mining chronicle - the west australian · 2015-06-18 · atlas iron. a group of up to seven...

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CHRONICLEMAY/JUNE 2015 Volume 20, Number 3 Established 1995 PP643938/0091 RRP $4.40 (GST included)

BY BIANCA BARTUCCIOTTO

Stronger collaboration and agreements between producers and contractors could help a recovery in the struggling mining industry, according to insiders.

Western Australian Minister for Mines and Petroleum Bill Marmion recently threw his support behind a potential bailout package for floundering iron ore producer Atlas Iron.

A group of up to seven contractors working with Atlas has floated a possible multimillion-dollar cash injection into the indebted company.

The flailing iron ore price and supply glut caused by major players oversupplying the market have hit Atlas Iron hard, with the company on the precipice of collapse.

At the current benchmark iron ore price of close to US$47 ($60) per tonne (correct at time of going to print), Atlas stands to lose US$13 ($16) per tonne or about $180 million over a year of production.

Company shares have taken a recent dive, reaching a five-year low of 12 cents per share.

The group of would-be saviours includes BGC Contracting, Mineral Resources, Qube, MACA and trucking group McAleese, which spearheaded the proposal for its largest client.

McAleese declined to comment as the group has implemented a voluntary suspension of its shares pending review of the company’s position, given Atlas’ move to shut down.

Mr Marmion welcomed the package and confirmed the government’s support of any initiative that could help a recovery of the sector.

“The State Government is saddened by the impact of lower commodity prices on WA’s resources industry and the thousands of families and communities who rely on mining and petroleum jobs and investment,” he said.

“As such, we welcome industry’s collaborative efforts to sustain companies and operations.

“The government has been liaising closely with junior and mid-tier iron ore miners during the recent sharp price decline, introducing a royalty relief package in December.

“We will continue working with these miners and the broader mining and petroleum sector through these challenging times, as we look to the future of WA’s vital resources sector.”

Austmine CEO Christine Gibbs Stewart said while these agreements would not become commonplace, more collaboration in the industry could help a recovery.

“I do not see such a bold move becoming the norm, but new business models and ways of

working together are needed to overcome the current challenges which miners are facing – not only in iron ore, but coal and commodities more generally,” she said.

“This approach is not new, as contractors do take owner-operator or equity positions to defray some of the costs of the mining companies.

“This, however, is usually an arrangement made in advance and not when the asset is distressed.

“Whether it works depends on how deep their pockets are and the price of iron ore over the next few months. What is important is that Atlas will continue to supply to its customers, because these, once lost, will be difficult to get back.”

Ms Gibbs Stewart said closer working relationships between companies and suppliers were needed to pave the road forward.

“Collaboration is the key to delivering long-term value and solving mining’s major challenges and the Australian mining equipment, technology and services sector has a lot to offer in this regard.”

AMEC CEO Simon Bennison said while the proposed initiative was “very admirable”, it would take a lot more to turn things around.

“Iron ore prices need to be much higher than where they are, at the same time as companies drive down their cost of production,” he said.

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Collaboration the way ahead

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www.myresources.com.au THE MINING CHRONICLE VOL. 20, NO. 03 PAGE 3

NATION RAINS GOLDWhile many people would love a chunk of gold for their birthday, that wish actually came true for a Victorian grandmother who came upon a 586.5g nugget recently.

Anne Borg discovered the nugget along an isolated dirt track near Kalgoorlie on her 81st birthday.

The grandmother and retiree, along with her husband, now plans to sell her find, believed to be worth around $80,000.

Mrs Borg, a regular prospector, was incredulous at her find and said in her 10 years of looking she had never found anything so substantial.

The nugget’s location has since become something of a hotspot for other prospectors travelling to Hall Road, Kalgoorlie, with many keen to obtain some of the same luck.

The Maldon local is planning to pay off her mortgage and update her and her husband’s caravan with the money gained.

In another unbelievable find, a Victorian husband is rolling in $141,000 after uncovering a 2.7kg nugget.

Mike Brown of Kerang said his wife had told him to get out of the house, after giving up smoking had put him in a bad mood.

The 42-year-old prospector ventured to Wedderburn and searched an area he frequented.

Mr Brown delved 15cm below the surface to unearth the sizeable find. He is now planning to pay off his debts and buy his children a spa.

FIFO DOLLS DISPEL DESPAIRA New South Wales mother has found a novel way to subside the pain felt by children when their fly-in, fly-out mother or father leaves.

Lauren Martin, whose husband works FIFO, created the range of Wish U Were Here cuddly dolls that are printed with a photograph of her children’s father so they could feel closer to him while he is away.

The dolls are being sent to other FIFO families missing a loved one, bringing comfort to many children around Australia.

In the four years Mrs Martin has made the dolls, her clients have grown to include shift workers, defence personnel and even nervous children heading off to kindergarten.

Mrs Martin averages 40 dolls a week and plans to expand her dolls into New Zealand and the UK.

A video of a FIFO worker’s young son went viral in April when he was filmed opening his present of a doll with his dad’s picture on it. The video has since been viewed more than 65,000 times.

APPLE ADDS GOLD TO DEMANDTechnology giant Apple could potentially purchase up to a third of the world’s gold to meet the demand for its latest product, the iWatch.

The device comes with an 18-karat gold case, said to be twice as hard as standard gold.

According to The Wall Street Journal online, demand for the product is expected to be so high from Asian markets, in particular China, the company is planning to produce more than one million units a month in the second quarter of the year.

TidBITS estimated each gold watch Apple produces will contain 62.2 grams of gold. Based on this and the estimated sales numbers, it was concluded Apple would need about 30 per cent of the world’s annual production of gold.

The 18-kart gold edition of the Apple iWatch will retail for $24,000.

The luxury item comes with a sapphire crystal display and can be used with a leather or sport wristband.

WRITERLY RINEHART Mining magnate Gina Rinehart has officially launched her latest book.

From Red Cape to Red Carpet and then some, a follow-up to her first book Northern Australia and then some, delves into her formative years being raised in the Pilbara, as well as the trials and tribulations faced by constructing the Roy Hill iron ore mega-project.

Mrs Rinehart’s second book includes contributions from high-profile resources identities, including BHP Billiton CEO Andrew Mackenzie, Woodside Petroleum CEO Peter Coleman, Hancock Prospecting executives Ian Plimer and Tad Watroba and Vimy Resources CEO Mike Young.

HUMAN WASTE A LITERAL GOLD MINEIt turns out going to the toilet may be more valuable than you would think, after a study in the US re-vealed gold found in human waste from sewage treatment plants was at levels that, if found in rock, could be worth mining.

The research group is now looking at methods to extract the valuable findings, which include gold, silver and rare elements such as palladium and vanadium.

After the microscopic collections were surveyed using a scanning electron microscope, lead scientist Dr Kathleen Smith said the gold found was at the level of a “minimal mineral deposit”.

Metals in objects such as hair care products and detergents find their way inside human bodies and after passing through, are concentrated in leftover biosolids at sewage treatment plants.

Dr Smith said one part of the project would involve removing regulated metals from the biosolids and another component would be to collect the metals that could be sold.

The research group presented its findings at the 249th national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Denver, Colorado.

A previous study published in the Environmental Science and Technology journal estimated waste from one million US residents could contain as much as US$13 ($17.17) million worth of metals.

CONTENTS

News 1–13

Cutting Edge 14-16

Resources 17-18

Service and Supply 19-21

Transport: Freight and

Haulage Logistics 22-23

Mining Contractors:

Services Export 24-25

Mining Equipment

Maintenance 26-27

Concrete Equipment

and Suppliers 28

Conference Round-Up 29

Nine to Five Interview 30

Michael Roche

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Editor Louise Allan [email protected] Sales Manager Dane ChandlerAssistant Sales Manager Liz PoustieAdvertising Jeff BoldJournalists Bianca Bartucciotto, Laura Galic, Kirsten Hyam, Kaitlin ShawcrossSubeditor Kirsten HyamDesigner Bryan LeeNewsagency Distribution Gordon and GotchContact us [email protected] by ColourPress, Daniels Printing CraftsmenThe copyright is vested in the Proprietors of The Mining Chronicle; neither whole nor any part of this issue may be reproduced without permission.

DISCLAIMERThe views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of The West Australian, but are those of the respective author who accept sole responsibility and liability for them.

NOTICE TO ADVERTISERSThe Australian Consumer Law (ACL) came into force on 1 January 2011. There are important provisions in that Act which contain strict regulations on advertising and all advertisers and advertising agents are advised to study those provisions very carefully.It can be an offence for anyone to engage, in trade or commerce, in conduct “misleading or deceptive”. In particular Section 53 contains prohibitions from doing any of the following in connection with the promotion, by any means, of the supply or use of goods or services:(a) Falsely represent that goods or services are of

a particular standard, quality or grade, or that goods are of a particular style or model;

(b) Falsely represent that goods are new;(c) Represent that goods or services have

sponsorship, approval, performance characteristics, accessories, uses or benefits they do not have;

(d) Represent that he, she or it has a sponsorship approval or affiliation he, she or it does not have;

(e) Make false or misleading statements concerning the existence of, or amount of, price reductions;

(f) Make false or misleading statements concerning the need for any goods, services, replacements or repairs;

(g) Make false or misleading statements concerning the existence or effect of any warranty or guarantee.

PENALTIESFor an individual – $10,000 or six months imprisonment. For a corporation – $50,000. It is not possible for this company to ensure that advertisements which are published in this newspaper comply with the Act and the responsibility must therefore be on the person, company or advertising agency submitting the advertisements for publication. In case of doubt consult your lawyer.

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NEWS

Partners seek to lessen FIFO risk

BY LAURA GALIC

A new collaboration between Mining Family Matters and Wesley LifeForce Suicide Prevention Networks is aiming to reduce suicide among workers in the resources industry.

Mining Family Matters founder Alicia Ranford said the Rock Solid Suicide Prevention Program hoped to build emotional resilience among fly-in, fly-out workers, while also supplying families with practical strategies to survive the challenges of working away or shift work.

“After the incidents that have happened over the past year, including the Western Australian parliamentary inquiry into suicide and mental health on mining worksites, we came together because we had very similar ideologies about being preventative and offering proactive strategies to help reduce the causes of suicide,” Mrs Ranford said.

“Suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians between the ages of 15 and 44.

“We need to be proactive about

offering information on mental health and the risks associated with suicide, so as an industry we can really take hold of it and help prevent anymore suicides happening onsite.”

Wesley Mission CEO Reverend Keith Garner said although there was no specific research about the rate of suicide among workers in mining, experts agreed FIFO workers had a greater exposure to risk factors that could contribute to deaths by suicide.

“Risk factors for people who work away in mining include social isolation, family and relationship stress and being exposed to high-risk, on-the-job activities such as underground mining and blasting,” Dr Garner said.

As part of the Rock Solid program, Wesley LifeForce is offering a range of workshops to resources companies nationwide to teach simple, effective interventions aimed at reducing the cost of workplace stress, saving lives and supporting those who lose a colleague or family member to suicide.

Skilled trainers with extensive experience in suicide prevention and mental health will deliver these interactive workshops.

“We’re hoping mining companies around Australia engage in the Rock Solid program and have a Wesley-trained trainer deliver the program onsite,” Mrs Ranford said.

During May in South Australia, the Mining and Quarrying Occupational Health and Safety Committee is funding a Rock Solid Suicide Prevention Pilot Program within the state’s mining and quarrying industry.

As part of the collaboration, Mining Family Matters recently released the second edition of its award-winning Survival Guide for Mining Families, featuring further information on the emotional wellbeing of workers, as well as practical, professional strategies to keep relationships strong.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a personal crisis, phone Lifeline on 13 11 14 or MensLine on 1300 789 978.

Mental health: Mining Family Matters founder Alicia Ranford (inset) is working with Wesley LifeForce to reduce suicide incidents in the sector. Mining Family Matters recently released the second edition of its book (inset).

Colleague conflict and insecurity top worries A recent report from the University of Newcastle found 10,000 mining employees each year experienced mental health problems such as anxiety and depression or substance abuse.

It is understood the ‘macho culture’ and fear of being stigmatised were some reasons why employees were not seeking help, according to the report.

AccessEAP, a corporate psychology organisation that supports and develops positive organisational behaviour, worked closely with mining organisations and compiled data to reveal the top five causes of stress Australian miners experienced in the workplace.

The top five triggers of workplace stress in the mining industry according to AccessEAP data are job insecurity, conflict with colleagues and managers, bullying and harassment, job isolation and long working hours.

AccessEAP Clinical Services Manager Marcela Slepica said the report found job insecurity rose from 26 per cent to 31 per cent during the second half of 2013.

“The mining industry is experiencing a lot of uncertainty with as many as 75,000 mining-related jobs expected to be lost over the next couple of years as Australia enters phase three of the mining boom,” she said.

“This amounts to about one third of all mining-related jobs, so it’s no surprise job insecurity is a stress trigger.”

