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The Modern Mine: Reducing Emissions, Increasing Safety and Improving Output
The modernisation of mining operations is transforming how the industry is securing the minerals the world needs more safely, efficiently and sustainably, the International Mining and Resources Conference (IMARC) in Sydney has been told.
Speaking on Day 1 of the conference, industry leaders said they were excited by the potential for electrification, automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve mining operations. While acknowledging the challenges of distance, capital cost, geography and scale and they all agreed innovation was the key.
Electrifying mining
The most obvious example cited is the electrification of predominantly diesel-powered mine vehicles, haulage trucks and fixed assets. Together with automation and digitisation, electrification was described as one of the most substantive technology shifts in mining for more than 70 years.
And in exciting news, it was announced at IMARC that thousands of electric four-wheel drive vehicles equipped with smart software could soon be entering the Australian mining sector as part of a deal between two climate firms.
Irish company CoolPlanet revealed plans to extend its partnership with Australia’s Climatech Zero, in a move that will see the firms offer electrified Toyota LandCruisers to the local mining industry.
The pair predicts more than 6000 of the low-emission vehicles could be in use by 2026.
CoolPlanet chairman Norman Crowley said the vehicles would play an important role in cutting carbon emissions from mining and protecting workers as vehicles played a role in 28 per cent of deaths suffered on mine sites.
“Mines will be able to eliminate diesel particulate matter and maximise vehicle safety,” Mr Crowley said.
Chief Executive Officer of Fortescue Dino Otranto told the opening plenary session that rising fuel prices has been revolutionary in the competitiveness of electric vehicles, and the industry is applying the lessons learnt in other sectors.
“The offsets from diesel have been far greater than anyone could have predicted,” Mr Otranto said.
“The DC-DC charging station was the innovation breakthrough required to charge haulage trucks in under 20 minutes, which is something the motor racing industry has been doing for years.”
Electrification can also improve safety and cost in underground environments by removing the need for elaborate ventilation systems. It also has health and safety benefits when the working environment is devoid of diesel exhaust fumes and heavy, hot and noisy machinery.
The next generation of haulage trucks
Another area of focus in the transformation of mining operations is the design of haulage trucks.
According to Paul Lucey, Principal Mine Electrification & Technology at Worley there are more than 16,500 haulage trucks in Australia, but their productivity is hampered by outdated design, their suitability to the task they are performing, and human intervention.
“We have effectively pulled apart dozens of haulage trucks and assessed every component for their efficiency. We have found there is up to 20% parasitic load – that is, components that don’t really do anything but add weight and create a drag on performance,” he said.
“When you add the human tendency to put the foot flat on the floor, or to rev the engine to increase the speed of removing a tarpaulin, you can see where the inefficiencies start to add up.
“The haulage trucks of the future will use technology such as AI to reduce energy use, minimise engine and tyre wear and determine how to operate the machinery in the most efficient way.”
Vice President of Hexagon Mining Simon Stone added to this, saying innovation is helping increase the payload of haulage trucks, while at the same time reducing maintenance cost through smart technology.
“Autonomous vehicles will lead to less tyre wear, more predictability of cycle time and fuel burn and more consistent presentation of vehicles to loading and unloading facilities,” Mr Stone said.
“Increasing haulage trucks’ capacity will ultimately result in less trucks on the road and less drivers. This, however, requires legislative intervention, because currently the maximum amount haulage trucks can carry is 140 tonnes and for optimum operation, this would need to be 300 tonnes.”
James Agar, Group Procurement Officer at BHP told delegates that Australia’s largest miner is partnering with global tyre brands, Michelin and Goodyear to help develop the next generation of haulage truck tyres. Mr Agar noted that increasing battery life of haulage trucks will become of increasing competitive advantage to mining companies. As a result, there are hopes the next generation tyres will increase efficiency by 1%-2% which has the potential to save millions of dollars in expenditure.
Addressing community perceptions
Mineral Exploration Account Executive at Fleet Space Technologies Bronwyn Murphy said a challenge the mining sector faces in the modernisation space is the public’s perception that it is behind the curve.
“Earlier in my career, I made a decision to leave the mining industry because I believed the technological opportunities were all in oil and gas,” Ms Murphy said.
