Australian Mining June 2013

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VOLUME 105/6 – JUNE 2013

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COMMENT

Mining Australian

Cirrus Media Manufacturing & Electronics Group: Associate Publisher – Martin Sinclair Email: martin.sinclair@cirrusmedia.com.au Editor – Cole Latimer Tel: (02) 8484 0652 Email: ozmining@cirrusmedia.com.au Journalists – Vicky Validakis Tel: (02) 8484 0964 Email: vicky.validakis@cirrusmedia.com.au Brent Balinski Tel: (02) 8484 0680 Email: brent.balinski@cirrusmedia.com.au Alex Heber Tel: (02) 8484 0884 Email: alexandra.heber@cirrusmedia.com.au QLD and SA Sales Manager – Sharon Amos Tel: (07) 3261 8857 Fax: (07) 3261 8347 Mob: 0417 072 625 Email: sharon.amos@cirrusmedia.com.au WA Representative – Jamie Wade Mob: 0435 945 868 Email: jamie@wadebusiness.com.au South Africa – Bob Stephen Stephen Marketing PO Box 75, Tarlton, Gauteng 1749, South Africa Tel: 27(011) 952 1721 Fax: 27(011) 952 1607 USA – Jonathan Sismey Cirrus Media 24th Floor, 125 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Tel: (1) 212 370 7445 Fax: (1) 212 370 7441 Email: jsismey@ix.netcom.com Larry Arthur Cirrus Media Suite 203, 3700 Campus Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660 Tel: (1) 949 756 1057 Fax: (1) 949 756 2514 Email: lharthur@ix.netcom.com Graphic Designer – Dave Ashley Production Co-ordinator – Tracy Engle Tel: (02) 8484 0707 Fax: (02) 8484 0966 Subscription Rates – Australia (surface mail) $140.00 (incl GST) New Zealand A$148.00 Overseas A$156.00 Reader Services – 1300 360 126

Our next big boom?

Our next resources boom may be further away than we think.

H

as Australia’s LNG industry torn itself apart before it has even gotten started?

For an industry that is being pegged to replace the gaping hole in Australia’s economy that has been left by the slowdown in mining it has run into a number of hurdles, both from within and outside of the gas industry.

Earlier this year one of the most significant gas plays in Australia, the James Price Point project was cancelled due to overwhelming opposition from environmental and green groups.

This was a major blow for the industry, and a $45 billion project which Western Australia had based many of its new energy hopes upon.

Located North of Broome in Western Australia, this Cirrus Media Tower 2, Level 3, 475 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood, project was planned to be NSW 2067 Australia larger then the North West Locked Bag 4700, Chatswood Delivery Centre, NSW 2067, Australia Shelf which is currently AusTel: (02) 8484 0888 Fax: (02) 8484 0633 ABN 80 132 719 861 tralia’s largest oil and gas deISSN 0004-976X www.cirrusmedia.com.au velopment. © Copyright Cirrus Media, 2013 The plant’s aim was to All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means enable gas from the Browse without the written permission of the publisher.

Basin to be processed off the north-west coast.

Now it may instead look to create a floating LNG Average Net Distribution Period ending September 2012 structure offshore.

8,019 But this opposition from Printed by Bluestar Print 83 Derby Street, Silverwater, NSW 2128 outside of the industry is to Tel: (02) 9748 3411 Published 12 issues a year be expected, as you can’t develop an industry in Australia without coming head to head A M 0 6 1 3 _ 0 0 0 _ . p d with f Ppeople a g e that 1 will 8 / oppose 0 5 / 1 on one ground or another,

www.miningaustralia.com.au

Comment Cole Latimer ozmining@reedbusiness.com.au from environmental and heritage concerns through to outright NIMBY-ism.

Industries are always prepared for these kinds of backlashes.

However what they aren’t prepared for is mismanagement at most levels – from allegations of inefficiency and a lack of productivity, to union intervention through to overbearing management practices.

The current battle engulfing the LNG industry at the moment is between unions and industry leaders.

Industry leaders have claimed that unions were to blame for driving up the pay rate, pushing LNG to breaking point and potentially sending it down the same slippery slope mining went down only years earlier.

Three unions negotiating with 18 companies in the maritime sector are demanding a 26 per cent pay rise over four years, a lift in the “construction allowance” to $245 a day and a four-week on/four-week off roster with no change to workplace practices.

The industry estimates

the Australian workforces building LNG projects are 30 to 50 per cent less productive than comparable workers in the US. They say this leads to inflated costs.

Last year Chevron reported a cost blowout of $9 billion at its Gorgon Project, taking development costs to $52 billion.

But then the unions hit back.

They claimed that management are simply trying to find a scapegoat for their own ineptitude, stating that they failed to measure their own productivity.

“Most oil and gas companies don’t even analyse their own productivity rates, yet have the hide to criticise Australian workers for being less productive,” a union rep said.

ON THE FRONT COVER

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1 0 : 4 7 : 0 3

AM

FOR this June edition’s front cover we’ve featured bauxite being stockpiled, as we look at smarter materials handling. Much of this edition is looking at opportunities for miners to get the most out of their machines and materials as they re-examine their current productivity. As the price of many commodities drop miners are being faced with the high costs of doing business that started at the beginning of the boom and unrealistic expectations from some stakeholders of the returns that the industry should provide, forcing them to look to new efficiency measures to ensure that their margins remain profitable. Mining has always been a hard business, but unless miners lift their game and A E S T productivity, it’s going to get much harder.

AustralianMining

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Contents Green state backflips on mining

June 2013 issue

Paris of the south

Junior miners in South Australia … p30

Re-energising the uranium debate

Support from unusual places … p14-15

Uranium’s renaissance … p54-55

Features SAFETY Revealing the risks Australian Mining’s Safety Conference ...p10-11

AUTOMATION & REMOTE CONTROL Jumping on the automation bandwagon The changing attitude to automation .... p34-35

Q&A Senior Geologist The life and times of a geologist ..................p12

QUARRYING, CRUSHING, SCREENING Making crushing mobile Mobile jaw crushers ....................................p36 All eyes glued to the screen Increased screening capacity ........................p38 Working in isolation Long life vibration screens........................40-42

VICTORIAN/TASMANIAN SPOTLIGHT Tasmanian Tussle Iron ore debate in the southern state ......p16-18 The state where it started Victoria’s recommitment to mining .............p20 HARD ROCK MINING Slumping gold, dumping mines?

The falling price of gold .........................p22-24 Quality over quantity Barrick looking to shrink its footprint ....p26-27 BHP continues nickel contraction Job cuts at Nickel West ...............................p28 New iron ore mine unveiled Fortescue opens Firetail ...............................p31 Finding the way from explorer to producer One copper miner’s Cinderella story ..... p32-33 4

June 2013

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MATERIALS HANDLING Maintaining mining machinery Coupler removals .................................. p44-45 Handling complaints Smarter coal handling ........................... p46-50 WEAR & LUBRICATION Greasing the wheels Keeping workshops lubricated ....................p52 MINERALS PROCESSING Getting the mix right Driving minerals processing ........................p56

Solid returns Wear avoidance for processing plants .........p58 Solving a sticky situation Greener rare earth extraction techniques .....p60 MAINTENANCE & MONITORING Lifting the game Cutting maintenance costs...........................p62 A step ahead Aiding maintenance access ..........................p64 AUSTRALIAN MINING ONSITE A greener approach The Shenhua Watermark coal mine.............p70

Regulars INDUSTRY COMMENT ................................. p6 NEWS ........................................................... p8 PRODUCT FOCUS: Test & Measurement ........................................ p66-69 PRODUCT SHOWCASE ........................ p72-73 PROSPECT AWARDS .................................p74 JOBS ...........................................................p76 EVENTS ......................................................p78 www.miningaustralia.com.au

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INDUSTRY COMMENT

Tasmanians FIGHT BACK over mining When business, workers and the community speak with a united voice, it’s a very powerful voice indeed, Stewart Prins* explains.

T

welve months ago, it looked like the mining industry’s hopes for developing the rich mineral deposits contained in the Tasmania’s Tarkine region were doomed.

An alliance of farmers, environmental activists and Sydney shockjock Alan Jones were leading a popular rebellion against coal seam gas developments.