Due to the high risk and high-pressure environment surrounding the mining industry, conflict with colleagues and managers was also considerably higher than in many other industries.

“Miners often work long hours, which itself can be a source of stress,” Ms Slepica said.

“The high risk of injury and accidents has huge mental health implications.

“There is a need to change the culture within the industry to be inclusive and promote good mental health for all.

“When people feel under pressure to achieve or feel there are high expectations related to long hours, high volumes or perceived pressure from management, tensions may run high and the result is increased conflict in the workplace.

“This may lead to bullying and harassment and our data shows mining employees are requesting support for conflict, bullying and harassment.”

Ms Slepica said because workers in the mining industry spent long hours away from their families and support systems, being mentally healthy in the workplace was more important than ever before.

Tough gig: Bullying and harassment, job isolation and long working hours factored into the top five causes of anxiety and depression.


NEWS

POLL

my r e s o u r c e s. c o m . a u

Our March/April online poll posed the following question:

Do you agree with Hays that 2015 is set to be a year of market improvement in the resources sector?

In the last edition of The Mining Chronicle, the Resources and Mining Quarterly Report by Hays suggested an upcoming focus on efficiency and innovation in mining operations.

Hays Regional Director Western Australia Chris Kent said while falling commodity prices had led to a drop in market confidence towards the end of 2014, this year had kicked off with a return to good sentiment and a positive outlook for industry job prospects.

However, the majority of our readers disagreed.

Results: 81.8 per cent “no” and 18.2 per cent “yes” (accurate at the time of going to print).

In our May/June poll we ask:

Do you think the new Queensland government’s stance on uranium will hurt the state’s mining industry?

To cast your vote visit our website where you’ll find a mix of rolling resources news updated throughout the day, insightful opinion pieces, profiles on movers and shakers and product innovation.

Uranium debate heats up following electionBY BIANCA BARTUCCIOTTO

The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has hit back at reports the State Government is moving to reinstate a ban on uranium mining, stating it is “disappointing but not surprising”.

QRC Chief Executive Michael Roche said the government should consult with industry before rushing to a decision.

“This new Labor government has the opportunity to take advantage of the excellent work undertaken by the Department of Natural Resources and Mines in the past few years to develop a world-leading regulatory framework for assessing and overseeing uranium mining projects,” he said.

“Rather than a blanket ban, the better option would be to judge each project on its merits and against the regulatory framework for uranium.

“Reimposition of a blanket ban on uranium mining will come as a particular disappointment to the people of north-west Queensland, who rightly see uranium mining as a valuable new jobs generator for the region.”

A spokesperson for the Queensland Minister for Mines

and State Development said the policy should not come as a shock to anyone.

“It’s long been the policy of Labor governments in Queensland that we don’t allow uranium mining in our state,” she said.

“To date, there haven’t been any applications lodged with my department seeking mine leases to mine uranium.”

There are 437 nuclear reactors operating worldwide, with 70 being built and 184 on order.

Nuclear generation is planned to supply 25 per cent of India’s power by 2050.

Federal Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop returned from a three-day visit to India in April, where the minister discussed potential strengthening of economic ties between the countries, including around uranium export.

The two governments recently finalised a Comprehensive Economic Co-operation Agreement

The Western Australian government has thrown its support behind the uranium industry and is now looking to tap into this market, given Queensland’s reluctance.

There are four proposed uranium mines in WA.

Stance: The Queensland government looks set to implement a ban on uranium mining to the dismay of the Queensland Resources Council.


NEWS

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Fresh ideas equal solutionsBY KAITLIN SHAWCROSS

Off the back of a successful premier event last year, Unearthed has wrapped up its Perth hackathon for 2015 and is now preparing for a national tour.

The weekend event brought together programmers, data scientists and designers to develop prototype solutions to resources sector problems.

Resources Innovation through Information Technology Director Justin Strharsky said the Unearthed hackathon events saw teams create real, usable technology for the mining and oil and gas sectors in just 54 hours.

“Unearthed is an engine of innovation for the resources sector and we work with resources companies to help them understand the type of challenges they have that can be addressed with technology,” Mr Strharsky said.

After seeing the successful outcomes of the 2014 hackathon event, Iluka Resources decided to jump onboard for three of the 2015 events in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.

Managing Director Victor Hugo said Unearthed’s hackathon was an experiment for the company to see how open-source innovation could be put into action.

“We’re quite interested in open-source innovation. We started an innovation program within the company under a formal framework

about a year and a half ago,” he said. “In the course of that we’re looking at different ways in which innovation could assist us in our business.”

Iluka provided one of the five challenges that required teams to develop a program or algorithm that would take the place of geologists in searching the globe for particular deposits.

“In the deposits that we look for they have a distinct shape, the shape of a J, and obviously geologists can identify these manually but we were looking at whether or not a computer

could do something similar,” Mr Hugo said.

Four teams undertook the challenge at the Perth event, including winning team J-Bays from The University of Western Australia, whose idea Iluka is now looking to pursue.

“We’ve had all the teams that participated in our challenge come and present to Iluka separately, plus a couple of other teams where we thought they had solutions that could be applied within the company,” Mr Hugo said.

“We’re deciding how to progress

from here because we certainly would like to continue with the development of one or more of the prototypes.”

Mr Strharsky said the winning team produced an innovative approach to finding promising areas for geological exploration in mineral sands.

“This team of young programmers understood they could transform the features of the coastline of Australia into a wave form and use signal processing techniques to very quickly identify promising characteristics in that wave form,” he said.

“It was an amazing approach to that problem and as they started describing it I could see the faces of the Iluka judges and mentors and their jaws dropped.”

Mr Hugo said the hackathon was well aligned with Iluka’s aim to get young people into the resources sector and create opportunities for innovation.

“The mining industry is not renowned for innovation, yet the challenges we face become greater and greater, whether it’s on the exploration front or the production side of things. Having young people come in with fresh ideas and look at things differently can only help the industry,” Mr Hugo said.

Mr Strharsky said in order to stay globally competitive, Australia needed to drop its prices per tonne across all commodities and that innovation would be the way to do this.

“We have done research that shows there’s probably $100 billion of disruption coming to the Australian resources industry from new technologies,” he said.

“Things like global devices in the workplace, big data and predictive analytics will change the way industry works.

“But if we are not investing in producing those technologies and understanding how they can improve industry, it’s quite likely we’ll be paying a premium to buy those technologies from overseas.”

Great minds: A Perth team at Unearthed’s hackathon March event. The weekend was held at collaborative working environment Spacecubed and the winning WA team’s idea is now being investigated by Iluka Resources.


NEWS

crown.com

Demand for local coal to riseBY KAITLIN SHAWCROSS

Despite struggling coal prices, the commodity’s outlook is bright, according to the Department of Industry’s latest Resources and Energy Quarterly report, which anticipated Australia would become the world’s largest coal exporter within two years.

Report data showed world trade of metallurgical coal was forecast to increase by 2.3 per cent to 316 million tonnes in 2015, with China’s imports estimated to increase by 6 per cent in 2015, rising from a 16 per cent decline in 2014.

Australian thermal coal production was expected to fall slightly in 2014-15, before increasing in 2015-16 with growth in production expected to accelerate from 2016-17 as completed projects reach full capacity.

Minerals Council of Australia Executive Director Coal Greg Evans said pessimism surrounding the state of coal was based on the current commodity cycle, while the long-term global prospects remained positive.

“The process of industrialisation and urbanisation in Asia underpins the positive outlook for Australian coal, with our metallurgical coal and thermal coal playing an integral role in meeting steel-making demand and the provision of affordable and reliable base load energy,” he said.

“Australian coal is in demand across a diversity of markets, notably Japan, China, India, Taiwan and Korea, while many fast-growing Southeast Asian countries will increasingly look to Australia as a reliable supplier of thermal coal for their electricity generation requirements.”

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), India is expected to overtake the US and become the world’s second largest coal consumer after China before 2020.

While China’s imports of metallurgical coal declined in 2014, India’s imports increased by an estimated 18 per cent to 44 million tonnes.

The Resources and Energy report estimated India’s metallurgical coal imports would increase at an annual average rate of 2.7 per cent to 57 million tonnes in 2020.

Despite China announcing plans to cut back on consumption levels by 160 million tonnes over the next five years, the IEA estimated China’s demand for coal would increase by 2.9 per cent or more than 100 million tonnes per year to 2019.

“There have been many recent claims that the demand for Australian coal from China has peaked. However, these claims are ideologically driven and not based on reality,” Mr Evans said.

“The IEA makes clear that any peak coal scenario for China necessitates significantly lower GDP growth or dramatic changes in power generation or energy intensity, and that nothing even close to these developments has been observed in recent history.”

Mr Evans said the IEA predicted China would consume more coal than the rest of the world put together over the next two decades, with coal demand only peaking around 2030.

He said IEA figures showed China’s peaking coal demand would be offset by the rapid expansion in Indian coal demand on the back of expanding coal-fired generation capacity.

India’s coal imports are expected to more than triple by 2040, seeing the nation overtake China as the world’s largest importer of coal before 2025.

Australian miners seem relatively undeterred by the current low coal prices, with a number of new projects steaming ahead, including Adani’s $7 billion Carmichael thermal coal development in Queensland.

Coal exports are forecast to increase by 3.3 per cent to 201 million tonnes in 2014-15, reflecting the strong growth in exports in the second half of 2014.

Mr Evans said while new projects kicked off, many other operations were closing and Australian producers were maintaining an intense focus on productivity and cost-competitiveness.

Australia is currently the fifth largest coal producer in the world.

Rising: The outlook for Australian coal remains positive, according to Minerals Council of Australia Executive Director Coal Greg Evans.


NEWS

No royality rise is welcomeAfter an extensive review of Western Australia’s mineral royalty system, the government confirmed it would not increase royalty rates in this year’s budget.

The Mineral Royalty Rate Analysis took three years to complete, following the announcement in the 2012-13 State Budget and was widely opposed by mining companies and lobby groups.

Largely the gold industry feared it would take a hit, prompting the Gold Royalties Response Group (GRRG) to launch the Heart of Gold campaign, which vigorously protested any changes to the royalty rate.

“For more than a year our industry has been speaking up on behalf of our members, our passionate workers and our supporters and we are delighted the Barnett Government has listened,” GRRG Spokesperson and Doray Minerals Managing Director Allan Kelly said.

“Our members are confident this decision will be a much-needed boost and will provide investors and companies with the certainty they need to make investment decisions.

“It will also be welcomed by our workforces and the suppliers and regional communities that depend on our industry for their livelihoods.”

The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia (CME) also welcomed the ruling and was pleased the report had been released for further consultation prior to any decisions on possible royalty changes.

“While the report recommends royalty increases for certain commodities and decreases for others, the government’s decision to maintain royalty rates this year will provide some short-term certainty,” CME Deputy CEO Nicole Roocke said.

“The responsible and most effective way to increase royalty revenue is to have policies which grow the size of the resources sector.

Association of Mining and Exploration Companies CEO Simon Bennison said the decision was “a huge relief”.

“The government has clearly listened to industry and community concerns that there would have been massive unintended consequences if rates had been increased,” he said.

Fees: After a three-year Mineral Royalty Rate Analysis, the WA government has confirmed it will not increase gold royalty rates.

Relief packagekeeps BC afloatBY BIANCA BARTUCCIOTTO

BC Iron has been given a breather with new temporary assistance from the Western Australian government for struggling iron ore producers battling dropping prices.

BC Iron Chief Executive Officer Morgan Ball said the royalty relief package gave the company more flexibility in cash flow, but was not a rebate package.

“The government recognised the importance of mid-cap and junior iron ore producers in a pretty difficult macroeconomic environment,” he said.

“One of the considerations it made was essentially a deferment of 100 per cent of the royalty. Whether the iron ore price picks up or not, we still have to pay it back. At the end of the year, we are responsible for paying the 50 per cent that has been deferred.”

Mr Ball said the initiative gave the company leave and enabled it to continue to function profitably in the short term, whilst prices were changing.

“It’s pleasing the government recognises there is a place for smaller iron ore producers in the market and this initiative is an indication of the open-mindedness to that,” he said.

WA Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Marmion said BC Iron would receive support in the form of a 50 per cent rebate on eligible hematite iron ore royalties.

“This is not a handout; it is temporary relief for mining companies that are actively adjusting their operations,” he said.

© 2015 Caterpillar. All Rights Reserved. CAT, CATERPILLAR, BUILT FOR IT, their respective logos, “Caterpillar Yellow”, the “Power Edge” trade dress as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be used without permission.


NEWS

Minor explorers face unstable predicament

Juniors without advanced stage projects are in a very “precarious” position in the current market, according to industry veteran Derek Carter.

Mr Carter said in the short term, only significant mineral discoveries could help turn around the equities market.

“They either have to make a concerted effort to conserve cash, cut all unnecessary costs, reduce the size of the board, drop directors’ fees, cut right back on field work or throw the dice one more time with the hope of discovering a bonanza,” he said.