“Now, what we’re seeing in the mining industry is a swing in interest in technology and we’re hoping this is obvious for the future generations considering a career in mining – we’re no longer just stuck in our ways and there’s actually a lot of advancements taking place.”
IMARC 2023
The modernisation of mining has been a key focus on Day 1 of IMARC, with more than 8500 delegates gathering to hear from industry experts about the sustainability opportunities and challenges facing the industry in the face of heightened community, shareholder and investor expectations.
This year’s event features the biggest ever exhibition of technology being deployed around the world, including electric haulage vehicles, drilling equipment, robotics, and processing machinery as well as AI, machine learning, IT and communications.
IMARC Event Director Paul Phelan said the key to the event’s success has been ensuring the program reflects the ever-changing industry and the challenges such as improving safety, increasing productivity and reducing emissions to help the world meet ambitious goals.
"IMARC is a solutions-focused event that is all about how technology is being applied, how investments are actioned, and how practical steps are being taken to achieve shared goals,” he said.
“IMARC is where global mining leaders collaborate on trends in mining, investment and innovation towards a sustainable future.”
Investor Presentation Fiery Creek Georgetown
FIERY CREEK COPPER PROSPECT
- Georgetown Project Queensland
- Fiery Creek Copper Prospect
- 29 square kilometre Yataga Granitoid Intrusive Complex
- Identified as potential massive scale constrained copper porphyry system
- Targeting millions of tonnes of contained copper in “pencil porphyry style” Cadia type system
- 1,000 mines, prospects, mineral occurrences in Georgetown District
- 3 exploration permits covering 850km2
- Significant historical gold production, very little systematic modern exploration
- Gold, lithium, silver, lead, zinc, copper, tin, tantalum, niobium, uranium, fluorine and molybdenite
- 8 potential scale prospects gold, copper, silver lead identified to date
- 23% copper, 14 ounces silver (460 g/t)* from rock samples in quartz breccia hosted veins at Fiery Creek
- Hosted within the massive Yataga Granitoid Complex
- 1600m x 750m outcropping copper veining up to 2m wide
- Interpreted shallow constrained, scale porphyry copper system
- Veining has extensive secondary copper mineralisation at surface
- Multi element assays point to possibility of a significant copper polymetallic system
- Pathfinder element anomalism widespread
- 2 geochemistry surveys completed by EMU
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from EMU NL, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
EIS Grant for Minnie Springs Copper Porphyry Drilling
Augustus Minerals (ASX: AUG; “Augustus” or the “Company”) is pleased to advise the grant of a co-funded EIS drilling grant of up to $110,000 for the Minnie Springs Cu-Mo project in the Gascoyne Region. Augustus thanks the State Government and DEMIRS for supporting exploration in Western Australia with these grants.
- Augustus Minerals has been granted a co-funded drilling grant of up to $110,000 for 2 x 700m deep diamond drill holes under the WA Government’s Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS) for the Minnie Springs prospect.
- The deeper diamond drill program is designed to test and to provide a 550m deep, 1km wide geological/geochemical/structural cross-section through the large 3km long by 1km wide copper moly porphyry system, linking the Mo mineralised leucogranite to the extensive Cu in soil anomaly to the northeast.
- Previous RC drilling at Minnie Springs intersected mineralisation, geology and alteration halo consistent with the zoning of a large porphyry copper / moly system.
Andrew Ford, GM Exploration
“The Company is pleased to receive an EIS grant to complete deeper drilling at the Minnie Springs Copper Molybdenum Project. The resultant data will enable mapping of the lithology and alteration to a depth of 550m and potentially intersect, or provide vectors to, higher grade Mo-Cu mineralisation using a Mo-Cu porphyry geological model”.
Minnie Springs
Minnie Springs hosts porphyry related copper molybdenum mineralisation previously drilled and defined by Catalyst Metals. A molybdenum Exploration target has been defined for the historicdrillingareacomprisedofbetween12-84Mtasoutlinedbelow (Table 1 and Figure 1, 2.)1.
Table 1. Exploration target size estimate for Minnie Springs Molybdenum depositNote: Based on ~300 ppm cut-off at 100% recovery.
The potential quantity and grade of the exploration target is conceptual in nature, there has been insufficient exploration to estimate a Mineral Resources, and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the estimation of a Mineral Resource.