Concerned members of The Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) at mines in Rosebery and Savage River, in North West Tasmania, met to discuss the situation. At the end of those meetings, the mine workers voted unanimously to ask the Union’s National Office to conduct a campaign on their behalf opposing the proposed Heritage Listing.

The resulting Our Tarkine, Our Future was launched at the AWU’s Tasmanian State Conference in Hobart last September.

The campaign built on the region’s long and proud history in mining and resource industries, and the fact that the Tarkine region is not just a pristine wilderness. It is a place where real people with real families live and work. Where real people need a real future.

The central component of the campaign was a community petition.

The Union mailed out copies of the petition to all its Tasmanian members, D _ A MA B L O C T _ 1 2 . p d andA delivered flyers to around 20,000

households across North West Tas- fair to ask how much credit for this mania. Within weeks, it was appar- policy outcome can be attributed to ent that the campaign had struck a the AWU campaign? nerve with the public.

To be fair, a few things did work About a week later the Union in the campaign’s favour. sent a delegation of local miners In particular, community frustrato Parliament House in Canberra, tion with the drawn-out Tasmanian where they met with Minister Burke Forestry ‘peace deal’ had been buildand presented him with the petition ing for some time, and the AWU signed by 6,600 people. campaign effectively became an outNonetheless, it was still some- let for that frustration. thing of a surprise when the Minister Australian Greens Leader Chrisannounced in January that he had re- tine Milne, however, made it clear jected the Heritage Council’s advice that she thought the AWU campaign to list the entire Tarkine region on did influence the decision. the Heritage Register – instead placIn a media statement Senator ing just 20,000 hectares on the Regis- Milne said “if anyone had any doubt ter for its Aboriginal heritage values. as to who is running the environment f Pa ge 1 1 3 / 0 9 / 1 2 , 0 : 4 4 AM With the benefit of hindsight, it’s 1 portfolio in this country, they need

look no further than the mining industry and their spokesperson Paul Howes.”

But in reality, Paul Howes is a union leader, not a mining industry executive. There was no back-room deal or factional power-play – this was simply an exercise in good oldfashioned people power.

In short, the debate was won by a well-organised grass-roots community campaign.

The most important and effective element of the campaign was the way the AWU worked collaboratively with other organisations.

The union engaged with the mining industry, with local councils and with local community groups.

It’s often easy fall into the trap of assuming that the pro-industry or prodevelopment argument will win these sorts of political debates by default.

When business, workers and the community speak with a united voice, it’s a very powerful voice indeed. The Our Tarkine, Our Future campaign demonstrated that in a genuine partnership, these groups aren’t just industry stakeholders, they can be vital industry advocates. *Stewart Prins is a communications and community engagement consultant. He was previously National Communications Coordinator for The Australian Workers’ Union.

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June 2013

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HEADLINES

The latest mining news and safety Australian Mining presents the latest news and safety affecting you from the boardroom to the mine and everywhere in between. Visit www.miningaustralia.com.au to keep up to date with what is happening.

Mining boom transitions to the next phase

Using Professor Bob Gregory’s resources boom model, the numbers signify that Australia is transitioning from the second to the third stage of the resources boom, moving from mining investment to mining exports.

Despite volatile commodity prices, Australia’s exports remained strong, rebounding to $14.85 billion, the best month in almost a year.

And with previous year’s investment slowly trickling down the pipeline, resource exports are expected to grow 28 per cent over the next five years, the Bureau of Resource and Energy Economics forecasts.

With resource exports overtaking construction imports stage three of Australia’s mining boom has arrived.

Mineral exports rose 11 per cent in the March quarter, while imports of construction machinery used for mining investment plunged.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics the country experienced a $5.6 billion trade balance lift in the March quarter.

Rising exports and falling imports delivered a $367 million surplus, up from a $5.2 billion deficit in December.

Coal miner slammed over 457 Exports of iron ore and other metals rose by visa workers $2.2 billion and imports of miscellaneous In the face of a coal sector downturn miners capital goods nose-dived 26 per cent or $1.1 are shedding jobs. billion, after seasonal adjustments.

Last month Downer EDI sacked 106 workers, The ABS estimates that in the six months nearly a third of the workforce, from its to March, construction machinery imports, Boggabri mine. the majority of which is used in mining 87 fulltime workers and 19 contractor positions development, dropped 44 per cent year on were cut, leaving around 240 workers at the year. Seasonably adjusted metal ores and site. It was reported that for workers at the minerals export figures from the March-quarter A D _ A M L A N A P R _ 1 3 . p d NSW f coal P amine, g e the 1end was 1 1brutal. / 0 3 / 1 3 , last year dropped 13 per cent.

“I got a phone call,” Sharon Partridge said.

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AustralianMining

over the past 15 months about 9000 coal jobs have been lost in NSW and Queensland.

The Mount Owen site has approval to produce up to 10 million tonnes of coal a year; Jordan said Xstrata was cutting production by 5 per cent. According to Xstrata’s numbers the 73 jobs equates to almost 20 per cent of the mine’s workforce.

An Xstrata spokesperson said the Mount Owen job cuts were a response to “difficult market conditions”.

Sell mining know-how overseas: Austrade

Australian Mining gets the latest news every day, providing mining professionals with the up to the minute information on safety, news and technology for the Australian mining and resources 1 0 : 1 1 : 0 5 AM AEDT industry.

“It was very quick, very to the point, saying that your position in particular had been made redundant.

“It is very hard, very tough at the moment. And trying to find employment in this area at this point in time is extremely hard.”

Another now redundant employee, single mother Jo Hall had one wage coming into her household.

Responding to the news Downer EDI said the Papua New Guinean workers have specialist skills unavailable in the local workforce.

Jobs scrapped at Mount Owen coal mine Mounting production costs will see more than 70 jobs go from GlencoreXstrata’s Mount Owen open-cut coal mine in the Hunter Valley.

Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union district president Peter Jordan said 55 mineworker positions, six tradespeople and 12 contractor roles were on the chopping block.

“There’ll be a call for voluntary redundancies but I don’t think there’d be enough volunteers to accommodate those sorts of numbers,” Jordan said.

The mine, located halfway between Singleton and Muswellbrook is managed by mining contractor Theiss.

Already this year more than 1000 Hunter and Gunnedah miners have lost their jobs since last year, a figure which doesn’t include job losses in downstream suppliers.

According to the Australian Coal Association

A senior trade official says Australian mining service businesses can overcome the sharp fall in local demand by targeting overseas mining hot spots. Austrade’s chief Bruce Gosper made the comments while on a trip in Perth where he addressed and Asian Society function. Gosper said his government-backed export promotion agency could be seen as the model for deeper economic connections with Australia’s Asian neighbours. Gosper said Austrade had 60 per cent of its resources trained on the region and 40 per cent of its staff were fluent in Asian languages. Despite the challenges facing the local services sector, namely a drop in mining investment, Gosper said meetings with companies in Perth revealed they were upbeat and “full of animal spirits” about their ability to win new work in Africa and Asia.

BHP projects in doubt after CEO’s comments There is uncertainty over whether BHP Billiton will proceed with its last remaining planned expansion projects after comments from newly appointed chief executive Andrew Mackenzie.

The projects include the $US12 billion ($12.44bn) Jansen potash project in Canada and the mega-pot at the Cannington silver and base metals mine near McKinlay in northwest Queensland. Mackenzie’s comments came in meetings with investors in Sydney on Wednesday and cast misgivings about a nearterm commitment to Jansen.

The company’s interest in the Cannington mega-pit is also shaky after a cost-cutting measure was broadened and resulted in the termination of apprenticeship positions by a contractor to BHP. In the first meeting with Australian investors, Mackenzie reemphasised his strategy to cut capital expenditure from $US22 billion this year to $US18 billion in 2014, cutting to $US15 billion over the next three years. The company said it will continue cutting operating and overhead costs in the wake of a strong Australian dollar, falling commodity prices and rising costs. www.miningaustralia.com.au

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AUSTRALIAN MINING SAFETY CONFERENCE

Medcraft discussed the risks miners face without proper refuge chambers.

Bowers explained the need for greater awareness of mental health on site.

Revealing

THE RISKS

The unabashed ins and outs of Australian Mining’s upfront Safety Conference in May. Alex Heber writes.