“There are many investors out there who will assist to fund a bonanza discovery but not to fund greenfields exploration.

“Highfield is an excellent example of a junior which has hit pay dirt and should have no

problem funding future work.”Mr Carter said the future of

the sector was going to be discovery driven.

“We all know this industry is cyclical. However, I cannot see anything on the horizon within the next 12 months and thus I would see little change for the juniors in that period,” he said.

Mr Carter said juniors were struggling to find funds on the Australian Securities Exchange.

“Many of those companies listed on the ASX should never have floated and listed,” he said.

“They should never have gone to investors and said ‘we are going to find you the next mine’.

“The problem is that we are very forgetful of the mining booms and busts and are especially quick at forgetting our losses incurred.”

Alice progresses as a mining hubAnother major resources company has opened its head office in Alice Springs, confirming the town’s reputation as a growing destination for the mining and energy industry.

“ABM is a good news story for the Northern Territory and I’m thrilled to welcome them to Alice Springs,” NT Chief Minister Adam Giles said.

“ABM is exploring the territory’s Western Tanami region and its mining project is under development.

“The Old Pirate mine is expected to be in commercial-scale production

by mid-year, attracting substantial investment into the local economy.

“This is an exciting project which is the first new mine in the Tanami for some years.

“It’s especially great to see the company is recruiting locally and using Alice Springs-based services where possible.”

A total of 13 staff members are employed from Alice Springs, including five managers.

Alice Springs company NT Link is building almost a million dollars worth of facilities at the Old

Pirate High-Grade Gold Project, while Alice Springs-based electricians and plumbers are installing the site services.

Resource Mining, an affiliate of Titan Plant Hire, has been appointed as the mining contractor, set to bring in a further $10 million of new business to the territory this year.

ABM is also using locally-based services such as Country Diesel of Alice Springs to maintain vehicles and Chartair Services of Alice Springs.

Locale: The Northern Territory welcomed a resources company opening up its head office in Alice Springs. ABM is exploring the Western Tanami region and will recruit local companies to assist its mining services.

Wary: Derek Carter said many junior miners were struggling to find investors and only large-scale discoveries could help the market now.


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NEWS

Mine apps boost explorationLocating investors is a challenge for many junior mining companies, but a recently launched app is making the process easier and more cost effective.

Fortbridge’s Fund Finder app claims to help executives identify new investor targets and access information on sector-specific funds, including their location and their profiles.

Both Android and Apple mobile devices are able to access information and locate about 2500 investor groups in more than 20 markets.

Fund Finder has the ability to connect users via the LinkedIn profile of investors, in addition to the websites of these funds and institutes. The app enables users to stay in touch with investor groups through social media with minimal effort or cost.

Development of the online application was designed to tackle difficulties the resources sector has encountered with trying to reach and target specialist investor groups, which can be expensive and require investment in third-party databases.

Another mining app was recently launched to further promote the discovery of new mineral and petroleum resources in Western Australia.

The WAGeology app gives users access to cutting-edge mapping and geological information on their smartphones and tablets.

WA Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP) said the State Government and industry were working smarter to maintain WA’s global mining leadership and resources sector jobs.

“It puts incredibly detailed digital geological maps at your fingertips, including multiple layers of information such as land use, native title and biodiversity,” the department said.

“Importantly, for prospectors and explorers, the app includes measuring, drawing and mapping tools, with the advantage of GPS accuracy.”

The WAGeology app was developed from the DMP’s extensive digital database.

“This is living technology and the information and services on the app will continue expanding,” the department said.

Hi-tech: The new Fund Finder app will help junior miners locate investors, while the WAGeology app promotes the discovery of resources.

Implement EDI now to cement sector strengthAustralian junior miners are set to receive much-needed Federal Government assistance as the Exploration Development Incentive (EDI) moves into its final stage after passing through the senate with bipartisan support earlier this year.

The EDI was a 2014/15 Federal Budget promise and will allow eligible companies to pass on a proportion of eligible exploration expenditure, in the form of a tax credit, to Australian shareholders.

Association of Mining and Exploration Companies CEO Simon Bennison said the EDI was urgently needed to restore investor confidence in the sector and provide stability for business investment decisions.

“Capital is extremely mobile, so further damage to Australia’s reputation will see reduced investment in Australian projects and companies moving to more attractive jurisdictions,” he said.

“Given the long lead time from discovery to a producing mine, investment in greenfields exploration is essential. The EDI must now be implemented urgently to stimulate the sector and provide clarity for investors.”

A recent survey of mining companies by the Fraser Institute showed all Australian states, with the exception of South Australia, dropped on the Investment Attractiveness Index in the past year.

“The EDI is timely with the value of mining exploration falling by more than 40 per cent over the past four years and Australia’s attractiveness as a destination for mining investment declining,” Minerals Council of Australia CEO Brendan Pearson said.


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NEWS

JV ends mine act for national park

Rio Tinto and joint venture partner Alcoa have agreed to terminate an historic State Agreement Act intended to facilitate the mining of bauxite and the development of an alumina refinery in the north Kimberley region.

This initiative cleared the way for the area to be included in the Kimberley National Park, supporting the Western Australian government’s plans to establish Australia’s largest national park.

The area is internationally recognised for its rich flora and fauna and tourist drawcards such as the spectacular Mitchell Falls

and indigenous rock art dating back more than 40,000 years.

Rio Tinto CEO Sam Walsh said the Kimberley National Park could now include the Mitchell Plateau area, where it and other mining companies had undertaken exploration since the early 1970s.

“More than 175,000 hectares of land on the Mitchell Plateau will become part of what is intended to be Australia’s largest national park, covering over two million hectares across the Kimberley,” he said.

“While the Mitchell Plateau bauxite resource is likely to hold

value in the future, the State Agreement Act required the development of an alumina refinery, which has always proven to be economically challenging.

“Premier Barnett has made it a priority to preserve the environmental and cultural heritage values of this area as an asset for the people of Western Australia and visitors to the state.”

Since the State Agreement was established more than 40 years ago, the Mitchell Plateau Joint Venture had actively evaluated the development of an integrated bauxite mine and alumina refinery project.

Overturned: Rio Tinto and Alcoa have handed back land explored for bauxite in the north Kimberley region. The area will now be involved in the Kimberley Nation Park, which includes the Mitchell Plateau and Falls.

State confirms title as best investment spotDespite a bleak outlook for iron ore prices, the resources sector is set to continue to play a dominant role in the Western Australia economy, according to statistics released by the Department of Mines and Petroleum.

WA has remained the nation’s top mining investment destination, with iron ore and gold accounting for $73.7 billion or 85 per cent of the state’s mineral sector sales.

The state’s mineral and petroleum industry was valued at $114 billion in 2014, surpassing 2013 by $200 million.

Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Marmion said WA accounted for more than half the country’s resources industry expenditure.

“WA’s leading position is backed by the certainty and stable

investment environment resulting from the State Government’s long-running regulatory improvement program,” he said.

“We’ve removed barriers to investment and prioritised safety, environmental and approvals reforms.”

The petroleum sector alone was valued at $27.6 billion in 2014, a 12 per cent increase from the previous year.

Increased iron ore production saw sales fall $3 billion from 2013 but the mineral still accounted for 75 per cent of sector sales.

In March this year WA had an estimated $179 billion in mining and petroleum resources projects under construction or committed, with a further $118 billion in planned or potential projects.

Leader: WA has cemented its reputation as the top location for mining investment, with iron ore and gold representing 85 per cent of sales.


NEWS

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CHRONICLEMAY/JUNE 2015 Volume 20, Number 3 Established 1995 PP643938/0091 RRP $4.40 (GST included)

BYBB BIANCA BARTUCCIOTTOStronger collaboration and agreements between producers and contractors could help a recovery in the struggling mining industry, according to insiders.

Western Australian Minister for Mines and Petroleum Bill Marmion recently threw his support behind a potential bailout package for floundering iron ore producerAtlas Iron.A group of up to seven contractors working with Atlas has floated a possible multimillion-dollar cash injection into the indebted company.

The flailing iron ore price and supply glut caused by major players oversupplying the market have hit Atlas Iron hard, with the company on the precipiceof collapse.At the current benchmark iron ore price of close to US$47 ($60) per tonne (correct at time of going to print), Atlas stands to lose US$13 ($16) per tonne or about $180 million over a year of production.

Company shares have taken a recent dive, reaching a five-year low of 12 cents per share. The group of would-be saviours includes BGC Contracting, Mineral Resources, Qube, MACA and trucking group McAleese, which spearheaded the proposal for its largest client.

McAleese declined to comment as the group has implemented a voluntary suspension of its shares pending review of the company’s position, given Atlas’ move toshut down.Mr Marmion welcomed the package and confirmed the government’s support of any initiative that could help a recovery of the sector.

“The State Government is saddened by the impact of lower commodity prices on WA’s resources industry and the thousands of families and communities who rely on mining and petroleum jobs and investment,” he said.“As such, we welcome industry’s collaborative efforts to sustain companies and operations. “The government has been liaising closely with junior and mid-tier iron ore miners during the recent sharp price decline, introducing a royalty relief package in December.

“We will continue working with these miners and the broader mining and petroleum sector through these challenging times, as we look to the future of WA’s vital resources sector.”Austmine CEO Christine Gibbs Stewart said while these agreements would not become commonplace, more collaboration in the industry could help a recovery.

“I do not see such a bold move becoming the norm, but new business models and ways of

working together are needed to overcome the current challenges which miners are facing – not only in iron ore, but coal and commodities more generally,” she said.“This approach is not new, as contractors do take owner-operator or equity positions to defray some of the costs of the mining companies.

“This, however, is usually an arrangement made in advance and not when the asset is distressed. “Whether it works depends on how deep their pockets are and the price of iron ore over the next few months. What is important is that Atlas will continue to supply to its customers, because these, once lost, will be difficult to get back.”

Ms Gibbs Stewart said closer working relationships between companies and suppliers were needed to pave the road forward. “Collaboration is the key to delivering long-term value and solving mining’s major challenges and the Australian mining equipment, technology and services sector has a lot to offer inthis regard.”

AMEC CEO Simon Bennison said while the proposed initiative was “very admirable”, it would take a lot more to turn things around. “Iron ore prices need to be much higher than where they are, at the same time as companies drive down their cost of production,” he said.

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Collaboration the way ahead

Project will breathe new lifeBY KAITLIN SHAWCROSS

An Australian company is set to operate Britain’s first metal mine in 45 years.

Wolf Minerals’ Hermedon tungsten and tin project in England’s Devon county is nearing completion, with commissioning of various parts of the plant underway.

Managing Director Russell Clarke said the project was 90 per cent built and production was due to start in August this year.

“We intend to start introducing ore into the plant in late June and then we will take a delivery of the plant from GR Engineering in early August. Our first delivery of tungsten concentrate is contracted for some time in September,” he said.

In order to get the project underway, Wolf Minerals purchased 15 residential properties as part of its planning permission as well as negotiated royalty arrangements with local landowners.

“We had to raise 100 million pounds ($180 million) last March when our market capitalisation was about 40 million and as a rule of thumb, people don’t like you raising more than your market cap. We were doing three times that and people didn’t think that was possible,” Mr Clarke said.

The company was able to raise the funds with the help of shareholders Resource Capital Funds and Todd Corporation.

Over the next decade the project is expected to create more than 200 jobs and pump hundreds of millions of dollars into the Plymouth, Devon and UK economies.

Mr Clarke said Wolf Minerals was already looking to expand the project, with further potential on the south side of the mine.

“We’ve recently announced a 34 per cent increase in ore reserves, which will deepen the walls of the pit and, as a result, will add about 9 million tonnes,” he said.

“We’ve just got permission for a

six-month trial to work seven days a week. Our planning permission originally said we could only work five-and-a-half days a week. If this continues then we’ve got real potential to increase the output of this mine quite significantly.”

Mr Clarke said the current global demand for tungsten was around 100,000 tonnes per annum and was expected to grow by 4000-5000tpa.

“This project will produce between 3500 and 4000 tonnes, so the first year of growth if you will,” he said.

“Every year there needs to be another mine like this coming on and if you look at the other players in the market – Mt Carbine, Vital Metals, Venture, Hazelwood – they’re all struggling to get finance.”

Mr Clarke said Britain had virtually written off mining after the collapse of the price of tin and tungsten in the 1980s and the close of its last tin mine Wheal Jane.

“There are a number of mines in Cornwall that still have tin ore in them, but the mines are full of water and it’s not good quality water. The industry died and

then compounding that you had all the coal mines that were shut during the Thatcher years and I think people in the UK just thought mining was done and dusted,” he said.

“With this project I get a lot of questions about why it’s taken an Australian company to get it going and I think there is an element of the Australian ‘can do’ attitude and not letting barriers get in your way.

“People think England’s an expensive place to do business; if this mine was in Australia in the outback somewhere, we’d have to have a power station, roads, a village, an airport and all of that. Where we are we’ve got roads to the back door, we’re on good power and everyone goes home at night.”

