By Peter Roberts Some years into Australia’s newfound awareness of critical mineral supply chains and their importance to electrification and new technologies, have things changed all that much? Mostly, despite the hype of our being a battery or other materials ‘superpower’, Australia still supplies the raw materials and others do the economic value adding in…
A six-month critical minerals accelerator run by BHP has begun accepting applications for next year’s cohort. The Xplor program for early-stage explorers will run for a third year, and is open to companies seeking to uncover “new sources of critical minerals crucial for a sustainable future”. According to statement from BHP on Tuesday, companies receive…
The South Australian Government has commenced an application and assessment process for BHP’s planned smelter and refinery expansion at Olympic Dam in South Australia, which could see copper cathode production double over the next decade, The news came through a notification in the South Australian Government Gazette on Thursday, and was described by BHP as…
Two projects backed by the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre have commercialised technology based on cosmic rays and hyperspectral imaging to make mining safer and more productive. In a statement on Tuesday, the not-for-profit organisation highlighted projects by Swinburne University spinout mDetect and ASX-listed EQ resources, both of which received backing from AMGC’s Commercialisation Fund. mDetect…
BHP has taken what it calls ‘the difficult but necessary decision’ to temporarily suspend its Western Australian Nickel operation, Nickel West. The company operates open-cut and underground mines, concentrators, a smelter and refinery all located in Western Australia. The company blamed ‘significant and sustained challenges to the Australian nickel industry’, which includes a period of…
The Australian government used to publish a Business R&D Investment Scorecard, providing insight into how companies are investing in their future. Here John H Howard, Victor Pantano and Cameron Begley produce their own scorecard – which suggests fewer Australian companies are bothering with R&D. R&D scorecards are vital tools for policymakers. They provide essential data…
Silicon energy storage company 1414 Degrees has signed a term sheet that will see its Aurora Energy Precinct at Port Augusta in South Australia access the ElectraNet 275kV Hill-to-Hill power line connecting to the National Electricity Market. The company’s 50 percent owned joint venture with Vast Renewables, SiliconAurora Pty Ltd signed a term sheet with…
The ELO2 Consortium’s pioneering lunar rover prototype, the result of Australian ingenuity in remote operations of mining equipment and aspirations in space, was unveilled in Adelaide today and could be on the way to the Moon courtesy of a NASA mission. The prototype, to be named Roo-ver, is one of two being developed by different…
What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to this site were reading. 5) Toyota Australia assembles first hydrogen-powered generator at Altona Toyota Australia has announced that mining services company Thiess will take delivery of the first locally-assembled EODev GEH2 hydrogen fuel cell stationary power generator. The announcement was made on…
By Peter Roberts BHP might just be getting serious about fully exploiting its ability to refine and export copper on a large scale from its South Australian copper mines – however the company has considered major expansions previously and baulked at the cost. In 2012 BHP halted plans for a $30 billion expansion of its…