C

andour was the stand out theme at this year’s Australian Mining Safety Conference, with the straightforwardness and honesty of speakers catching many delegates off guard.

Opening the event was Dan Hunt the director-general for the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines.

He used his address to shine light on a worrying over-representation of contractors in mine site deaths and injury numbers, he announced that the sector’s lost time industry rate spiked in 2011/12 and warned mining cannot rely on good fortune alone to protect its valuable employees.

Already this year two contractors have died on Queensland mine sites, including an Incitec Pivot contractor who was fatally injured near Xstrata’s Mount Isa Mines copper smelter, and a Santos sub-contractor who died from a suspected heat stroke whilst working on the GLNG upstream project in Roma.

He stressed that while the mining sector remains the largest contributor to Queensland’s economy, and safety has improved dramatically over the last few years, 10

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there is still much work to be done.

Hunt put the onus back on the industry saying “we all have a role to play to achieve zero harm”.

The straightforwardness of Stewart Bell’s presentation caught many delegates by surprise, as no one expected a government department head to be so frank about such serious and divisive issues.

Bell attacked the Pike River disaster head on, saying complacency was to blame.

“Pike River management and regulators weren’t doing their jobs, there was no gas monitoring, and no union check inspectors,” he said.

He warned that Pike River is a lesson for Australian miners, warning if the sector didn’t stand up and take notice it could just as easily happen here.

“Australian’s were also mismanaging Pike River, it wasn’t just a bunch of kiwis,” Bell said.

He noted that the incident could’ve been avoided if all involved including the NZ inspectorate had been actively doing their jobs at the level expected by high risk industry.

Bell also announced new fatigue guidelines that are being reintroduced in QLD

in an effort to better manage the risks associated with mining shift work.

Reworking the guidelines became a priority after the number of miners who died in road fatalities driving to and from work was on the rise.

Enlisting the assistance of industry, government and the unions, the new guidelines will be a consistent “work in progress”, replacing the previous ones that were 11 years old.

“Mining organisations can influence safety by changing shifts, bussing people home or providing accommodation,” he said.

“We’re still killing people; we see the same accidents over and over again.”

Bell explained that fatigue management is about risk management, and that industry needs to be constantly thinking about risk factors which include scheduling of work and managing breaks.

“When people work through a set of night shifts they become more susceptible to accidents because of fatigue,” he said.

The guidelines note that consecutive night shifts made workers more susceptible to fatigue related accidents.

Technological developments in safety were analysed by Jock Cunningham, mining research theme leader at the CSIRO who said “sound engineering controls keep people safe”.

He explained that improvements in automisation and Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping technology can improve mine site safety and productivity.

“Automisation can isolate people from hazards while improving productivity,” he said.

The event’s sponsors QMW Industries launched its new 4WD Q~Transporter mine site vehicle and the company’s managing director Jeff Samuels discussed the importance of mine site vehicle safety.

He said that to achieve zero harm both human and machinery hazards need to be identified, and that while vehicle Falling Object Protection Structures [FOPS] is mandatory on mine sites, Roll Over Protection Structures [ROPS] is based on a mining company’s risk assessment.

“If machinery is engineered incorrectly it gives a false sense of security,” Samuels said.

“Protective structures

save lives and prevent crushing from rollovers.”

Paul Medcraft the international business development manager for MineARC Systems raised some important questions regarding the lack of refuge chamber regulations in Australia.

He began by praising Australia’s safety standards, saying “the Australian mining industry has gotten so good at safety that we now export ideas and ideals not just goods and services”.

Medcraft explained that there are no refuge chamber regulations in Australia, just guidelines and said that in some mines there are no working refuge chambers and in others managers don’t know how to use them.

“Would you climb into a refuge chamber if it could reach 60 degrees & 100 per cent humidity in the next three hours? I think not,” he said.

During Medcraft’s presentation, Australian Mining received a number of tweets from the audience agreeing that refuge chambers on their sites were at best an afterthought and were not well maintained.

Sandvik automation and product line manager, Grant Field discussed the developwww.miningaustralia.com.au

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AUSTRALIAN MINING SAFETY CONFERENCE

ment of the company’s autonomous drills which improve productivity and safety, allowing one operator to supervise multiple drills from the comfort of an office.

Field said that about 80 per cent of the software that has been developed for these drills is to manage safe operation.

Hitting back at the argument that a move towards autonomous machinery will result in job losses, Field said while this may be the case, it also provides an opportunity for upskillng, career progression, and heightened QMW’s new, safer mine site transporter was a hit at the show. on-site safety.

The afternoon sessions ed to be $10 billion. What about $171 million, Bowers addressed mental health is- was surprising is that pres- said. The mining sector is rife sues in mining. enteeism is far more costly for mental illness issues, with CEO of the Centre for then absenteeism. Presentee- high workloads, poor comRegional and Remote Mental ism is when employees show munication, high-risk work Health, Jennifer Bowers said up to do a rotation when environments, harsh climate that one in five people will they are not in good mental conditions, and isolation all suffer from a mental health or physical health. highlighted as factors affectissue and that compromising With an estimated ing mental health. mental health leads to work 390,000 people directly or She explained that menaccidents. indirectly employed by the tal health prevention is better She also addressed the Queensland mining and re- and cheaper than cure, and cost of stress related absen- sources sector the direct costs the longer these issues are teeism and presenteeism, ignored A M0 6 1 3 _ 0 0 0 _ J O H of - absenteeism 1 2 0 1 and 3 - 0presen5 - 2 7 T 1 1 : 2the 8 :more 5 7 +expensive 1 0 : 0 0 which in 2007 was estimat- teeism for companies alone is they get.

Addressing mental health is proven to improve retention rates, reduce absenteeism, lift morale and improve productivity and profitability, Bowers said.

FIFO work environments are unique with long work hours, heavy workloads, social isolation and hazardous environments, TMS Consulting CEO Helen Wood said.

Australian Mining Safety Conference sponsor TMS presented its recent fatigue

research findings, saying fatigue leads to increased accident risk. Wood explained that fatigued, tired staff heightens the risk of human error: “Human error is the biggest risk area when it comes to safety,” Wood said.

“If you are not cognitively performing at your best safety can be compromised.”

What the company’s research found was that fatigue reduces reaction times, attention spans, and that the affects of fatigue are very similar to the affects of alcohol.

TMS said that a holistic approach is needed when addressing fatigue.

“To a degree working hours is just one aspect of fatigue. Camp design, good mental & physical health all help,” Wood said.

As a whole, the day sparked comprehensive discussion about the state of real versus perceived mine site safety, reflecting on positive improvements achieved by the industry and opportunities to work towards achieving zero harm.

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Q&A

Q and A: Senior Geologist As part of our new Q&A series we interview you, and find out what your job is day to day. In this edition we speak to Nicky Pollington, a senior geologist at pitt&sherry.

MINING: What are your primary roles and responsibilities in your job?

Give us a day in your working.

NICKY POLLINGTON: I am a geologist with experience over a broad range of commodities and my days can be quite varied from detailed geological and geotechnical studies through to environmental studies and documentation.

AUSTRALIAN

AM: What training/education

did you need for your job?

NP: Bachelor Degree in Sci-

ence with Honours (BSc. Hons), Majoring in Geology, University of Tasmania, CODES. AM: How did you get to

where you are today? Give us a bullet point career path.

NP: Fiji – field exploration and studies Tanami – mine geologist Cadjebut – exploration geologist Cyprus – geotechnical studies and dam repairs Uganda – geology, processing and quarrying Zambia – detailed geologiM0 6 1 3 _ 0 0 0 _ S E I calAstudies

Geologists often work across a broad range of commodities.

Identifying gold in drill cores.

Hot Dry Rocks – based in Tasmania, Senior Consultant – geothermal energy pitt&sherry – Senior Geologist

NP: Finding enough time in my day.

AM: What tools and/or soft-

AM: What is the one thing

that you are most proud of in your professional life?

NP: Living and working in Uganda was both challenging workwise and personally. But I enjoyed it and am proud of the what we all managed to acheive in sometimes very trying conditions.

Biggest career challenge?

NP: Coming back to work after the birth of my twins.

AM:

ware do you use on a daily AM: What is your biggest basis?