The planned diamond drilling will complement the recently completed 3,200m RC drilling program that infilled around hole MSRC012 (18m @ 0.37% Cu and 9.7 g/t Ag from 94m downhole, and 16m @ 0.38% Cu and 19.4g/t Ag from 121m downhole2) and tested the northern half of the 2km long copper-in soil anomaly. Assays from this program are expected to become available over the next month.
The limited exploration in the region, highlighted by 95% of the Ti-Tree project having no previous exploration, demonstrates the prospectivity of this underexplored mineral province.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Augustus Minerals, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Quarterly Activity Report 31 March 2024
EMU NL (ASX: EMU) (“EMU” or “the Company”) is pleased to report on its activities for the quarter ending 31 March 2024.
Figure 1. Fiery Creek Copper Prospect/Yataga Granodiorite summarizing rock (brown diamonds) and termite mound sample results (black crosses)
Continuing with its primary exploration focus on the Georgetown project in the latter half of 2023, EMU received assay results during the quarter from its second, in field reconnaissance work. The geochemical sampling programme covered the Fiery Creek high grade copper vein swarm and the Snake Creek prospects with significant element results returned from the Fiery Creek Copper (elevated Cu-Au-Ag-Bi-In-Pb-Sb-Te) and Snake Creek (elevated Pb-Ag-Au-Sb).
Whilst the survey was cut short due to inclement weather, EMU was encouraged by the significant success reflected in the assays results. The results from mineralogical studies confirmed EMU’s interpretation of an indicative, scale Copper-Porphyry system at the Fiery Creek prospect and was a highlight of the survey with new information building on the scale and potential of the prospect1.
Assay results returned included:
- Fiery Creek rock assay results up to 23.5% Cu, 0.27ppm Au, 460ppm Ag, 1.9% Bi, 89ppm In, 2.7% Pb, 667ppm Sb, 1470ppm Zn2.
- evidence of strong potential for the presence of critical and strategic minerals (Cu, Bi, In), with precious and base metals.
- evidence of alteration mineralogy, mineralisation geochemistry and areal extent of the Fiery Creek quartz-Cu-Bi vein swarm strongly suggesting a previously unrecognised subjacent porphyry Cu-Mo system.
- Yataga Granitoid Complex termite mound and coincident rock chip sampling returned several anomalous polymetallic zones for follow up.
- Snake Creek Prospect assays returned 0.20ppm Au, 390ppm Ag, 22.4% Pb, 464ppm Sb1.
Significant results were returned from the Fiery Creek Copper prospect with elevated Cu-Au- Ag-Bi-In-Pb-Sb-Te and from the Snake Creek prospect with elevated Pb-Ag-Au-Sb.
The elevated pathfinder element results and a macro-petrology assessment3 of rock samples completed by Mr Nigel Maund, Consulting Economic Geologist, from the previously unexplored Fiery Creek Prospect, point to the discovery of a porphyry copper system.
The sampling program assessed a number of high-priority prospects within the Georgetown Project tenements utilising termite mound and outcrop rock chip geochemistry. A total of 46 rock chip and 489 termite mound samples were collected across eight prospects.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from EMU NL, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Quarterly Report for the Period Ending 31 March 2024
Redstone Resources Limited (ASX: RDS) (Redstone or the Company) is pleased to provide its quarterly report for the period ending 31 March 2024 (the Quarter).
HIGHLIGHTS
WEST MUSGRAVE COPPER PROJECT (100% RDS) – WEST MUSGRAVE, WESTERN AUSTRALIA
- Redstone currently planning work programs to advance its copper exploration strategy at its 100% owned West Musgrave Project in WA
- Foundation set for growth ‐ existing copper resource base at West Musgrave:
- Tollu copper vein deposit with a resource of 3.8 million tonnes at 1% Cu, containing 38,000 tonnes of copper (ASX announcement of 15 June 2016).
- Significant drilling intersections of high‐grade Cu mineralisation at the Chatsworth and Forio Prospects within Tollu (dating back to 2017) are yet to be included in the existing JORC 2012 resource estimate.
- Significant and consistent high‐grade copper results at depth and to the surface at Tollu:
- Most recent drilling at Chatsworth intersected 11m at 1.2% Cu from only 29m downhole (TLC205), extending the previously intersected high‐grade copper lens a further 20m towards the surface.