The Hermedon project has an estimated minelife of 10 to 13 years.

Worldly expansion: Wolf Minerals is set to run the Hermedon tungsten and tin project in Devon, England. Managing Director Russell Clarke (inset) said global demand for tungsten was 100,000 tonnes annually.

We’ve just got permission for a six-month trial to work seven days...we’ve got real potential to increase output significantly Russell Clarke Wolf Minerals


CUTTING EDGE

Tool removes scale build-upWith most minesites utilising groundwater that is high in mineral content, many miners are faced with water carrying systems that require large amounts of time dedicated to maintenance as a result of scale build-up.

This water, known as hard water, is typically high in minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium.

Western Australian-based company Ecosoft Water designed a water conditioner that transforms hard water into soft water, resulting in a decrease in maintenance and operation downtime and an increase in efficiency.

Ecosoft Water Managing Director Mike Murphy said it was due to high levels of salts in hard water that scales formed in pipework and associated equipment.

“That scale is typically known as limescale, which blocks the pipework and reduces system pressure and flow,” he said.

“It causes a great deal of concern in all equipment with regards to ongoing maintenance and system downtime.

“As the scale builds up, it needs to be removed in some way. Traditionally the ways of removing are either chemically, by using a low-grade acid of some kind, or mechanically, which means somebody getting in there and physically chipping it away.”

The Ecosoft Water Conditioner works to prevent scale build-up without chemicals or labour-intensive work.

The in-line product is installed into the recirculating lines or on to the bore head in a main feed, where it works to transform hard water into soft water.

“As the water and the associated minerals pass over the galvanic core of the product, that sets up a galvanic, or electrochemical reaction, which then disperses the

minerals back into the water stream as a colloid,” Mr Murphy said.

“Colloids by nature don’t settle or precipitate and therefore we’ve alleviated the problem of scale build-up.”

Mr Murphy said the Australian designed and manufactured system had a variety of applications, such as on drill rigs and in cooling towers and minesite accommodation.

He said results had already shown the product prevented

the formation of limescale and any existing scale was dissolved over time, thereby significantly reducing maintenance costs.

“In some applications where we’ve got units installed on underground drill rigs, such as jumbos, where they use hypersaline water as opposed to hard water, they can get a return on investment in as little as one day,” Mr Murphy said.

Rio Tinto undertook a 16-week trial of the Ecosoft Water Conditioner

on one of its Caterpillar MD26240 drill rigs. The trial involved a maintenance inspection after eight weeks, a return to normal operations and another inspection after a further eight weeks.

Prior to installation of the conditioner, existing scale was removed with the use of chemicals and by scrapping and chiselling.

As a result of the scale build-up, Rio Tinto found its rig had problems with premature component failure, along with reduced system pressure and flow and overheating.

“It found a significant reduction in the build-up of scale within the flushing water system after eight weeks and no new scale had formed. After a total of 16 weeks, it found 90 per cent of the scale had been removed from the system and again no new scale had formed,” Mr Murphy said.

ADVERTISING

Transform: Ecosoft’s product can be installed into recirculating lines or on to a bore head in a main feed to change hard water into soft water. Systems using hard water often require maintenance due to scale build-up.

In some applications that use hypersaline water, there can be a return on investment in as little as one dayMike Murphy Ecosoft Water


CUTTING EDGE

Joy Global is expanding into the Pilbara to further extend its direct service capabilities to local mining companies.

Its new Tom Price facility includes a warehouse and administration offices, with plans to add a training area and pulley refurbishment workshop.

The company has supplied equipment to the Australian mining industry for more than 100 years and has serviced equipment since the early 1940s.

Joy Global has a proud history of providing direct service in Western Australia, with its Bassendean facility providing world-class service support since the 1970s.

The new Pilbara service centre will enhance the company’s direct service for its Joy Conveyor and P&H Wheel Loader product lines, for which a significant installed base has been established in the area over the past 15 years.

Since its inception the company has proven its ability to supply and project manage large-scale conveyor installations and provide large quantity conveyor component orders on time, which has contributed to the success of many expansion projects within the WA iron ore industry.

The Joy Global conveyor group consists of multiple engineering, manufacturing and service groups across the globe.

Internationally the company’s history of supplying conveyors to the mining industry spans more than 100 years.

Joy Global supplies conveyors and conveyor components to the top four iron ore producers in the world, three of which are based in WA.

The many conveyor projects in Australia have included full turnkey conveyor systems, along with large conveyor expansion projects requiring design, manufacture and supply of significant quantities of idlers and pulleys to many WA port and mine facilities.

For more information, contact your local Joy Global representative at [email protected].

ADVERTISING

Equipment company expands its offering Surveillance device

allows asset controlDue to the mobile nature of many minesite assets, Leica Geosystems Mining has released Leica Jasset, a monitoring solution to locate mobile and semi- mobile assets.

The new device will help sites keep track of supervisor vehicles, lighting plants, water pumps, communications trailers, generators and portable toilets, to name a few.

“Quite often, between shift changes, assets can get misplaced,” Leica Geosystems Mining Brisbane Product Manager Joe Arico said.

“This can happen for a variety of reasons and historically a mine wouldn’t track these assets. However, getting a full picture of all the working parts and resources within a mine is crucial to increase productivity.”

The Leica Jasset monitors an asset’s activity and status to provide up-to-date information for site monitors.

The device utilises a site’s existing Wi-Fi infrastructure or cellular network for communication and stores all data in the Jmineops database.

For existing Leica customers, there is the advantage of seamless integration with the Leica fleet management solution.

“Integration and interaction are the key benefits of the Jasset; integration into our customer’s existing network and the Leica Jigsaw platform, which allows for management, dispatch and the operator to visually interact with the asset,” Mr Arico said.

The device has been built specifically for mining environments with extremely rugged hardware that allows for easy maintenance and remote support.

Leica Geosystems Mining is part of Hexagon Mining, a global provider of surface and underground smart mining solutions that integrate design, planning and operations technologies to help create safer and more productive mines.

Leica specif ically works to find solutions for fleet management and production optimisation, machine guidance, machine maintenance, business intelligence and analytics and autonomous control.

Search: The Leica Jasset can assist mining companies to monitor their vehicles, lighting plants, pumps, trailers, toilets and more.

Specialist offers measurement solution to save equipmentTo prevent the failure of electronic systems as a result of overloaded circuit boards, global test and measurement specialist HBM has released a new strain gauge measuring amplifier that provides exact results for accurate stress load management.

The MX1615 is part of HBM’s QuantumX measuring system and covers the full range of tasks in strain gauge measurement due to its universal strain gauge inputs.

Its high channel density means 16 strain gauge channels can be connected to the device in various configurations including full, half or quarter-bridge.

HBM Australia Sales and Application Engineer Tinh Ngo said stress loading was measured by placing the strain gauge directly on the circuit board.

“Strain values are the only parameters that are reliably predictive in terms of stress loading of printed circuit boards and HBM’s strain gauges are designed to provide exact results,” he said.

“They’re vital tools to test printed circuit boards from those in automobiles, commercial vehicles or smartphones. Even slight cracks can cause the entire electronics system to fail.”

Vibration and thermal deformation can cause small cracks between the board and the component.

Site vehicles often drive over unexpected bumps and are exposed to extreme heat, both

of which can place stress on the circuit boards inside and lead them to failure.

“The MX1615 is a tool which can be used by myriad industries from automotive to aviation, energy to engineering, manufacturing to mining, not to mention marine, defence, power and energy, gas, water and oil. Anything where printed circuit boards are used,” Mr Ngo said.

“There is a risk of breaks and cracks at every connection between the printed circuit board and a component placed on it and that can be expensive, for example, when the electronics in an automobile no longer work due to a small crack.”

HBM Australia Regional Manager Michael Lanksch said the device was an “out of the box measurement solution for the mining industry”.

“We have a customer in the mining industry, the Australian subsidiary of a global company which manufactures rock crushing equipment, utilising the Quantum MX1615 linked to the HBM Catman software on one of its new machines,” he said.

“It’s using the solution to validate, measure and analyse structural strain on its equipment.

“The unit was used in the field for this customer, but is equally at home in a laboratory environment. Feedback from our client has been very positive and they have been appreciative of our excellent local engineering support and also the

locally-conducted HBM strain gauge training course.”

All 16 channels of the device are equipped with 24-bit AD converters and a data rate of 19.2 kilohertz.

Each channel’s voltage use can be selected as a carrier frequency or DC voltage.

“The carrier frequency method, electrical isolation of channels and cyclic auto-adjustment algorithms make the measuring amplifier very insensitive to electromagnetic interference associated with inverters, high current flow or electrical machines, for example,” Mr Ngo said.

The MX1615 can be combined with other models from the Quantum X series such as analog outputs, digital inputs and outputs, CAN bus or EtherCat connection. It can also be used in conjunction with Ethernet TCP/IP to transfer data to a computer.

Built to last: The MX1615, a new strain gauge measuring amplifier from HBM, covers a full range of tasks in the strain gauge measurement field.

Site vehicles often drive over unexpected bumps and are exposed to extreme heart, both of which can place stress on the circuit boards inside


CUTTING EDGE

Web app regulates numbers BY KAITLIN SHAWCROSS

Technology start-up Resource Governance International (RGI) has struck a deal with South African mining software company Specsoft to obtain the rights and intellectual property to its RCubed product.

Initially created for AngloGold Ashanti to address Sarbanes Oxley compliance on the New York Stock Exchange, RCubed is now assisting more than 170 sites across 20 countries in their public reporting of mineral assets.

RGI Managing Director Nic Pollock said RCubed was a web-based application that provided transparency for investors on a miner’s inventory, as well as ensuring proper compliance with regulations.

“For publicly-listed mining companies they have to report their mineral assets at least annually and because of the nature of mineral assets being hidden underground, there’s quite a lot of regulation and codes around how you report that to protect the investor,” he said.

“Many people spend a fair bit of time actually evaluating and quantifying the resource but the way that information travels through the organisation is not always properly governed and/or transparent as to how that piece of information moves from the site to the public report in order to ensure its credibility.”

Mr Pollock said there were more compliance issues to deal with the more a company grew and gained more deposits, was listed on more stock exchanges and operated in a number of different regions.

RCubed automatically takes users through the regulations for the country, or countries, in which a company has assets.

“What the system does is manage that process very well and provide the full audit trail and defensible system to prove where the numbers came from,” Mr Pollock said.

“It dramatically improves productivity in and around that process as a whole because it involves a lot of expensive people who are qualified to sign off on these reports, so the system drastically reduces the time and effort spent running around after numbers.”

Mr Pollock said one client found the process went from a number of months to days, gaining back productivity as well as confidence in the system.

Miners can choose to use RCubed through the cloud or on their own

premises. Mr Pollock said small companies would take a cloud option without the overhead, whereas the major miners would have their own installation of the system.

“The beauty of the system is it’s completely cloud-based, if that’s what the client wants, so all they need is a login,” he said.

“A bigger company, because it has that infrastructure, might choose to do it themselves in which case we’ll come and help them load and configure the system.

Mr Pollock said RCubed was about helping miners reduce the risk of public reporting by going through the right processes in order to defend the end number.

“It’s all about transparency. What transparency gives you if you have a good asset is basically presenting your asset in the best possible light, therefore giving confidence to potential investors and at the same time staying on the right side of the regulators,” he said.

“There’s going to be quite a lot of M&A (mergers and acquisitions) activity coming up; the big guys will start scooping up what they see as cheap assets and therefore for those smaller companies it’s better to have their data in a well-presented format that can be assessed readily.”

Audit-savvy: Nic Pollock (inset) said the RCubed device could help resources companies better comply with their country’s rules and decrease time spent evaluating, quantifying and reporting on their mineral assets.

Experienced workforce delivers on safety and productivityThe team at Australian Underground Drilling (AUD) recognises the importance of safe and productive diamond drilling in order to provide geological information in the most efficient and cost-effective manner.

The company’s experience, wealth of knowledge, quality service and in-house, custom-designed drill make it stand out from competitors.

Mobile underground diamond drill rigs offer significant advantages over the older style, skid-mounted configurations, which have a reputation for poor safety, low productivity, restricted drilling range and high total costs per metre.

AUD’s mobile underground drilling rigs have 360 degrees drilling capability, including the ability to drill steep up-holes. Rig power and set-up covers the entire drilling scope, from grade control to deep exploration wire line.

The new AUD mobile drill rigs are based on the twin boom jumbo carrier, offering superior stability compared to its competitors and enabling longer feed frames to be mounted, which will give improved hole accuracy and the ability to drill deeper holes.

“Our rigs are currently the most productive drill rigs in the country as they are designed by drillers for drillers,” a company spokesperson said.

The team at AUD understands its knowledge is a real asset to the company and its clients.

“We are unique as we only provide underground diamond drilling services. It’s what we specialise

in. The operations team has achieved widespread success throughout the projects due to its understanding of ground conditions,” the spokesperson said.

“Many of our competitors provide other mining services, however AUD aims to be the best in the industry at underground drilling.”