NP: Arc, MapInfo/Discover, frustration in your job?

NP: I would often like to voxler, other 3D modelling 1 2 0 1 3 - 0 5 - 2 7 T1 1 : 1 5 : 0 9 + 1 0 : 0 0 AM: Biggest daily challenge? spend more time on things, software.

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AustralianMining

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AM: What is the biggest

challenge facing your business?

NP: Getting the time whilst working on completing tasks to keep up with what is going on in the industry.

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AM0613_000_FOX

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2013-05-22T10:10:03+10:00

Edna May staff catch all the action with Foxtel iQ boxes in every room Edna May Gold Mine in Westonia, WA, (part of the Evolution Mining Group), is the first Australian mine to provide a Platinum Foxtel offering with an iQ box in every employee’s room. To help celebrate this, Foxtel brought some former AFL Superstars to Westonia.

Devon Roberts, Environmental and Community Superintendent for Edna May says the unique in-room facility goes great lengths to attracting and retaining staff and keeping them entertained and satisfied.

for everyone. Having an iQ box in-room also provides miners with the ability to pause, record and rewind live TV, so they have full control over what they watch and when, even if they are on shift work.

Roberts continued, “The next thing we knew, some of our favourite former Dockers and Eagles stars were coming out to the local Rec Complex and the mine site – not something that happens every day”.

“With Foxtel iQ in each room, all of the staff have been enjoying the extra entertainment, like they would at home.”

Foxtel understands that it’s important to keep FIFO miners entertained. An independent study has shown 50% of miners surveyed indicated access to pay TV is important in managing loneliness*.

So, to demonstrate Foxtel’s commitment to entertaining the mining industry and bringing better entertainment to Westonia, Foxtel brought some of WA’s favourite AFL stars to the town for a community BBQ and footy clinic.

The wider Westonia community were keen to get involved with many miners and locals playing alongside the pros in an AFL drill clinic. Roberts agrees, “The event was great, not just for employees but for the entire Westonia community.

The kids all got some signed gear, not to mention the equipment Foxtel donated to the local footy club.”

The new Platinum package provides staff with access to an even broader range of popular channels to watch after a hard day’s work including FOX FOOTY, helping staff keep up to date with their favourite team. And with Foxtel’s award-winning drama, news and dedicated lifestyle and documentary channels, there’s something

Foxtel’s new Platinum in-room package is now available at your mine, so to provide your staff with full control and the ultimate in entertainment visit www.foxtel.com.au/business or contact our Foxtel for Business Mining Specialist on 03 8325 3159.

Host Glen ‘Jako’ Jakovich joined six of the game’s greats, including former Eagles players Dean Kemp, Brett Heady, Ashley McIntosh and Michael Brennan and former Dockers players Peter Bell and Shaun McManus. * Research conducted by Consan Consulting on behalf of Foxtel in February-March 2013, amongst a sample of FIFO/DIDO workers in the Australian mining industry, including 400 miners and 98 managers.

Foxtel and some services not available to all premises. Foxtel marks are used under licence by Foxtel Management Pty Ltd.

AM0613_014.pdf

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VIC/TAS SPOTLIGHT

Green state BACKFLIPS on mining Tasmania reassesses mining and finds support in unexpected places.

Alex Heber reports.

A

s support for mining grows in Tasmania, the noose the Greens have had tied around industries’ neck appears to be loosening.

The state has long been a Green’s strong hold, a party who’s policies don’t always align with industry, and thus mining developments have been in many cases left over the Straight.

But pro-mining activists are gathering, with more than 2000 people turning out in force at a pro-mining rally this month, numbers which are usually reserved for anti-mining events.

Protesters gathered outside Tullah Community Hall to support Venture Minerals’ proposed Livingstone and Riley Creek mines in the Tarkine rainforest.

Organised by the Tasmanian state government and the Australian Workers Union, Premier Lara Giddings said the rally was “the biggest pro-mining rally ever in Tasmania”.

The new mines are expected to create about 1000 jobs and generate millions of dollars in revenue.

The State’s resources minister Bryan Green said in Question Time last month that such community backing demonstrates Tasmania is “open for business”.

AWU secretary Ian Wakefield also commented on the turnout, say14

June 2013

AustralianMining

ing it illustrated Tasmanian’s appreciate the mining sectors’ potential contribution to the economy.

“When one out of three kids can’t get a job, the only way to turn that around is if you have industry and industry for the future,” Wakefield said.

“That can only happen if you have got new projects to replace

other projects when they wind up.”

Reaffirming her support for new mining projects, Giddings said mining was essential for Tasmania’s economy.

“The government fought hard against the heritage listing of the Tarkine, and the cloud of uncertainty hanging over the industry since the Federal Liberal government

Mining has historically been shackled by environmental protests against its growth.

nominated the area for assessment has been lifted,” she said.

Tasmania’s economic performance is lagging behind all other States, posting some of the weakest economic data in the country.

In Commsec’s recently published ‘State of the States’ report, Tasmania recorded the weakest economic growth rate at -3.3 per cent, and an unemployment rate of 7.2 per cent, figures which have many banking on mining to boost growth.

Venture Minerals’ Riley mine alone is predicted to triple bulk mineral exports through the Burnie port and pour tens of millions of dollars into the Tasmanian economy.

But mining’s influence on Tasmania’s economy is already being felt; a recent report commissioned by the Minerals Council found five mining and minerals processing companies are producing almost half of Tasmania’s exports.

The companies on the list, including Grange Resources, MMG, Nystar, Pacific Aluminium and Norske Skog, contributed $1.5 billion in exports, or nearly 49 per cent of Tasmania’s total exports and the revenue generation is responsible for 11 per cent of Tasmanian GDP. But in the eyes of business and industry Tasmania is still regarded www.miningaustralia.com.au

AM0613_015.pdf

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VIC/TAS SPOTLIGHT

as a heavily ‘Green’ state, and mining, particularly in the Tarkine, has not had an easy time getting off the ground.

Conservationist group, Save the Tarkine Coalition, led by Scott Jordan, has been very vocal in the group’s campaign against mining activities in the region.

“If these miners want to turn up and want to start trying to dig holes in the Tarkine, we’ll be there, and our intent will be to stop it,” he said.

The Greens have held back development of the State for years now, and it’s not out of malice, it’s more a policy issue, traditionally the party doesn’t provide a lot of support for mining or logging.

But the Greens are realising they can’t stop all industries, and so in what seems like a political back-flip, the party has said it is looking to establish a mine remediation and innovation centre.

The Greens said the centre will go a long way towards improving mining’s environmental footprint in the State, and they have secured $100,000 in the state budget to kick start the initiative.

Commenting on the play, Professor Kevin Bonham from the University A M 0of6Tasmania 1 3 _ 0 0the 0 _Greens P A T seem . pd “keen to market themselves as not

completely opposed to the resource towards a full ‘de-politicisation’ of industries”. the industry any time soon. As far as “The Greens are often keen to new large-scale projects, especially combat the label that they are “anti- in the Tarkine area, go, I expect the everything” or perceptions that they traditional conflicts to continue,” are too hardline,” Bonham explained Bonham stated. to Australian Mining.

As a whole Tasmania didn’t fair Greens mining spokesman so well in a recent Fraser Institute and Member for Braddon Paul study which examined the overall O’Halloran recently hit back at ac- attractiveness of a mining jurisdiccusations that the party doesn’t sup- tion for investment. port mining.

The study hands out a ‘policy “Saying that the Greens are uni- potential indicator’ (PPI) for every versally against mining is far from mining province in the world, it the truth,” he said. asks managers and He added Tas- The Tasmanian Greens key industry figures manians should have to rate government have voiced their a modern, long-term regulation of their industry with mini- support for investment projects against a mal impact instead into mining studies. number of key idenof the cargo-cult tifiers. Surprisingly it model, which he believes is extract- found that Tasmania has experienced ing the state’s resources to fill others’ the most significant decline in the pockets. country falling 16.5 per cent to score Commenting on this vision, 54.1 on the PPI scale. As a whole Bonham said the party “seems to Australia’s average PPI declined in have a different and more qualified 2012/13, suggesting regulation of emphasis to that of the major par- the mining industry is going backties – reworking and remediation wards. of existing mines, small-scale lowThat said, it has been on an increasimpact projects and – in rhetoric at ing trend over the last five years, so the least – support for local employment slip is not indicative of Australia’s abilas opposed to projects they regard as ity to compete on a global scale. f ‘cargo-cult’”.