- Together with prior drilling, TLC205 also confirmed the targeted high‐grade Cu lens at Chatsworth has the following encouraging characteristics:
- Up to 26m thick (downhole) and has a consistent Cu grade over 1% Cu;
- Extends over 140m vertical from TLC205 to its deepest intersection to date in TLC188;
- A consistent high average grade of over 1% in numerous holes; and
- Remains open at depth
- Historical Cu intersections at Chatsworth include mineralisation that continues from the surface to the maximum vein intersection depth at over 424m (downhole), where grades of 3.73% Cu over 10m, including 5m at 5.3% Cu from 427m (downhole), still continue and are not closed out
- Drilling at the Forio Prospect, which included the highest grade intersection ever recorded at Tollu, being 1m at 18.5% Cu from 18m downhole (TLC203) within an intersection of 8m at 4.1% Cu from 13m downhole, extend Forio’s high grade Cu mineralisation zone at Forio to a 60m strike length (north and south) of continuous high grade copper.
- The high grade Forio Cu Zone extends all the way to the surface with lenses of Cu mineralisation up to 34m thick (downhole) with average grades always over 1% Cu (34m at 1.04% Cu from 15m downhole in TLC181)
- Nearby to major BHP deposit: Tollu copper deposit is located 40km east of BHP’s world‐class Nebo‐ Babel Ni‐Cu‐Co‐PGE deposit ‐ estimated to have a resource of 390 million tonnes grading 0.33% copper and 0.30% nickel, for 1.2 million tonnes of contained nickel metal and 1.3 million tonnes of contained copper metal
- Redstone has been successfully awarded a $220,000 drilling grant from the DMIRS under the Round 29 Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS) – grant will co‐fund a single deep drill hole of approximately 1,000m at the Chatsworth Prospect at Tollu
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Redstone Resources, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Metals Australia Quarterly Activities Report - to 31 March 2024
Metals Australia Limited (ASX: MLS) (“Metals Australia”, the “Company” or “MLS”) is pleased to report its activities for the quarter ended 31 March 2024 (“Quarter”):
Highlights
- Highly experienced Mining Executive, Paul Ferguson commenced employment with the Company, as Chief Executive Officer on January 22nd, 20241. Paul’s commencement has enabled the Company to significantly advance planning and preparation for the exploration, metallurgical test work programs and design studies required to move its flagship Lac Rainy high-grade graphite project towards development. Contract awards for key programs and studies are imminent and will be announced during May.
- The Company completed a $3.5M AUD2(before costs) capital raise to support funding of its planned exploration programs in Quebec, Canada. The raise was completed at a 40% premium to the prevailing stock price and utilised the Canadian Federal Governments exploration tax incentive program (Flow Through Shares). This program is provided by the Canadian Government to help stimulate mineral exploration investment by providing increased tax incentives to investors who support companies exploring for critical minerals. The Company has subsequently noted announcements in the April 16th Canadian Federal Govt budget of changes likely to negatively impact these investor incentives from June 25th. Having completed the capital raise, the Company has ensured it has sufficient funding to achieve its exploration and development objectives.
- Company representatives, including its CEO, hosted an investor booth at PDAC3(Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada) Mining convention in Toronto March 3rd to 6th. The convention was hugely successful with significant contacts and connections established, who have expressed their interest in our project. Connections made include government representatives, fund managers, investors and a wide range of technical services and engineering companies covering all aspects of the study programs required to advance the companies projects. This helped raise the profile of our Company’s flagship Lac Rainy project, along with our other Quebec based projects. Follow up meetings with the government and supportive, Quebec based, exploration and project investment funds has further enhanced our profile in Canada.
- The Company held strategic planning workshops in Australia and Canada to review the extensive portfolio of high-quality exploration tenements held by the group. Strategic plans and priorities were developed for each project and plans are advancing to progress further exploration and metallurgical test programs. The Company is also investigating additional exploration or project opportunities where they add scale or accelerated pathways to development. The balance of the financial year will see further announcements, outlining plans.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Metals Australia, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Basin Energy Mining Exploration Entity or Oil and Gas Exploration Entity Quarterly Cash Flow Report
Basin Energy (ASX:BSN) is pleased to announced its mining exploration entity or oil and gas exploration entity quarterly cash flow report.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Basin Energy, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
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