All AUD rigs are built in Kalgoorlie by Newlands, which means all are serviced regularly, resulting in a reduction in breakdowns and machine downtime.

AUD has secured contracts on some of Western Australia’s biggest mining projects, including work on Northern Star Resources’ (NSR) Paulsen’s gold mine.

The company commenced underground drilling at Paulsen’s in May 2011 and since then has significantly increased productivity at the site.

AUD successfully provided NSR with versatile drill rigs able to drill deep exploration holes, shorter resource definition drilling and grade control throughout the mine, including the upper levels.

NSR is the second biggest ASX-listed gold producer, with an annual production of 550-600,000 ounces per annum.

AUD has provided its services to a number of other large companies, including Salt Lake, Mining La Mancha and Saracen Gold Mines. The company provides its services nationwide. For more information on AUD, visit www.audrilling.com.au.

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What the system does is provide the full audit trail and defensible system to prove where the numbers came fromNic Pollock RGI


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Minelife is prolonged due to findQUEENSLAND

Altona Mining has booked a maiden resource at the Cloncurry Copper project near Mt Isa in Queensland.

The Turkey Creek deposit is estimated to contain 21 million tonnes at 0.59 per cent copper.

The company has a 100 per cent interest in the project, located east of the planned Little Eva open pit mine and processing plant, and lies within granted mining leases.

Altona reported the resource was at a 0.3 per cent lower cut-off grade and full tabulation at different cut-off and ore types.

The global mineral resource for the Cloncurry project is 286.8 million tonnes at 0.57 per cent copper, 0.4 grams per tonne of gold for 1.65 million tonnes of contained copper and 0.4 million ounces contained gold.

The majority of the mineral resource is sulphide ore from 25m to 160m below surface.

Turkey Creek will be included in the mining inventory for the Little Eva development.

This will extend the minelife of Little Eva by at least one to two years, from its current 11-year schedule.

Altona will now complete a limited program of diamond drilling.

Major miner confirms deal for Nova’s nickelWESTERN AUSTRALIA

Sirius Resources has signed a major offtake agreement with BHP Billiton for the provision of nickel from the Nova project in the Fraser Range.

The important milestone for the company secures an offtake customer for 50 per cent of the forecast nickel sulphide concentrate to be produced at the project.

Sirius will supply BHP Nickel West with the product for the first three years of production, pegged to start in late 2016.

Concentrate will be trucked from the Nova minesite by road to the Nickel West processing facility at Kambalda.

While the commercial terms of the agreement remain confidential, Sirius confirmed the terms reflected the high quality of the nickel concentrate.

The deal is consistent with the company’s plan to split its concentrate production between two customers.

Sirius Resources Managing Director Mark Bennett said the company was pleased to secure such an attractive deal for “half of our planned nickel production

for the first three years of Nova’s initial 10-year minelife”.

“We are looking forward to a very productive relationship with Nickel West,” he said.

Sirius is in discussions with other parties for the remaining half of the expected nickel concentrate production from Nova.

It intends to wrap up a second offtake deal by the middle of this year.

The company advised development and construction was ontrack at the project and in some areas was ahead of schedule.

The construction camp is complete, while a number of other projects at the site are well underway.

The company appointed GR Engineering Services as its preferred tenderer for the project.

GR Engineering will carry out the design and construction of the mineral processing and paste fill plant facilities.

Based on the agreed timelines, engineering and detailed design is expected to start in the second quarter of this year, with construction to be up and running in the fourth quarter.

All on track: Sirius Resources said its Nova project was on schedule, following the miner announcing it had signed an offtake deal with BHP.


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Miner continues to achieve and exceed expectations after a spike in productionWESTERN AUSTRALIA

Ramelius Resources has hit its March quarter production guidance on the back of near-record production at the Mt Magnet gold mine in Western Australia.

The company produced 26,655 ounces of gold from the mine during the quarter, within the guidance of 21,000 to 23,000 ounces.

Cash costs and all-in sustaining costs are predicted to be below the guidance of $1000 per ounce and $1100 per ounce, respectively.

Ramelius Chief Executive Mark Zeptner said the turnabout for the company was now at its peak.

“The turnaround at Mt Magnet and Ramelius is in full swing now, with four consecutive quarters of achieving production guidance,” he said.

“Combined with a stronger gold price, this has resulted in a substantial boost to cash and gold on hand, which currently represents around 7.6 cents per share.

“The cash generating ability of our Mt Magnet operation, backed by an ore reserve of more than 300,000 ounces is the result of a sustained effort by our operations team and is underpinning our strategy of building a profitable gold business.

“With two new high-grade mines coming on stream shortly, Ramelius is well placed to take advantage of the current Australian dollar gold price.”

Cash and gold on hand increased to $35.8 million, a 45 per cent increase in the period, with no debt.

The company has gone from strength to strength after a strong December quarter, during which the company exceeded its guidance by 13 per cent.

Cash and gold on hand increased by 49 per cent to $24.7 million over the six months to the end of 2014.

The company is in the final stages of due diligence at its Vivien Gold project, also in WA, with the project fully permitted.

The underground mine portal is expected to start in the middle of the year.

At its Kathleen Valley Gold project, environmental permitting is nearing completion, with open pit mining set to start by mid 2015.

Goldmine: Ramelius Chief Executive Mark Zeptner said the company’s turnaround was in full swing, with two high-grade mines coming on stream in coming months.

Nickel discovery excites company

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Mincor has discovered new high-grade intersections of nickel at its Cassini project in the Kambalda nickel district in Western Australia.

The latest step-out drill-hole delivered three “exceptionally significant outcomes”, including an extension of the CS2 channel structure, the widening of the structure and an assessment of the mineralisation of the channel.

The CS2 channel structure was extended by 80m down-plunge of the previous drill section and was found to contain thick, high-grade nickel sulphide mineralisation at two points.

The company said the results greatly expanded the size of the exploration opportunity at Cassini.

Mincor cited two drill intersections including 5.76m at 3.21 per cent nickel and 4.99m at 6.08 per cent nickel.

“The grade and quality of the intersections together with the predictability of the location of the channel, and most importantly its increased width, all indicate a substantial upgrade in the scale of the exploration opportunity at Cassini,” the company said in a statement.

Further intersection was achieved in the lower CS1 channel, with 1.16m at 5.09 per cent nickel, confirming this channel as a promising exploration target.

“Strong results were also achieved at Mincor’s three other emerging growth opportunities in Kambalda, with drilling continuing and six diamond rigs in operation.”

Good results were returned at Durkin North, while drilling continued at Burnett and Voyce was defined as containing one high-grade intersection.

At Durkin North Mincor found

2.99m at 6.26 per cent, 2.77m at 3.34 per cent and 1.32m at 5.12 per cent.

Extension of the Burnett resulted in 3.23m at 4.02 per cent and 6.56m at 3.08 per cent, while at Voyce, the company intersected 1.98m at 6.79 per cent.

Mincor Managing Director David Moore said the company’s expanded 2015 exploration program was delivering results.

“These results confirm Cassini as the most exciting greenfields nickel discovery in Kambalda for many years,” Mr Moore said.

“The consistent high-grade intersections are obviously the main thing, but what really drives home the scale of the opportunity is the increase in the width of the channel, which is now as wide as the channel structure that hosts our Miitel Mine, which has been in production for nearly 14 years.”

Find: Mincor received strong results from the latest drilling program at its Cassini project in Kambalda, WA.

Search program finds multi-mineral depositNEW SOUTH WALES

Alkane Resources has received positive results from scout drilling at the Elsienora project in New South Wales.

The 1516m drilling program tested surface geochemical and geological targets across different prospects.

A zone of gold mineralisation was identified at the Cuddyong prospect, with 29m at 1.53 grams per tonne (g/t) fold from surface, including 4m at 5.86g/t gold from 10m from ELRC001.

An additional 8m at 3.14g/t from 30m, including 4m at 5.72g/t gold from 30m and 5m at 2.03g/t gold from 69m were found at ELRC003.

Alkane found a second, unrelated zone of gold-silver-barium mineralisation at the Picker prospect.

The company reached an agreement in late 2013 with Balamara Resources, whereby Alkane can acquire an 80 per cent interest in EL 6082 and

EL 6767, which make up the Elsienora project.

Alkane will earn the interest from Isabella Minerals, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Balamara, by spending $500,000 on exploration over three years.

This includes a minimum spend of $250,000 over two years.

After Alkane has earned the 80 per cent interest, Balamara will have the option to pro-rate contribute or dilute.

The results of the drilling were broadly consistent with those reported by previous explorers Telberth and Cluff Minerals, who reported higher grade results from sampling of underground workings in the area. However, due to the rehabilitation of these historic workings and the poor location records of this sampling, it is not known if the current holes tested these zones of mineralisation.

More work is required to assess the strike extents of the Cuddyong prospect mineralisation.

Big discovery: Promising gold mineralisation results have stemmed from scout drilling conducted at Alkane Resources’ Elsienora project.


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Strategy crucial to cost reductionThe mining, crushing and screening contract for BC Iron’s Warrigal hub at the Nullagine Joint Venture (NJV) was recently awarded to Viento Contracting Services.

The two-year contract commenced in April and will provide mining, crushing and screening of about two million tonnes per annum of Warrigal ore.

Viento will provide and operate load/haul and crushing/screening equipment and operate a second-hand Vermeer 1655 surface miner, which was purchased from Fortescue Metals Group for $1.8 million (BC Iron share $1.35 million), resulting in reduced capital-related operating charges at site.

The contract has an option to extend, should ongoing exploration be successful at other Warrigal mesas not in the current mine plan.

Award of the contract is expected to result in a C1 cash cost reduction of $2-3 per wet metric tonne (wmt) in respect of the Warrigal tonnes.

If these savings were translated to other mining areas in the second half of the 2015 calendar year, this would equate to overall savings achieved to date of $4-6 per wmt or 15-25 per cent of the Nullagine minesite costs.

These savings would be reflected in guidance for the 2016 financial year. The NJV’s free on board (FOB)C1 cash costs for the December to June quarter are now expected to

be at the lower end of $47-51 per wmt, reflecting that the Warrigal hub contract only contributes part of the tonnes for part of this period.

BC Iron Managing Director Morgan Ball said the company’s contracting strategy was key to its 2015 cost-reduction efforts.

“It is pleasing to achieve meaningful savings for the Warrigal hub,” he said.

“The pricing and competitiveness seen in the tender process provides comfort that further cost savings can be achieved through the reassessment of the main mining, crushing and screening contract and the road haulage contract in the second half of 2015.” Ore factory: BC Iron’s Nullagine mine. Picture: The West Australian.

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Explorer and contractor join to bring facilities to fruitionSirius Resources has hired GR Engineering Services for the design and construction of the mineral processing and paste fill plant facilities at its Nova Nickel Project in the Fraser Range, Western Australia.

GR Engineering Managing Director Geoff Jones said the firm had been appointed as preferred tenderer on the basis of a fixed price engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) tender.

“We are proud to be associated with Sirius and look forward to our involvement in the development of the Nova Nickel Project, one of the most significant Australian base metal resources developments of recent times,” he said.

“GR Engineering has demonstrated it has the technical and operational capabilities to successfully deliver the project and looks forward to working with Sirius to achieve this outcome.

“In a short time, Sirius has advanced the Nova Nickel Project from discovery to development, a testament to the quality

of the project and the management team involved.

“We look forward to working with Sirius and playing an important role in the development of the project.”

Based on the proposed schedule, engineering and detailed design is expected to start in the second quarter of calendar year 2015, with construction scheduled to commence in the fourth quarter.

GR Engineering intends to further update the market on the proposed project timing and the anticipated earnings impact once it progresses its appointment as preferred tenderer and enters into the EPC contract with Sirius.

Contracts still to be awarded at the Nova Nickel project include the power station, overhead power distribution and the bulk earthworks.

Tenders for these are in the final stages of evaluation (at the time of print).

Sirius Resources said all the Nova Nickel Project’s development and construction activities were on or ahead of schedule.

Winning: GR Engineering has been appointed as Sirius Resources’ preferred tenderer.

MoU signed to extend cultural relationshipsAustralian strategic metals company TNG has teamed up with leading contractors for the civil engineering and construction work at its flagship Mount Peake vanadium-titanium-iron project in the Northern Territory.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with industrial, construction and environmental services provider McMahon Services and indigenous contractor Intract Australia.

Intract was formed in 2010 by the partnership of the Aboriginal Foundation of South Australia and McMahon Services to provide contracting services to the mining and civil construction industries.

Intract delivers long-term employment to Aboriginal people through skills training, stable jobs and comprehensive mentoring and support.

The MoU covers all aspects of the Mount Peake civil engineering and construction work, including construction of the mine, camp, airport, railway siding and mine haul road.

TNG is currently at an advanced stage of a definitive feasibility study on the Mount Peake Project

development, which is expected to be a world-class, long-life strategic metals mine, producing three highly valuable products, including high-purity vanadium pentoxide, iron oxide and titanium dioxide.