Pa ge 1 1 6 / 0 5 / 1 3 , 1 1 : No 0 3surprise : 0 7 that A MWestern A E SAustraT “I don’t think we are heading lia remained the country’s top ranked

region coming in at 15 globally with a PPI score of 79.3.

Under the guise of anonymity one Tasmanian explorer claimed the industry was governed by “very green policies”.

The survey results mirrored this sentiment with 40 per cent of respondents indicating environmental regulations were a mild deterrent, 23 per cent saying it was a strong investment deterrent and 13 per cent said they wouldn’t pursue investment because of the current environmental regulations.

But Tasmania is a state bursting with potential; it is the only state that has mapped in detail the land mass from one coast to the other.

In 2002/03, the Tasmanian Government decided that the best way to encourage development of its mining industry was to create an entire 3D interactive map of the state.

Interactive 3D mapping allows miners to see the varying kinds of rock strata, the geological makeup of the area, what minerals it hosts and its depth.

Making exploration a lot easier, the technology enables miners to see a potential seam as well as known deposits from multiple angles; building a full understanding of an area’s geological makeup.

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AustralianMining

June 2013

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AM0613_016.pdf

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VIC/TAS SPOTLIGHT

The Tasmanian Tussle Iron ore developments in Tasmania are bringing miners and environmentalists head to head. Malavika Santhebennur writes.

T

he tug-of-war between mining and the environment rages on in Tasmania.

As the state is edging towards realising its potential for growth in the resources sector, environmentalists continue to campaign against several proposed projects.

They argue mining will endanger wildlife and destroy pristine land in areas like the Tarkine.

Environmental group Save the Tarkine Coalition has lodged an injunction against Shree Minerals’ Nelson Bay mine.

The group’s spokesman Scott Jordan said they filed the injunction to stop Shree Minerals from commencing work on the mine while its A M0 5 1 3 _ 0 0 0 _ MI N 1 2 0 1 3 - 0 4 - 1 8 T 0 9 : 2 6 : 2 6 + 1 0 : 0 0 legal challenge against Federal Environment Minister Exploration in the state has traditionally hit roadblocks due to environmental action.

Tony Burke’s approval of the mine continued.

The Nelson Bay River Iron Project covers a licence area of 93 km sq and has a JORC resource of 12.7 million tonnes.

The government is on the verge of approving a tin and tungsten mine at Mount Lindsay, and has approved a mining lease for another project near Tullah. Both projects are managed by Venture Minerals. For Venture Minerals’ iron ore mine project on the west coast of the state, Federal approval is the only obstacle left.

The Riley Creek iron ore strip mine in the Tarkine region gained the Environmental Protection Authority’s approval earlier this month.

Continued on page 18

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AM0613_018.pdf

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VIC/TAS SPOTLIGHT

Continued from page 16

The Perth-based company cleared about 500 hectares of eucalypt forest 100 kilometres south-west of Burnie. The Riley Creek project is likely to yield two million tonnes of ore from later this year.

Yet Mayor Darryl Gerrity is concerned the mine at Riley near Tullah will be delayed by legal challenges from environmental groups.

Gerrity said the project could create 60 jobs, vital for the state’s sagging economy, where unemployment is more than nine per cent.

The project has already received state approval and is going through Federal environmental assessments.

Jordan confirmed the group would take action against the Riley mine if it received Federal approval, and would contest the state’s decision to approve the mining lease.

He said the proposed 118-hectare open-cut mine was in a section of the Tarkine that had been suggested for World Heritage approval.

gions, entrenching problems over the medium and longer term,” the report said.

West gives reasons for the underperformance, saying it is simple but problematic.

“The reality is that Tasmania has bred a dominant social coalition that blocks most proposals to improve.

Problems and challenges are debated endlessly with no resolution. Most discussion avoids mention of the uncomfortable truths at the source of underperformance,” he wrote.

West writes that while opportunity in mining is plentiful, it is hindered by its close contact with the natural environment. Any alternation in land use in Australia necessitates government approval. In

“It demonstrates that even if you get your approvals through the legitimate regulatory processes, and through the approvals set by the Environmental Protection Authority, that doesn’t mean you have got a project in Tasmania,” Long said.

Long told Australian Mining Federal governments have been locking up land over a number of years.

He said they are doing this to appease the Greens in Tasmania and run for preference options in Melbourne and Sydney where there are more seats.

“It’s a difficult call for the Tasmanian government because while they support mining, they’re also in coali-

financial resources to sustain the costs of injunctions and legal battles.

But Save the Tarkine Coalition’s Scott Jordan said the public was being misled about the organisation’s goal.

“We are still hearing a lot of misinformation from people in public positions who should know better that we are out to shut down the mining industry – it is not a correct statement,” he said.

“I would like to hear them telling people the truth about what this debate is over, and that is the protection of the Tarkine area, and the area nominated doesn’t include any of the existing mines.

“So it is quite alarming when we hear people at Sav-

Pinpointing the hurdles

It is these campaigns and legal injunctions by environmental groups that are hindering the state from realising its full mining potential.

Jonathan West, director of the Australian Innovation Research Centre, wrote an essay in January titled ‘What’s wrong with Tasmania, Australia’s freeloading state?’.

In it, he writes Tasmania ranks last among Australian states in every aspect of economic and social measurements: highest unemployment, lowest incomes, weakest investment and lowest literacy. Commsec’s States of the States report ranked the Tasmanian economy last in the country, with South Australia coming in at second last. The report said the Federal and State government needed to join together to lift the economic performance of the state.

“Without concerted action to boost economic activity, the risk is that a widening gap emerges between the strongest and weakest re18

June 2013

AustralianMining

There are few operating mines in the state, despite its many known resources.

Tasmania, constant quarrelling over environmental issues has meant approval processes have become prolonged, politicised and difficult.

As a result, companies find approvals for new projects in the state are indefinite, precarious and more expensive than anywhere else.

The tug-of-war

Tasmania Minerals Council chief executive Terry Long agrees and recently labelled Save the Tarkine Coalition’s injunction against Shree Minerals’ Nelson Bay mine an ‘abuse of the legal system’.

He is afraid legal challenges could repel all mining operators from Tasmania.

tion with the Greens. Governments, both Federal and State, just have to learn to say no to the environment movement in Tasmania before the entire economy collapses.”

“The people who drive the environmental movement in Tasmania and other parts of Australia are fanatics who want to destroy the economy to lessen the population in order to reduce pressure on the environment. They don’t believe in sustainable development,” Long said.

Long believes the environmental movement lodges injunctions in the hope companies will collapse. He said because the companies are small, they do not have the

age River and Rosebery being told that their jobs are on the line – they’re not on the line and they never have been.”

The State Government and the Australian Workers Union is also looking at the Savage River iron ore mine as a potential source of revenue for the state.

Giddings recently toured the mine with AWU boss Paul Howes. They promoted the state’s mining future and saw huge potential at the Savage River mine site.

Giddings said the mine has $11 billion worth of resources. But Howes warned workers the industry needs to be wary of the environmental movement.

Despite Burke’s decision to prohibit a heritage listing for the Tarkine region, Howes warned workers they should continue fighting for their jobs.

“The Greens and environmental organisations are going to try to continue to attack the future of mining in Tasmania,” Howes said.

“They’ll continue to spread their misinformation, they’ll continue to threaten the Tasmanian community, they’ll continue to run the types of campaigns, which really are akin to sovereign risk issues in terms of future investment in these types of regions.”

Pro-mining fight back

Those who support mining are striking back with vigour, and the state government is throwing its support behind them. More than 2000 people gathered for a protest near Tullah over the weekend for a rally to support Venture Minerals.

Tullah is near the company’s proposed Livingstone and Riley Creek mines. They are expected to create 1000 jobs and bring in millions of dollars in revenue.

Premier Lara Giddings described it as ‘the biggest pro-mining rally ever in Tasmania’. During Question Time last month, Deputy Premier Bryan Green had thrown his support behind the rally, encouraging people to attend and voice their opinion.

