poor performance last quarter.
Atlas stands firm
April 17 - 23, 2013
ATLAS Iron overcame wet weather and a plant outage during the quarter to achieve record shipments, and remains positive about the iron ore market despite investor uncertainty.
One thing and another
February 27 - March 5, 2013
GREG Hall’s attempt to set a positive early tone for his time at the helm of Hillgrove Resources with a revised position statement for the company’s primary asset, Kanmantoo in South Australia, raised some fairly straightforward questions – not all answerable just yet, unfortunately.
Sirius challenger
February 20 - 26, 2013
‘THE king is dead, long live the king!’ That would seem one obvious take on the emergence of Sirius Resources as the pre-eminent nickel miner in waiting and the news this week that Western Areas has a new base metals focus.
New era in prospect for Independence
February 13 - 19, 2013
FEW, if any, are as passionate about their company and Australian mining as Chris Bonwick, and the Independence managing director delivered a tour d’force this week at RIU’s Explorers Conference in Fremantle, Western Australia.
Equipment productivity falls again
January 23 - 29, 2013
A KEY index measuring the performance of equipment at many of the world’s opencut mines shows the productivity of fleets in Australia falling for the seventh year in a row.
Source key to next Excellon chapter
November 21 - 27, 2012
JUNIORS on the trail of a genuinely world class deposit are not common. Cashflow positive juniors are even rarer. Juniors chasing a major deposit with cash generated internally are like hen’s teeth. So why is the newly appointed president of Toronto-listed Excellon Resources, a company furnished with such a profile, having to tour Europe at the moment to prop up an ailing share price?
Explore, mine, explore some more
November 21 - 27, 2012
THE self-funded explorer may be a bit of a cliché, but ironically for a cliché, the industry isn’t exactly swarming with actual examples. KalNorth Gold Mines is the latest contender, with all in readiness for a venture that could make it $A12 million a year starting January – much of it to be spent exploring in the Kalgoorlie region.
OZ pressed to fill gaps
October 24 - 30, 2012
PATIENCE and discipline evidently remain hallmarks of the M&A hunt being undertaken by Australia’s best performed independent copper miner, with OZ Minerals claiming it continues to canvass opportunities and managing director Terry Burgess reaffirming the presence of the $A750 million war chest.
Costs underpin BC outlook
October 24 - 30, 2012
WELL performed junior producer BC Iron (BCI) continues to prove its credentials despite the well-publicised iron ore price slump of recent times.
DeGrussa progress sound
October 24 - 30, 2012
BONANZA copper miner Sandfire Resources is doing a tremendous development and operational job at its DeGrussa mine in Western Australia, with exploration the only query hanging over the company’s head.
The Great Geita revival
September 19 - 25, 2012
CONSIDERABLE talk and conjecture about the turnaround at AngloGold Ashanti’s Geita gold mine in northern Tanzania, between 2009 and last year, has lacked real specifics in terms of the scale of restoration performed – until now.
More than surface attraction with Regis
August 8 - 14, 2012
EVER wondered what separates the really top notch mining companies and the rest of the pack? Then look no further than the case of market darling Regis Resources.
Neighbour aims to share De Grussa spotlight
August 8 - 14, 2012
AUGUST 8: JUST to the east of the bonanza De Grussa operation in Western Australia owned by Sandfire Resources another copper project that could be a very nice earner indeed is taking shape.
OZ keen to avoid production hiatus
July 25 - 31, 2012
SOLID production, M&A hunt continuing. In other words, yet another stock standard quarter from Australia’s well-performed copper miner OZ Minerals. The question is though, can the discipline deliver another operating asset?
PanAust decision to pay dividends
July 25 - 31, 2012
COPPER miner PanAust’s decision to delay the development of the Inca de Oro project in Chile should be welcomed by shareholders.