The feasibility study is scheduled for completion by mid-year, with the commencement of construction targetted for early 2016 and first production expected in 2017.

TNG Managing Director Paul Burton said the signing of the MoU with McMahon and Intract represented a positive step towards the Mount Peake development.

“We are delighted to be working with McMahon and Intract towards securing binding agreements for the Mount Peake civil engineering and construction contracts, which will represent a core component of the project development,” he said.

“Our aim is to ensure the Mount Peake development provides a significant employment opportunity for indigenous Australians.

“We are very pleased to be working with Intract, one of Australia’s leading indigenous mining service contractors to ensure we achieve this goal.” Agreement: The MoU covers the Mount Peake civil engineering work.

Founded in the early 1970s by Graham Bowes, the Broons name is synonymous with crushing and compaction in the mining and civil construction industries.

“Dad was a pioneer at finding new ideas to solve old problems, sometimes with quite radical outcomes,” Broons Director Stuart Bowes said.

“His greatest claim to fame was the introduction of the square impact roller for deep compaction, which today remains manufactured in Adelaide and used all over the world.”

Well before Broons introduced the square impact roller more than 30 years ago, it was already finding new ways to carry out soil compaction at an increasing rate.

“At the Leigh Creek Coalfield in far north South Australia, Broons supplied Tripodi Constructions with three sheepsfoot vibrating rollers, coupled together in a chevron pattern and towed with a Cat dozer,” Mr Bowes said.

“It was quite revolutionary at the time but they put down material on that haul road far quicker than anything else at the time.

“We’re renowned for finding ingenious solutions to age-old problems such as soft spots in haul roads, lifting walls on tailings dams and minimising tyre damage on pit floors and waste dumps.”

For more information call (08) 8268 1988, email [email protected] or visit www.broons.com/combination.

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Minerals

Decmil Group is expanding its presence at the Roy Hill Iron Ore Project after being awarded about $40 million of additional work.

The work, which will be undertaken for Roy Hill’s engineering, procurement and construction contractor Samsung C&T, includes various underground services such as installation of conduits, pits, fire water pipework and HV cable.

It also includes a variety of structural mechanical work on the train load out facilities and tailing and de-sanding systems.

The works include the erection of structural steel, mechanical equipment and piping, electrical and instrumentation works and the provision of crane services.

The new work complements Decmil’s three existing port, rail and fuel infrastructure projects currently underway for Roy Hill.

Decmil Group CEO and Managing Director Scott Criddle said the company’s existing projects had progressed well and its relationship with Roy Hill and Samsung C&T was strong.

“Decmil has a long track record in the Pilbara delivering iron ore infrastructure and we have expanded our capability over the years to cover construction, civil works, fabrication and structural mechanical projects,” he said.

“We look forward to undertaking this additional work for Samsung C&T and assisting with the overall progression of the Roy Hill project.”

Roy Hill project expands firm’s Pilbara offering

Coal tunnel machine breaking new ground Engineering, architecture, environmental and construction services company GHD has helped achieve a first for the Queensland coal mining industry.

A tunnel boring machine (TBM) completed a 1km-long tunnel for people and equipment at Anglo American’s new Grosvenor underground mine near Moranbah in Queensland. The tunnelling breakthrough came 29 days ahead of schedule.

This was the first time an earth pressure balance (EPB) TBM had been used in a coal mining environment in Queensland and one of only a few times a TBM had been used in the Australian mining industry.

The new method was designed to help Anglo American improve safety, achieve higher quality drifts and expedite project development.

GHD Tunnel Manager and Principal Engineer Brendan Henry said one of the advantages of the EPB TBM was its ability to excavate through weak water and gas-bearing ground without exposing workers to these hazards.

“The front section of the TBM was designed as explosion-proof to operate in these conditions,” he said.

Anglo American Coal CEO Seamus French congratulated the team at Grosvenor for its outstanding efforts to drive the TBM through the tunnel significantly ahead of schedule.

GHD’s tunnel team in Brisbane has been providing tunnelling design and construction phase services for the project since mid-2012 and will continue with site surveillance work throughout the remainder of 2015.

“Our services have included geotechnical investigation and interpretation, tunnel lining design, refuge bay design, conveyor transfer area and underground cavern support design, precast yard and tunnel construction surveillance and full-time technical advice onsite during tunnelling,” Mr Henry said.

“The transition from the TBM tunnels into the underground mine workings was designed by GHD utilising a combination of standard coal roof support techniques and 3D analysis due to the large spans and high walls required.

“We are taking design and construction experience from large civil engineering projects into the mining industry and adapting our skill set to the design of underground coal workings.”

Development: Redpath Mining contractor Andrew Barnes (left) and Anglo American Grosvenor General Manager Adam Foulstone.


SERVICE AND SUPPLY TRANSPORT: FREIGHT AND HAULAGE LOGISTICS

US heavyweight at Roy HillMore than 70 per cent of locomotives that are hard at work today in Australian mining were made by General Electric (GE) in the US, according to GEreports.

Gina Rinehart’s $10 billion Roy Hill Project commissioned 21 GE heavy haul locomotives to ship ore at the heart of its operation.

The first 14 have since arrived in Port Hedland, where Locomotive 1001 was christened “Ginny” at a celebration in March.

Mrs Rinehart was joined by executives from Roy Hill, Hancock Prospecting, Marubeni, Posco, Samsung C&T and General Electric and in her address described the occasion as “a truly special day for Roy Hill”.

“Despite what some outside our industry are encouraged to think, getting Roy Hill to where it is today has taken enormous persistence, perseverance and hard work, not to mention considerable financial risk,” Mrs Rinehart said.

“The arrival of our first locomotives is a significant milestone for this project and a symbol of our team’s dedication to the success of this important project.”

Boldly painted black and white and with the Roy Hill logo displayed prominently on the side, the first 14 of the 21 locomotives arrived in Port Hedland in late January from Erie, Pennsylvania in the US.

The locomotives are GE Evolution Series ES44ACi diesel electric model, with an output of 4400 horsepower.

Three of the locomotives will be required to haul 232 ore cars with a total payload of 32,109 tonnes of ore from the mine to the port 344km away.

Roy Hill CEO Barry Fitzgerald said a considerable amount of planning and thought went into the selection of the locomotive model best suited for the specific requirements of the project.

“We had a range of requirements that needed to be met and after careful analysis of the locomotives available on the market, we decided on the GE ES44ACi, which are the most technologically advanced heavy haul machines available,” he said.

GE Transportation Account Leader for the Roy Hill Project Fraser Borden said the locomotives were specially built for the searing conditions of the Pilbara.

“We don’t manufacture a locomotive with a higher ambient

temperature specification – 55C – than the Pilbara locomotive,” he said.

“We don’t run a locomotive anywhere in the world that’s hotter than here.

“The advanced cooling system is the most important feature to be able to cope with the heat they have to run in for six months of the year.”

The GE ES44ACi locomotives have attributes that go beyond heat tolerance. With some 250 sensors onboard, they can be remotely controlled, according to GEreports.

“For shunting activities around the rail network, the remote control is via a nifty belt pack,” it said.

“For loading operations at the mine, the locomotives are directed from Roy Hill’s Remote Operations Centre, located more than 1000km away in Perth.

“As well, the locomotives are equipped to perfectly calibrate their speed and power as they pull their 2km-long ore trains up and down hills.

“They can even notify their masters when they need oil and water and in the future will lead the way in driverless operations.”

Construction of the Roy Hill project is now more than 76 per cent complete, with the delivery of first ore on ship scheduled for September 2015.

Celebration: Gina Rinehart said the arrival of Roy Hill’s first locomotives was a significant project milestone.

Recent environment endorsement is set to propel Pilbara iron project

Rutila Resources’ ambitious central Pilbara iron ore project is one step closer after the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) endorsed the construction of a railway and conveyor link.

A new 205km railway and conveyor line would link the approved Balla Balla Export Facilities midway between Port Hedland and Karratha with the Flinders Pilbara Iron Ore Project in the central Pilbara region.

The $1.33 billion Balla Balla port would have up to 45 million tonnes a year of iron ore export capacity and be managed by Rutila Resources and New Zealand investment and industrial group Todd Group.

The Balla Balla infrastructure includes a 2.9km jetty where iron ore will be loaded to transshipment vessels to transfer to Capesize vessels

anchored offshore. No dredging is required for the new port and no deepwater infrastructure will be built, Rutila said.

EPA Chairman Dr Paul Vogel said the Balla Balla export facilities were intended to allow export of ore from Rutila’s approved Balla Balla Magnetite Mining Project.

Rutila requested the EPA assess the construction of the 160km railway line and 45km conveyor line to accommodate third-party use of the export facilities.

The proposal includes rail crossings, access roads, borrow pits, communication services, water and power supplies, pipelines, accommodation camps, workshop and laydown areas and a landfill site.

Dr Vogel said Rutila had considered six alternative rail corridors to

minimise potential impacts to the environment, including avoiding a large population of northern quolls in the Nunyerry Gorge.

“The EPA has carefully examined this proposal and concluded it could recommend approval subject to a set of conditions,” Dr Vogel said.

“The EPA has also recommended the proponent rehabilitate disturbed areas using locally native flora species as well as contribute to a government-established conservation offset fund to mitigate for significant residual impacts on vegetation in ‘good to excellent’ condition.”

Rutila and Flinders signed an alliance agreement on the mine and port plan in February 2014. A final investment decision is planned for the end of the year.

Potential development: A new 205km railway and conveyor line put forward by Rutila Resources would link the approved Balla Balla Export Facilities with the Flinders Pilbara Iron Ore Project in the central Pilbara region.

Heavy load: Aurizon has run the longest train through its coal network in Central Queensland, with a 2.3km train carrying 11,000 tonnes.

Coal player sets a new train haulage recordContinued from front pageAurizon marked an historic milestone in March when it ran the longest train ever through its Central Queensland Coal Network.

The 2.3km train had 136 wagons and carried 11,000 tonnes of coal through the Blackwater rail system to the Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal (WICET).

The bedding coal is being used to establish the stockpiles at WICET as it gears up for its first shipments of export coal.

“We’re moving more tonnes on larger trains from mine to port as we drive improved efficiency across the coal supply chain,” Aurizon Operations Executive Vice President Mike Franczak said.

“This is an excellent outcome for customers, our supply chain partners and the Queensland coal industry generally.

“We have achieved this through innovative operational

improvements in Queensland over recent years, including lifting payloads, improving locomotive reliability and better on-time performance. Quite simply, we are getting smarter about the way we use our existing assets.

“The drive to improve train payloads at Aurizon draws on the very best available technology and innovation in the areas of train marshalling, train handling and track/train dynamics.

“This ensures that as we improve capacity and productivity, we are also reducing in-train forces, making for a safer, more energy-efficient mode of transportation.”

Mr Franczak said the successful maiden run of this record-breaking coal train was a positive sign of things to come as it commenced railings to WICET. The average Aurizon train on the Central Queensland Coal Network has around 100 wagons and a payload of about 8500 tonnes of coal.

We don’t manufacture a locomotive with a higher ambient temperature specification than the Pilbara locomotiveFraser Borden GE Transportation


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Advanced braking Technology continues to lead the way with the multi-award wining braking system, SIBS (Sealed Intergrated Braking System). Developed through extensive research and patented worldwide, the unique wet brake system prevents vehicle runaways and even more importantly, it can help save lives.

Fourth Generation SIBS 4 Just Launched

New levels for vehicle brake safety achieved The challenging environments and demanding applications for vehicles in the mining industry place a vehicle’s braking performance as a top priority for occupant safety.

In recognition of these challenges, Advanced Braking Technology (ABT) has released its latest safe wet brake system to prevent vehicle runaways and save lives, while dramatically cutting costs and reducing vehicle downtime.

ABT has released the fourth generation of the SIBS brake, which has been enhanced by the addition of a safety belt release sensor and oil pressure switch, which apply the brakes automatically in the event of the safety belt being released or the engine stalling.

Alongside the existing features, which automatically apply the brakes when the door is opened or the ignition switched off, these new features provide an unprecedented level of safety for vehicle operators and site personnel.

These innovative functions create failsafe operation of the spring applied, hydraulically released brake, which is an integrated parking and emergency brake, ensuring the vehicle cannot roll away unexpectedly, known as an uncontrolled vehicle movement,

which is the cause of many personal injury accidents.

The addition of highway speed isolation, ensuring no accidental activation of the brake at high speed, and a substantial reduction in the size of the EMMA pump assembly, are further improvements announced by ABT.

These significant developments to the functionality of ABT’s SIBS brake have supported ABT’s rapid international expansion, seeing 10 new international distributors

added in the last six months.ABT Head of Engineering Martin

Johnston said the SIBS® Brakes were stringently tested.

“SIBS® Brakes are designed and certified to exacting Australian Design Rules and international requirements and consistently outlast the vehicles they are fitted to,” he said.