Mining workers voted unanimously last year to ask the AWU’s National Office to launch a campaign against the Tarkine Heritage listing.

The Our Tarkine Our Future campaign was launched at the AWU’s Tasmanian State Conference in September in Hobart.

Pro-mining sentiments are gaining as much traction in Tasmania as the environmental movement, with the Government pushing for mining in the state.

But with legal injunctions still stalling mining projects, the challenge remains for the Government to lure investment to Tasmania while balancing the demands of the environmental movement. www.miningaustralia.com.au

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The state where it started A recommitment to mining is set to change Victoria’s standing in Australia’s mining state stakes.

V

ictoria is where Australia’s mining history began.

The first boom in our industry started during the Victorian gold rush and has continued, in a somewhat cyclical fashion, since then.

The state holds a large chunk of the world’s brown coal reserves, around 430 billion tonnes in all.

It has been mining this resource for years to power the state.

However it has in recent years been overshadowed by its fellow states in terms of mining.

New South Wales and Queensland with their massive coalfields and copper gold deposits, Western Australia with a large chunk of the world’s iron ore, and South Australia and the Northern Territory with their uranium deposits as well as high copper levels.

Even Tasmania, Australia’s greenest state, has been seen as more favourable to mining in recent years than Victoria. Last year it was ranked the worst out of all Australian states by the global Fraser Institute survey in terms of how miners rated the government regulation and ease of doing business.

It came 44th out of 93 mining regions around the world.

Regarding actual mineral potential it performed awfully, ranking 78th globally.

However in the space of a year the state has completely turned around.

In the 2013 Fraser Institute survey it rocketed up the rankings in term of policy potential, ranking ahead of Queensland, and achieving its best ranking in five years and the first time since 2009 that it hasn’t slid down the charts.

“Victoria showed significant improvement in both its PPI and rank, moving from 44 in 2011-12 to 24 in 201213 due to improvements in 20

June 2013

AustralianMining

Brown coal has been the major driver of mining in the state.

More than $31 million has been committed to mining by the state.

political stability (38 per cent) and the legal system (16 per cent),” the study said.

It had a ranking of 24 out of 96 regions, compared to the Northern Territory at 22 and Queensland at 32.

It was also voted as the \ eighth most politically stable region for mining investment in the world as well.

However it was not all good news, with one managing director of an exploration company saying that the state suffers from a “difficult regulatory regime which in creases exploration expenses”.

Part of this, Victorian mines minister Nicholas Kotsiras explained to Australian Mining, is because “Victoria is more densely populated than some states and this poses both challenges and opportunities for the mining industry”.

“It means companies must make sure they carry out meaningful community engagement to explain their proposals to stakeholders, and this requirement for community engagement is enshrined in Victoria’s mining laws and regulations.”

This close proximity to communities has also seen a rise in anti-mining groups and a push back from many in the state, which had caused the industry to stagnate up until fairly recently.

But former restriction is set

“Mining has a proud tradition of contributing to the Victorian economy and society and the Coalition Government is determined to ensure it has a vibrant future,” Kotsiras said.

“Our vision is for a strong and prosperous mining industry that delivers jobs and investment in regional Victoria and makes a significant contribution to the economy while respecting the rights of landholders and protecting the environment.”

In addition to this around $4.2 million will be spent on solving mine stability risks at Latrobe Valley coal mines.

Kotsiras said this funding will speed up work on specific projects.

“The Coalition Government is boosting resourcing to make sure action is taken

to change, and see even more growth for the state in line with the Fraser survey, following a turn around in the state’s focus.

In the wake of Victoria’s latest state budget, the state government has surprised pundits and environmentalists by committing itself to mining in the state.

The Victorian Government has announced it will spend $31.7 million over the next four years on programs designed to build and sustain its mining industry.

Energy and resources minister Nicholas Kotsiras told Australian Mining that more than $19 million of the funding will be used to “reinvigorate the State’s mining industry by driving a new wave of exploration and reducing barriers to investment”.

Victoria has 430 billion tonnes of brown coal reserves.

quickly to address the most urgent mine stability risks in the Latrobe Valley,” Kotsiras said.

“The Coalition Government is already working to improve the management of mine stability risks and with this funding we are stepping up our efforts to reduce the risk of failures at mines that could affect infrastructure, public amenity and private property.

“This $4.2 million will be spent on dealing with the most urgent mine stability issues and building the Coalition Government’s capacity to identify and respond to mine stability risks.”

The announcement was welcomed by the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies (AMEC).

“The state government is taking a long-term approach to its budget and policy development which is welcomed and encouraged by AMEC,” the group’s CEO Simon Bennison stated.

“This announcement highlights that the state government is taking the current need for greenfields exploration very seriously.

“AMEC looks forward to reviewing the Government’s response to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Greenfield’s Exploration and Mineral Development in Victoria, which is due to be released shortly.” www.miningaustralia.com.au

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AM0613_022.pdf

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27/05/13,

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HARD ROCK MINING

Slumping gold, DUMPING MINES? The falling price of gold puts a number of Australian gold mines at risk.

Vicky Validakis investigates.

T

he price of gold had fallen 26 per cent in six months sending the industry into a frenzy and critics to announce that the gold bubble has burst.

Since hitting highs of $US1900 an ounce in September, gold prices have tumbled to below $US1400 an ounce, with many predicting this is only the start of further decreases.

Neil Charnock, an economist at leading gold investment and trading company Gold Oz has predicted the price of gold will drop further as the market faces what he calls a ‘correction’ phase that is expected to last for at least 12 months.

22

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AustralianMining

“My gold targets are at around US$1100 and possibly as low as US$900 with a major influence of a strong USD over this correction period,” he told Australian Mining.

Charnock said the temporary falling prices will be met with a sharp rally as prices hit record highs again, but that in the meantime continuing falls are set to ‘cause havoc’ to Australia’s gold mining industry.

“We are in a major correction that will most likely last another 12 to 18 months,” he said.

“This is a blow for Australian GDP and the gold industry here in Australia.

“Many companies will struggle to make a profit so jobs will be lost, merger and acquisition to come along with cost cutting.”

The slump in prices has already seen major players in the Australian market shed jobs and review their mines viability.

Gold miner Newcrest has sacked 150 workers and is currently undertaking a review of its higher cost mines.

Newcrest said it is reviewing its business activities and has paused studies on a number of long-term projects.

“With its major projects ramping up and the more challenging external environment, Newcrest continues

to review all of its business activities, particularly those related to higher cost current or future production,’’ the company said.

Such a significant gold price drop may mean Newcrest could struggle to match last year’s record profit of $1.2 billion.

Moving forward the company said it expected “progressively lower cash costs” in the future.

Meanwhile, Tanami gold have put their Kimberleybased Coyote mine into care and maintenance.

The Coyote mine and processing plant will now enter care and maintenance while a development decision for

the company’s 1.04 million ounce Groundrush project has also been deferred.

As part of a wide restructure of the company, Tanami said it would broaden feasibility studies at its Kavanagh deposit “to investigate the options and cost to further upgrade the mineral resource”.

The Coyote project was one of the State’s highest-cost producers, pouring gold at basic costs of $1220/oz during the December quarter.

According to data released last week by WA Chamber of Minerals and Energy the average cost of gold production in WA mines has more than Continued on page 24 www.miningaustralia.com.au

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AM0613_024.pdf

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HARD ROCK MINING

Continued from page 22

doubl­ed­ in­ the­ past­ six­ years­ from­ $511/oz­ in­ 2007­ to­ at­ least­$1100/oz­now.

Junior­miner­Focus­Minerals­ has­ announced­ plans­ to­halt­operations­at­its­Laverton­ Gold­ project­ as­ rising­ costs­ were­ making­ the­ project­unprofitable.

Focus­ chairman­ Don­ Taig­said­the­tough­economic­ climate­ meant­ Laverton­ had­to­be­closed­down­in­order­to­protect­its­assets.

