Monthly Archives: April 2014

WA-based plant hire business Plantman Equipment has launched a semi-autonomous drill rod handler, which it says significantly reduces one of the biggest safety risks in blast hole drilling operations. Plantman’s Mack Metroliner 8×4 Crane Truck is fitted with a semi-autonomous drill rod handler, eliminating the need for any manual handling of drill rods. The system

It’s one of the mining industry’s dirty little secrets. Away from the self-congratulatory puff of their sustainability reports, miners burn millions of litres of used lube oil every year, lube oil that could be re-refined and re-used. Waste oil refiner Southern Oil and its partner J.J Richards & Sons, which have just spent $55m on

Glencore Xstrata has sold its Peruvian copper mine project Las Bambas for US$5.85bn, after the Chinese government compelled it to do so following the merger of Glencore and Xstrata in 2013. A consortium consisting of MMG Limited (62.5%), GUOXIN International Investment Corporation Limited (22.5%) and CITIC Metal (15.0%) has agreed to buy Las Bambas for

Centrex Minerals is likely to choose transhipment over a deepwater jetty at its Port Spencer export project in South Australia, chief executive Ben Hammond has told AJM. After initially planning to build a 500m jetty and shiploader out to water deep enough to handle a large bulk carrier, Centrex had a re-think in November last

As BHP’s financial adviser Goldman Sachs beavers away on possible structures for the mooted spin-off company that will contain the Big Australian’s grab bag of unloved and secondary assets, AJM takes a look at the pick of the litter. In most reckonings, the Worsley alumina refinery is the number one asset in the New BHP.

While we are decades away from developing the technologies needed to commercially exploit the moon’s resources, some experts are saying that we should already be thinking about lunar property rights. When China’s lunar robot, Jade Rabbit, ground to an unexpected halt in January, it temporarily put paid to that country’s plan to drill moon rock

Mining giant BHP Billiton is reportedly considering a plan which would see its nickel, manganese and aluminium businesses moved to a separate, $20 billion firm. Early reports that the mining company’s board were considering splitting the business were at least partly confirmed on Tuesday, when the miner released a statement on the ASX. “As we