As it is enclosed, contaminants such as dust, contaminated water and mud are unable to penetrate the brake.

The SIBS® Brakes experience minimal wear due to being completely sealed and having low operating temperatures.

The exclusion of foreign and corrosive materials means a more reliable brake with less vehicle maintenance, improved vehicle availability and an overall safer brake system.

For further information on the ABT SIBS braking technology contact Dean Robinson at [email protected].

ADVERTISING

Overseas is now viableAccording to Austmine Chief Executive Christine Gibbs Stewart, there is a growing opportunity for Australian service providers in Southeast Asia regions such as Vietnam and Cambodia.

“In Vietnam many of the foreign company-owned projects, such as Nui Phao and Ban Phuc, are focused on developing world-class assets and are already using Australian expertise in mine development, operations and management,” she said.

Ms Gibbs Stewart said Cambodia was a more long-term prospect for Australian service providers.

“Cambodia presents a longer term opportunity than Vietnam as it is in a nascent stage of mining development,” she said.

“Cambodia is also looking to Australia for expertise and information regarding minesite regulations, especially WA, providing a natural follow-on opportunity to Australian safety consultants and equipment.

“Cambodia is much further behind in terms of mining development than Vietnam.”

Ms Gibbs Stewart said there was a lot Australian companies could provide to overseas miners.

“We have a fantastic backbone of innovative technologies and services that we provide,” she said.

Ms Gibbs Stewart recently travelled to Southeast Asia on a trade mission organised in conjunction with Austrade.

Reliable: The fourth generation of brakes recently released by ABT include novel developments such as a safety belt release sensor and oil pressure switch, which can apply the brake system automatically.

SERVICE AND SUPPLY MINING CONTRACTORS: SERVICES EXPORT


MINING CONTRACTORS: SERVICES EXPORT SERVICE AND SUPPLY

Resources contractors should start searching outside their region for potential employmentNorth Africa and South America are the next potential hotspots for mining contract work, according to Barminco CEO Peter Stokes.

Mr Stokes said his company was hoping for more work in South America where he recognised great potential.

“One of the areas we’re keen on getting in very early is South America,” he said.

“We have had a look in India and we think in the coming years there will also be opportunity there.

“There’s some significant underground and surface operations in hard rock and soft rock, so coal and precious metals, opening up.

“There’s a lot of work to be done. If you look at Africa in general, West Africa is a big hub for mining activity, although relatively inexperienced.

“We’re looking to expand in West Africa and the southern-central part of Africa and maybe even South Africa. For the right opportunities, we’d certainly look there.”

Mr Stokes said Australian contractors were well placed to win in this market, because of the high quality of services in the country.

While Ghana has a long history of mining experience, Barminco is working in African countries that may not have as much experience, such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea and the Ivory Coast.

Barminco is focused on western Africa, but also has projects in southern Africa, in places such as Botswana and Namibia, and also in Egypt.

“Barminco has been around for 25 years and we’ve been doing work overseas for about the past six or seven,” Mr Stokes said.

He said it was important to keep up the same level of quality in overseas operations and that Australian operations set the benchmark for all projects.

“When we’ve come into operations that are in existence, we have a clear pathway to get them to

the same place in terms of safety, productivity and costs we would see in Australia,” Mr Stokes said.

Barminco’s foray into Africa started with a partnership with Ausdrill which conducted surface drilling in the area.

With Barminco’s experience in underground drilling, it was a natural fit for the companies to work together.

“Many of the mines were moving from surface to underground,” Mr Stokes said. “Subsequent to that we’ve started our own operations in Egypt.”

The joint venture, African

Underground Mining Services, is focused on five West African countries. The company’s workforce is currently working on an eight weeks on, four weeks off roster or a six weeks on, three weeks off roster.

Mr Stokes said expat labour in the region was very expensive to first set up, but the company had worked to build a base of local workers.

“For instance, in our Malian operations, working with Randgold Resources, we have now only about 80 to 90 expats and about 600 locals,” he said.

Expat labour: Barminco CEO Peter Stokes recommended Australian mining contractors extend their boundaries and consider working in overseas markets, due to the high quality of services in our country.

Exhibition calls on OzAustrade has invited Australian businesses to participate in the Australian National Pavilion at the upcoming Exposibram 2015 in Brazil to showcase Australian services to the wider South American market.

The international mining exhibition and the 16th Brazilian Mining Congress will both take place at Expominas in Belo Horizonte from September 14 to 17.

This is the largest mining show in Brazil and a chance for Australian exporters to meet buyers, agents and partners.

In 2013 Exposibram attracted 58,000 visitors and 500 exhibitors from 25 countries.

Australian service providers will have the chance to be in front of powerhouses, such as Vale and other major Brazilian mining companies.

Brazil is one of the biggest global players in the mining sector and the second largest exporter of iron ore, manganese and bauxite.

Brazilian companies were predicted to spend about US$75 ($97) billion in the mining industry between 2012 and 2016.

Austrade has encouraged consulting and engineering players, equipment and technology suppliers and training companies to participate as exhibitors.

“Brazil’s ongoing rise on the global mining scene offers a wide range of opportunities for businesses across the mining equipment, technology and services sector,” Austrade said.

Businesses must see past bordersIndia could potentially be a fertile breeding ground for more contracting work for Australian suppliers, with a recent survey finding many Indian miners intended to switch suppliers in the long term.

In the survey, more than 100 key decision makers at operating Asian mines were asked if they anticipated switching suppliers in the next five years.

Timetric’s Mining Intelligence Centre found 60 per cent of respondents nominated they would switch.

Another 20 per cent said they were not sure if they would switch or stay with the same company.

Timetric Lead Analyst Mining Cliff Smee said Australian companies needed to show their product or service was superior to win the work.

“The findings of our research suggest that Indian-based miners are looking to switch from Indian-based suppliers to multi-national heavy mobile equipment suppliers such as Komatsu and Caterpillar,” he said. “Australia has a few heavy mobile equipment suppliers that could take advantage of this.

“That said, our research does show that Asian-based miners are

looking for better performance from their suppliers, across a range of different mining products and services.

“If Australian suppliers can demonstrate their product or service is superior and they are willing to invest in local servicing capabilities, then there is scope for the Australian industry to expand into Asia.”

Mr Smee said the research found the majority of Asian miners expected to increase expenditure over four categories.

This included 61 per cent of respondents for equipment parts and components, 57 per cent for maintenance services, 55 per cent for plant and heavy equipment and 52 per cent for explosives.

More than 50 per cent of respondents said they would invest in mine management software, mine survey equipment and equipment health monitoring and diagnostics.

“I’m unable to comment on any specific regulations or laws that may be barriers for Australian- based suppliers, however it does appear that a lack of onground presence prevents Australian customers from winning new business in Asia,” Mr Smee said.

“Our research identified the importance of manufacturers’ representatives as a key differentiator, with 91 per cent of Asian-based miners citing better understanding of their needs, better ability to build a long-term relationship and better timing of contact as differentiating factors when choosing their current main supplier.

“This is an indication of the significance of the manufacturers’ direct sales teams or partners in generating new business and securing ongoing relationships.”

Mr Smee identified Komatsu, Caterpillar, Volvo and Atlas Copco as having significant market share in Asia in terms of equipment suppliers and drilling equipment.

Timetric also had positive predictions for the African industry and what this could mean for Australian contractors.

According to a recent survey of more than 100 African mine managers, the majority expected an increase in expenditure, particularly in plant and heavy equipment over the next 12 months.

Spending was also tipped to increase in equipment parts and components, explosives, blasting materials and chemicals and

maintenance services.Mr Smee said this trend was

consistent with an expanding African industry.

“Mines are spending more on heavy equipment in order to increase production, with heavy

machinery purchases preceding increased spend on consumables,” he said.

“Therefore, the results for this section of the survey suggest the respondents view the African mining industry as being in an expansion phase.”

Diversification: A Timetric analyst said there was more scope for local industry to expand into Asia if Australian suppliers proved their worth.


Crane life and capability is better assessed via research

In order to optimise maintenance programs, productivity and safety, Konecranes has established a Crane Reliability Study (CRS).

CRS is an engineering assessment that studies the current condition of a crane and provides an accurate estimate of its remaining design life.

The assessment is then followed up by Konecranes with a comprehensive report and a plan for current and future crane usage.

Konecranes South East Asia Pacific General Manager Service Development John Bailey said the assessment was a valuable tool when dealing with an ageing crane fleet, changes in production and safety issues.

“Each CRS is customisable to individual users’ specific needs and requirements,” he said.

“Our highly trained staff utilise the latest technology to provide an expert guide to improving crane reliability and performance.”

A CRS can determine whether a crane is

capable of handling an increased workload, can safely take on new tasks other than what it is designed to do and calculate remaining design life if unknown.

If a crane has any problems, a CRS can pinpoint the cause of the problem and recommend a solution.

“Knowing what modernisations are needed in advance allows users to prioritise their activities and schedule the work so productivity is maximised and uptime of the equipment is increased over its life cycle,” Mr Bailey said.

“This not only helps prevent unnecessary production downtime, but also saves money.”

Mr Bailey said Konecranes could provide a CRS for any make or model of crane, regardless of how old the equipment was.

“The CRS looks at the overall condition of a crane’s structures and components and evaluates this in detail with a focus on safety, productivity, reliability, usability and remaining design life,” he said.

Avoid downtime: The crane study developed by Konecranes can assess whether a crane is able to hold an increased workload and calculate the machine’s design life.

SERVICE AND SUPPLY MINING EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE


MINING EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE SERVICE AND SUPPLY

Twin coal mine drills reach time milestone A pair of Caterpillar MD6420B rotary blasthole drills working at Glencore’s Ravensworth coal mine in New South Wales have achieved a record number of operating hours in a year.

The two drills performed in excess of 13,000 engine hours combined, well above the industry’s ‘good’ rating of 5000 each per year and more than the 6000 hours each needed for an ‘excellent’ rating.

The first unit achieved a record level of 6876 hours in the first year and the second came in at 7006 hours.

The pair also far exceeded industry approximations when it came to maintenance with an average repair time of two hours each, compared to the expected six hours by industry standards.

The mean times between failures were 33.5 and 38.2 hours for the two drills, while the industry rating was 25 hours.

Caterpillar Product Support representative Andrew Elbourne said the numbers proved the drills were the right equipment for the job.

“This means the MD6420B is a low-maintenance drill overall. It self-monitors and diagnoses

issues, which drives low MTTR, or mean time to repair. The performance of these drills has been incredible,” he said.

The MD6420B is utilised for high-production drilling in hard or soft rock applications, with the ability to drill holes up to 311mm in diameter and 74.4m deep.

The rotary drill features heavy-

duty structures, with a maximum bit load force of 42,000kg, rugged components, a cab and easy service access.

Its advanced fully electronic control system displays drill monitoring and diagnostics on a large touchscreen panel with the ability to download history files that detail machine performance and health.

The MD6420B also includes real-time machine health monitoring and built-in diagnostic tools that assist with strategic service and maintenance planning.

Glencore’s Ravensworth North minesite in the Hunter Valley uses almost exclusively Cat equipment, which is supported by regional Cat dealer Westrac under a maintenance and repair contract.

Longevity: Two Caterpillar drills have accrued more than 13,000 engine operating hours in one year.

Idler makes sure excess water exitsTo reduce reactive maintenance costs and prevent the loss of product from slippery conveyor belts, Kinder & Co has created the K-Wrapper Dewatering Idler.

The Dewatering Idler has been engineered to extract excess water on a conveyor belt’s surface to keep it operating smoothly and efficiently.

CEO Neil Kinder said when a belt was left moist, its material could slip or spill from its surface and had the potential to lead to belt misalignment.

“If the conveyed bulk product is wet, it will result in instability, therefore affecting belt tracking as well as creating a safety hazard,” he said.

Maintenance on rotating machinery, such as conveyors, accounts for up to 30 to 50 per cent of the equipment’s total operating costs.

This excludes profits lost during production downtime for stoppages to fix and install replacement parts.

The K-Wrapper Dewatering Idler is made from corrosion-proof polyurethane and has a low tension effect on belt cleaning.

The device is available for all belt widths and is suitable for reversing and high-speed conveyors.

Apart from routine maintenance, Mr Kinder said once installed, the K-Wrapper required no reactive maintenance.


SERVICE AND SUPPLY CONCRETE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIERS

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Civil works to commence at a remote manganese project Whittens has nabbed a multimillion-dollar contract for work with Sedgman at the GEMCO manganese project on the Groote Eylandt.

Following the company’s work at Ichthys in Darwin, Whittens will provide services for BHP Billiton’s mine in the Northern Territory.

Whittens was awarded the civil component of the project, which includes demolition of existing concrete structures, bulk earthworks and structural concrete.

A concrete batch plan will be established on the island, however, given its remote location in the Gulf of Carpentaria, all materials, plants and equipment will be transported from Darwin by barge.

Whittens Director Tyron Whitten said the contract was further evidence of the company’s strength during economic downtimes.