“We­ have­ a­ significant,­ The price of gold has continued to slump this year. highly­ prospective­ landholding­ in­ the­ Laverton­ region­ the­past­few­years­has­seen­all­ the­ metal­ can­ also­ act­ as­ a­ surrounding­four­major­mines­ of­ the­ reductions­ and­ opera- risky­asset. with­ over­ 20Moz­ between­ tional­improvements­we­have­ The­ gold­ sell-off­ seen­ in­ them.­We­are­not­about­to­de- been­delivering­continue­to­be­ recent­ weeks­ comes­ as­ weak­ plete­our­current­reserves­base­ consumed,”­he­said. economic­ confidence­ is­ drivjust­to­break­even,”­he­said.

“A­sharp­fall­in­commod- en­ by­ a­ wider­ move­ from­ Taig­ said­ improvements­ ity­ prices­ always­ provides­ a­ commodities­in­general. to­the­business­had­not­been­ clear­lens­for­the­industry­on­ Ole­Hansen,­Saxo­Bank’s­ enough­to­keep­up­with­ris- just­how­bad­it­has­become.” head­ of­ commodity­ strategy­ ing­ costs,­ and­ he­ painted­ a­ Charnock­said­that­as­the­ said­ investors­ in­ gold­ ETFs­ dim­ outlook­ for­ the­ sector­ world’s­financial­imbalances­ (exchange-traded­ funds)­ are­ unless­ stakeholders­ were­ are­not­resolved­and­that­the­ exiting,­while­hedge­funds­are­ able­to­work­together­to­in- dipping­prices­is­part­of­‘the­ short-selling­ the­ metal­ –­ eftroduce­new­practices. correction­we­had­to­have’. fectively­betting­the­price­will­ “The­high­cost­base­in­the­ While­ investors­ regularly­ fall,­The Telegraph­reported.

Australian­ A M 0 6 1mining­ 3 _ 0 0 industry­ 0 _ D U P turn­ - to­ 3 gold­ 2 0 as­ 1 3a­-refuge­ 0 5 - in­ 2 7 T 1 “Sentiment­is­really­frail­ 1 : 1 9 : 0 5 + 1 0 : 0 0 and­rising­mining­inflation­of­ times­of­economic­downturn,­ and,­ interestingly­ enough,­

24

June 2013

AustralianMining

Are Australian gold mines at risk if the price keeps falling?

this­is­happening­over­a­few­ weeks­ when­ we­ are­ seeing­ economic­ data­ that­ could,­ in­ other­ circumstances,­ be­ supportive­ to­ gold,”­ he­ explained.

Charnock­ flagged­ that­ while­ some­ producers­ would­suffer,­other­more­established­miners­would­rally­ through­the­downturn.

“A­ few­ low­ cost­ and­ well­ financed­ gold­ companies­ will­ benefit­ from­ this­ correction­ and­ maintain­ growth­and­profit,”­he­said.

“There­ are­ a­ few­ com-

panies­ that­ are­ producing­ who­have­lots­of­money­and­ will­sit­on­their­gold­when­it­ spikes­that­low.”

Charnock­said­the­industry­was­full­of­quality­players­and­expects­miners­with­ good­ grade­ ores­ and­ cash­ reserves­to­pull­through.

“The­ Australian­ gold­ industry­ players­ are­ tough­ and­have­done­a­great­job­in­ a­rising­cost­environment­in­ recent­years.

“We­have­a­quality­gold­ industry­and­they­are­working­hard.”

www.miningaustralia.com.au

AM0613_000_REE.pdf

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AM0613_026.pdf

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29/05/13,

10:03

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HARD ROCK MINING

Quality over quantity Gold miners have had to re-examine their strategy as the price of gold declines. Alex Heber reports.

T

A M0 6 1 3 _ 0 0 0 _ F R O . p d f Pa ge 1 8 / 0 5 / 1 3 , Barrick is looking to shrink its global operational mining footprint.

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he world’s largest gold miner, Barrick Gold, is considering shrinking its footprint as the company shifts focus towards returns rather than production volumes, chief executive officer Jamie Sokalsky said.

“Being more profitable is better than being bigger,” Sokalsky said this month at an economic summit in Toronto.

“If we divested of some of those smaller, higher-cost assets and came down to a suite of assets that are longlived and lower-cost and more valuable, I think ultimately that can be a better investment proposition.”

A plunging gold price, rising mining costs, project delays and asset writedowns have investors running for cover, Bloomberg reported. who took A M Sokalsky, AEST charge of Barrick just 11

months ago, is reviewing the company’s growth strategy and in line with moves from other major miners, including BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, has flagged asset sales could be on the cards.

With gold trading at twoyear lows and some analysts predicting it will plunge further, it makes sense for Barrick to lighten its load.

George Topping, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus & Co. in Toronto said selling the company’s Australian assets would be “a good place to start”.

Reports emerged last month that the company is already looking to offload three gold mines in Western Australia in a bid to reduce debt and fight-off a credit rating downgrade.

“At the 8 million-ounce level, with 26 or so mines it’s very difficult to focus,” Topping said.

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AustralianMining

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AM0613_027.pdf

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HARD ROCK MINING

“In order to have better managerial control you’re better off with fewer but much larger assets, preferably in the same north-south time zones.”

Sokalsky said it’s easier to manage a company with fewer assets.

He said the company is also “actively” looking at selling other assets, but has declined to pinpoint which ones.

Barrick won’t resort to a “fire sale,” he said.

The current market has made asset sales increasingly difficult compared to a few years ago, Sokalsky explained that lower metal prices and equity valuations and the general idea that the gold sector is “anti-M&A,” isn’t making the task easier.

A sentiment Northern Star Resources managing director Bill Beament has Lower grades and decreased investment in gold mining has forced the miner to react to the market. echoed, this month saying investors will continue to leave “There has been a mas- confident, saying he doesn’t levels and a lack of new supWestern Australia unless sive exodus, particularly think gold’s hero run is over, ply coming online will boost drastic measures are taken. from the US funds, out of expecting the price will even- the metal’s price, he explained.

“Conditions are a lot the gold sector and I think tually rise again to a new A rally back to $1,700 worse than people in this we have lost touch with our record. to $1,800 an ounce in the room theA T investors.” bank is probably A Mactually 0 6 1 3 _realise 0 0 0 at _ M . pdf P a g e 1 8 / 0 5 / Central 1 3 , 1 0 : 4gold 5 : pur4 1 Anext M 12 A Emonths ST moment,” he said.

But Sokalsky remains chases, high government debt “achievable,” he said.

But Neil Charnock, an economist at leading gold investment and trading company Gold Oz disagrees, instead predicting the price of gold will drop further as the market faces what he calls a ‘correction’ phase that is expected to last for at least 12 months.

“My gold targets are at around US$1100 and possibly as low as US$900 with a major influence of a strong USD over this correction period,” he told Australian Mining.

Sokalsky is one mining’s ‘new blood’ leaders, taking charge at a time when miners are attempting to forge a path that cuts operating expenses and delivers increased value to shareholders.

Rio’s newly appointed Sam Walsh and BHP’s Andrew Mackenzie are also embarking on similar journeys, moving to slash costs and offload underperforming assets.

But despite Sokalsky’s efforts Barrick shares continue to tumble, falling about 42 per cent this year.

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27

AM0613_028.pdf

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29/05/13,

10:11

AM

HARD ROCK MINING

BHP continues nickel contraction A slumping nickel price is leading to more job cuts.

B

HP will slash about 100 jobs across its six Nickel West operations in Western Australia.

The company informed employees that a number of operational roles will be impacted.

BHP today told Australian Mining increased economic pressures and falling commodity prices will result in roles being cut as the company launches head first into its austerity measures.

“Continued global economic uncertainty, local industry cost pressures, depressed commodity prices and a strong Australian dollar continue to place pressure on our Nickel business,” a BHP spokesperson told Australian Mining.

A company spokesperson explained the company will cut jobs BHP will cut approximately 100 jobs from its Nickel West operations. in an effort to improve productivity and efficiency. with employees affected, and said commodity prices. Since early Feb“These measures are necessary there may be a number of “rede- ruary nickel has fallen from a height to help the business remain competi- ployment opportunities”. of $US8.5 per pound to just over tive in the current environment,” the The news comes off the back of $US6.5 per pound this month. spokesperson A M 0 6 1 3said. _ 0 0The 0 _company S P L re1 a tough 2 0 1 3year - 0 for 5 - nickel 2 8 T 1operations 4 : 3 9 : 2 5 +That 1 0 :said 0 0 prices haven’t hit the mains committed to working closely which have been hit by plummeting GFC depths of November 2008

28

June 2013

AustralianMining

when Nickel was trading at well below $US6 per pound, slightly dipping below $US4 at one point.