“In view of the difficult challenges facing

the construction industry at the moment, especially in resources, it is satisfying to know we are still recognised as a provider of a quality and competitive service,” Mr Whitten said.

The GEMCO project will re-process manganese ore stored in tailing stockpiled in order to increase the capacity of the facility by 500,000 tonnes per annum.

Sedgman won a $133 million contract to design, supply, fabricate, construct and commission a sands beneficiation plant, port stockpile expansion and other associated infrastructure.

GEMCO is a 60:40 joint venture between BHP and Anglo American. BHP is set to spin-off its stake in GEMCO into its demerger company.

The Groote Eylandt is the biggest island in the Gulf of Carpentaria off Australia.

Island life: A contract has been awarded to Whittens for the demolition of existing concrete structures, bulk earthworks and structural concrete at GEMCO’s Groote Eylandt project.

Producer moves from tests to results phaseEden Energy has received positive results from a US trial of its EdenCrete500 product, with a 22 per cent increase in compressive strength after 21 days.

Initial results from the laboratory tests, being carried out in conjunction with field tests, made use of the company’s carbon-enriched concrete additive, were very positive.

After adjusting for additional water introduced into the mix of EdenCrete500, the average normalised compressive strength of the concrete increased by 22 per cent when compared to a control cylinder of the same mix and age, but with no EdenCrete500 added.

Concrete cylinders were tested 21 days after they were made, using a moderate strength mix from Metro Mix.

Tests were expected to be carried out after seven days, but these could not go ahead due to extreme weather conditions on the day of proposed testing.

Another trial commenced in Colorado with a second US concrete manufacturer that wanted to test the benefits of the mix.

The concrete manufacturer added EdenCrete500 to its own mixes.

The 56-day trial will be conducted in a laboratory, which will involve periodic testing of the concrete samples.

Eden Innovations, Eden’s wholly-owned US subsidiary, has finished the final re-commissioning of its catalyst and carbon nanotubes production facilities at its Colorado plant.

The facility was placed on care and maintenance three years ago and has the capacity to produce more than 40 tonnes of carbon nanotubes per year.

Carbon nanotubes will initially

be produced to add to Eden’s current “modest stockpile” for use as feedstock for EdenCrete500, “the potential demand for which is anticipated to rise rapidly if the current concrete trials, both underway and planned, in Australia and the US prove successful”, according to the company.

“Eden is highly encouraged that this will occur in light of the promising preliminary results in the current trials in both US and Australia,” it said in a statement.

“As previously foreshadowed, large-scale commercial scales in

the US will require approval by the US Environmental Protection Authority and Eden’s application for this approval is currently being prepared.”

EdenCrete, which won the 2014 Australian Civil Contractors Federation’s 2014 Environment Award, was designed to deliver higher ultimate flexural and compressive strength.

It was also designed to improve abrasion resistance, reduce tendency for corrosion of steel reinforcement, improve concrete workability and effectiveness and reduce cracks from concrete shrinkage.

Stronghold: A laboratory trial in the US has returned successful results of Eden Energy’s concrete product.

Mixer aids workers in tight spotsItalian concrete machinery business Cifa has launched a new mixer designed for intensive underground application.

The Coguaro was developed for environments such as tunnels and mines, which can pose challenges for some mining machinery.

Cifa designed a smaller mixer to operate in confined spaces, but installed the same amount of carrying space.

The drum of the mixer has a capacity of 4sq m.

The new mixer is being tested in an Andean mine in Chungar, Peru, putting the machine to work at an altitude of 4700m, with underground temperatures of 38C, high humidity levels and the presence of acid water.

Cifa said the vehicle was safe due to its drum rotation control system, which blocked the drum while carrying out maintenance.

Coguaro is managed by control speed drive, while driving safety is guaranteed by rollover protection systems and falling object protection systems and an infrared rear-view camera.

The mixer is available with electronic sensors for obstacle detection and an active fire control system.


CONFERENCE ROUND-UP

Upcoming conferences and exhibitions powered by .com.au

CONFERENCE NAME CATEGORY LOCATION DATE CONTACT DETAILS

18th International Seminar on Paste and Thickened Tailings General Cairns 5-7 May www.paste2015.com

2015 APPEA Conference and Exhibition Oil and gas Melbourne 17-20 May www.appea.com.au

Austmine 2015 General Brisbane 19-20 May www.austmine2015.com

ALTA 2015 General Perth 23-30 May www.altamet.com.au

Latin America Down Under 2015 General Sydney 20-21 May www.paydirt.com.au

Asia Mining Congress 2015 General Singapore 25-26 May www.terrapinn.com

Mines and Money Beijing General Beijing 26-28 May www.minesandmoney.com

World Resources Forum Asia Pacific General Sydney 1-2 June www.wrfasiapacific2015.net

Australian Copper Conference 2015 General Queensland 16-17 June www.verticalevents.com.au

AMEC Convention 2015 General Perth 23-24 June www.amec.org.au

Mines and Money Access Africa General Mauritius 23-25 June www.minesandmoney.com

Australian Uranium Conference Uranium Perth 15-16 July www.verticalevents.com.au

Diggers and Dealers General Kalgoorlie 3-5 August www.diggersndealers.com.au

11th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting General Sydney 24-26 August www.fragblast11.org

Mining the Territory Conference General Darwin 25-27 August www.miningnt.com.au

Africa Down Under 2015 General Perth 1-4 September www.paydirt.com.au

AIMEX 2015 General Sydney 1-4 September www.aimex.com.au

Ninth International Symposium on Field Measurements in Geomechanics General Sydney 9-11 September www.fmgm2015.com

Mining World Central Asia General Kazakhstan 16-18 September www.miningworld.kz

Australian Nickel Conference Nickel Perth 8 October www.paydirt.com.au

RIU Melbourne Resources Round-up General Melbourne 30 September-1 October www.verticalevents.com.au

Future Mining 2015 General Sydney 4-6 November www.futuremining2015.ausimm.com.au

International Seminar Design Methods in Underground Mining General Perth 17-19 November www.dmug2015.com

Queensland Gas Conference and Exhibition Oil and gas Brisbane 24-25 November www.queenslandgasconference.com.au

Productivity pivotal to profitAttendees of this year’s Asia-Pacific’s International Mining Exhibition (AIMEX) will gain access to one of the highest concentrations of suppliers across the mining equipment, technology and services field.

AIMEX is among the world’s largest mining exhibitions and aims to assist resources companies and professionals to improve their performance and stay competitive and profitable while faced with the current challenging conditions.

More than 300 suppliers will showcase their services at the event, including major global suppliers BASF, Becker Mining Systems, Caltex, Cummins, Davey Bickford, Eaton Industries, Falk Australia, Flexco, Hexagon Mining, Hitachi, Kal Tire, Mobile Conveying Services, NHP Electrical Engineering Products, Sew-Eurodrive Group and ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions.

Reed Mining Events Director Robby Clark said visitors would be able to engage with mining content that was focused on professional development, mental health and safety. There would also be knowledge-sharing sessions around innovations that attendees could participate in and networking events to attend with industry colleagues, including the AIMEX Industry Dinner.

“During tougher times, attending trade events such as AIMEX is never more important,” he said.

“It is your chance to see the latest equipment and technology that could deliver operational and cost efficiencies that improve productivity.

“Therefore I encourage all industry professionals who are interested in igniting their ability to improve operational performance to preregister for AIMEX to receive faster entry to the exhibition and updates as the event draws closer.”

Of special interest at the

exhibition will be the world’s largest mobile conveyor, presented by Mobile Conveying Services, which will be on display over the four-day event.

The Putzmeister Telebelt TB200 features a 62m placement conveyor, 22m feed conveyor and a maximum throughput of 7.65 cubic metres per minute or 1.25 Olympic-sized swimming pools per day.

Mr Clark said having the TB200 on display highlighted the innovative

equipment, technology and services that were characteristic of the biennial mining trade exhibition.

“AIMEX has historically provided mining professionals, from front-liners to executives, with access to suppliers from throughout the world that have the latest technology and innovations,” he said.

Mobile Conveying Services Managing Director Graeme Cooney said the TB200 on show was the only one in the world available for wet hire and project work.

“It suits large-scale bulk handling work such as backfilling tailings dams, mine reclamation, port development and work on large-scale hard stands,” he said.

“While the physical size of our TB200 will get immediate attention, AIMEX provides us with an opportunity to showcase our products and services in an environment where there is a concentration of key industry people in one location, all looking for something new or different that can assist their operations to better manage current and future challenges and opportunities.”

AIMEX is held from September 1 to 4 at the Sydney Showground, Olympic Park in New South Wales.

For more information, visit www.aimex.com.au.

Drawcard: The world’s largest mobile conveyor will be on display at the upcoming AIMEX event in Sydney.

Attending AIMEX is your chance to see the latest equipment and technology that could deliver operational and cost efficienciesRobby Clark Reed Mining Events


How do you like to start your working day? It’s been my designated role in more than 30 years of marriage to get breakfast organised. These days it’s just my wife and I at home and we stick to our healthy regime of muesli and fruit, eaten while scanning the overnight emails on the iPad and then a quick review of the iPad editions of the daily papers, all with ABC News and early AM radio playing in the background. I’m out the door by 7am to catch my bus into Brisbane CBD and walk through the doors of QRC’s offices by 7.20am. When we are really disciplined, we fit in an early morning walk in amongst this regime, but not often enough.

What would you be doing if you weren’t doing this job? This has been my dream job, drawing together my background in economics, government and the financial sector. I think I have a lot to contribute post-QRC as a part-time consultant, commercial board member and contributor to some not-for-profits. Importantly, it will mean more time for my lovely wife and our grandchildren.

What piece of technology couldn’t you do without? My iPad is never far from my reach. Blessed are these times where I don’t need to cart around my laptop to remain connected and productive out of the office. Thank you, Steve Jobs.

Who would you most like to share a working lunch with and why? Having been delighted yet again at one of his concerts recently, I have to nominate the great Australian musical artist Nick Cave. He says that music is all about love, death and God and

he does all three to perfection. Closer to my day job, I would love to spend more time with Bjorn Lomborg, founder of the Copenhagen Consensus Centre. He has a great knack for cutting to the chase on the big issues of climate change, energy poverty and public policy choices.

What is your greatest professional achievement to date? I am proud of our success in promoting gender and indigenous diversity of participation in the Queensland resources sector, together with our work to provide pathways for young people into our sector.

What is the best piece of advice you have received? Be wary of the winner takes all opportunities in dealing with other stakeholders in the short term. Take the longer term, more strategic view that it is all about give and take.

Where would you most like to visit on an overseas working trip?

I would love to be able to accompany Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he moves around his nation, rolling out his vision of bringing electricity to 70 million households that currently don’t have the access we take for granted.

What do you think about on the way home from work? I’m usually back on the iPad, checking emails and the news of the day.

What’s your favourite aspect of your job? I was once scared of the media side of my role but now I relish the opportunities to communicate about the good things the resources sector has to offer.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time? I think I will have deserved a much quieter life, although still engaged with business and public policy.

What is the best part of your daily working routine? I don’t manage it every day, but I delight in being able to move around the office and engage with team members around their work priorities and especially their recommendations for new music and film.

How would your colleagues describe you? A workaholic.

What do you like to do on days off? A mix of exercise and artistic stimulation, be it music, a film or a good book, all in the company of my wife.

How would you describe the balance between your working and personal life? Such balance does not exist just yet. It is aspirational.

Pathways: Michael is proud of QRC’s success in promoting gender and indigenous diversity of participation.

THE LAST WORD

ninetofiveMICHAEL ROCHE CHIEF EXECUTIVE

QUEENSLAND RESOURCES COUNCIL

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Michael Roche is Chief Executive of the Queensland Resources Council (QRC), the peak representative body for minerals and energy companies in Queensland.The QRC represents the interests of more than 300 businesses with direct and service sector investment in developing Queensland’s minerals and energy resources. Together, these industries are responsible for one in every four dollars circulating in the Queensland economy and one in every five jobs.Before joining the QRC in 2005, Michael spent nearly nine years in senior management roles with the Australian Stock Exchange in Sydney, including more than three years as Executive General Manager of ASX’s markets and market data businesses.Michael has extensive experience in the government sector, including nine years in Canberra, with most of that time as a Senior Executive in the Economics Division of Department

of Prime Minister and Cabinet.From 1990 Michael served for more than four years as Chief of Staff to the then Queensland Treasurer Keith De Lacy and two years as Deputy Director-General in the Queensland Cabinet Office.Michael currently serves on several boards and advisory committees, including Chairman of the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy and member of the Queensland Government’s Ministerial Advisory Committee on Exploration. He is also the ambassador for the Mining and Energy Challenge, part of the Leukaemia Foundation’s World’s Greatest Shave fundraising initiative.In 2012 he was appointed by the Queensland Government to chair the Queensland Skills and Training Taskforce.An economist by training, Michael holds Bachelor and Masters degrees from the University of New South Wales and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Business degree by CQ University in 2013.

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