Last month Australian Mining reported that BHP is moving to cut spending by 18 per cent in the 2014 budget.

Newly appointed BHP CEO Andrew Mackenzie said “substantial” cuts will also be made in 2015 and 2016.

A spend thrift agenda is on the cards for the country’s tier one miners with Rio’s new boss Sam Walsh also announcing earlier this year that the company will execute a raft of cost saving measures.

Between the two mining giants it is expected a combined $10 billion of cost savings will slashed from operating expenses, reinforcing Australian Mining’s reports earlier this month that an abrupt halt in mining capital expenditure could send the country into a mining fuelled recession as the retail and housing markets struggle to fill the gaps during an economic rebalancing.

www.miningaustralia.com.au

AM0613_000_GHH

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2013-05-27T11:38:17+10:00

Leading the way.

AM0613_030.pdf

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10:15

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HARD ROCK MINING

Paris of the South One junior is utilsing a slowdown in the majors plans to grow its own prospects. Alex Heber writes.

E

xploration company Investigator Resourc­ es is advancing sig­ nificant silver and copper greenfield potential in South Australia working towards possible production.

Over the past year the company has been under­ taking an aggressive drilling program, with the aim of announcing its Paris silver prospect’s maiden resource estimate in the 2013 Sep­ tember quarter.

Investigator’s targets, lo­ cated in the same geological province as the BHP Olym­ pic Dam mine, are breathing life into the Eyre Peninsula.

In addition to the Peter­ lumbo field surrounding Par­ is, the company has staked out another three potential new silver fields, mapped out copper potential, and iden­ tified an IOCG copper gold target on the Northern Yorke Peninsula.

The key Paris discovery, situated about 250 kilome­ tres south of Olympic dam and 350 kilometres north of Adelaide, is the result of Investigator’s innovative ex­ ploration model which saw the company enlist regional geochemistry to map out mineral corridors and fields.

Now dubbed the Moonta Corridor Model, the process explores prospective geology that was eroded off the top of Olympic Dam but remains preserved on the Eyre Penin­ sula, delivering heightened exploration focus.

In other words it points out where to explore; but the challenge of how to see through the cover remains.

While other explorers have used magnetics and gravity geophysics to sense targets in the region, Investi­ gator chose to take the geo­ chemistry exploration path which the company said al­ lowed them to “see through the thinner cover”.

A move which was to take two years, sampling and surveying the entire ten­ ement, the company said.

“Surveying such a large area is normally done by government research organ­ isations or very large com­ panies,” the explorer said.

Collecting such detailed data proved to be the com­ pany’s advantage, the first target drilled resulted in the Paris silver discovery in late 2011.

“The geology is similar to the setting for the style of epithermal silver depos­

It is focused on the area around Olympic Dam.

30

June 2013

AustralianMining

its that are the major silver producing mines in Latin America,” Investigator man­ aging director John Ander­ son explained to Australian Mining.

In what is shaping out to be a promising area, the company said Paris is just the beginning of the Peter­ lumbo field’s potential.

“Amongst the abundant soil targets, the priorities are the two large silver targets at Alexander (two kilometres west of Paris) and Hector (15 kilometres east),” Ander­ son stated.

The project is located on a pastoral lease, below the wheat belt where native title has been successfully settled.

“Investigator has an Indi­ genous Land Use Agreement with the native title holders and is able to proceed with exploration,” Anderson said.

Challenging times have settled upon the mining sec­ tor with volatile commodity prices and higher costs im­ pacting both the major and minor players.

Market conditions over the last 12 months have made it incredibly difficult for juniors to raise funding, a sentiment that was echoed at last month’s investor and mining conference, Sydney Resources Round­up.

A number of investors at the event were excited about the prospect of picking up undervalued mining stocks over the next few months.

Anderson said with cash in the bank and good gov­ ernmental relationships In­ vestigator is well placed to take advantage of its targets.

“I expect Investigator will be one of the few jun­ ior exploration companies with results and the momen­ tum to be well positioned to grow when the minerals investment market decides to improve,” Anderson said.

Already the resource sec­ tor is experiencing a decline

Investigator took the less used geochemistry exploration route.

in exploration activity, a trend which has been blamed on decreasing discovery rates, a focus on brown­ field exploration rather than greenfield operations, dif­ ficulty raising equity, and a shift to offshore projects.

Western Areas finance director David Southam ar­ gued that policy and regula­ tion changes which hinders the flow of overseas invest­ ment and exploration spend­ ing which also provides flow on benefits to mining service companies, was not good for the sector.

“Exploration compa­ nies are the lifeblood of the mining industry, and if you look at the statistics it’s been steadily declining over the last few years,” he said.

“So anything that hin­ ders (exploration) is not good. It’s the nursery of the industry and the nursery is getting hit. I’m sure there’ll be a lot of argy­bargy during consultation.”

A recent Grant Thornton report published in Novem­

ber found juniors and ex­ plorers are facing a number of constraints including the availability and instability of equity capital, market vola­ tility, and government red tape and policy with the in­ troduction of the carbon tax and MRRT. At the time the com­ pany’s national head of cor­ porate finance Paul Gooley said that the availability and difficulty of sourcing fund­ ing was a major challenge for the smaller miners with 68 per cent of companies’ surveyed saying they expect to raise capital in the next 12 months.

Although, amidst all doom and gloom there is opportunity, Equinox Re­ sources co­founder Craig Williams explained that for juniors and explorers to go the distance it takes “dogged determination”,and persist­ ence for acquiring finance.

And then, there’s always the TSX which has a strong legacy of supporting up and coming miners. www.miningaustralia.com.au

AM0613_031.pdf

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24/05/13,

10:56

AM

HARD ROCK MINING

New iron ore mine unveiled The official opening of a Pilbara mine is reversing the downwards trend of iron ore.

F

ortescue has celebrated the official opening of the Firetail iron ore mine at its Solomon Hub in the Pilbara.

The announcement was a major step forward for a miner that had been plagued by declining iron ore prices and was earlier in the year facing rumours of a company collapse.

The official opening of the Firetail haematite iron ore mine was attended by the WA mines and petroleum minister Bill Marmion, Fortescue chair Andrew Forrest and CEO Nev Power.

The opening of Firetail, which is located around 60 kilometres north of Tom Price, is the first stage of the miner’s wider US$3.2 billion development, and is the third new mine for Fortescue in five years.

The Solomon Hub will produce around 60 million tonnes per annum, with “Firetail producing 20 million tonnes per annum, while the second A M 0 stage 6 1 3 of _ 0 the 0 0 development, _ FLE. pd the Kings Mine, will produce anoth-

Firetail will produce around 20 million tonnes of iron ore per annum.

er 40 million tonnes per annum,” ores to create an enhanced product Power explained. for our customers – the new Fortes“This represents a valuable cue Blend,” he added. source of new production from long Fortescue began commissioning life, low cost mining operations that the processing f Pa ge 1 1 6 / 0 5 / 1 3 , 1 1 : Firetail 0 2 : 0 ore 9 A M A E S facility T allows us to blend with Chichester last month and production is pre-

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dicted to ramp up quickly.

Despite only officially opening the site in May, actual mining has been under way at Firetail since late last year, with the miner celebrating its first ore train from Firetail in December 2012.

Fortescue also awarded a $1.5 billion contract to Leighton for full mining services at the site late last year.

Power added that more than 11 per cent of Fortescue’s direct workforce is Aboriginal, and that it has awarded around $630 million of contracts to Aboriginal and Indigenous businesses, while also focusing on increasing local content on site.

“So far 80 per cent of Fortescue’s construction expenditure at Solomon has been with Australian suppliers with the bulk of that spend in Western Australia, demonstrating Fortescue’s commitment to building Australian industry capability.”

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AM0613_032.pdf

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15/05/13,

2:51

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HARD ROCK MINING

Finding the way from

EXPLORER TO PRODUCER The Cinderella story of Equinox, a junior that overcame many hurdles to become a mining major and takeover target.

Alex Heber writes.

T

ough economic times have hit Australia’s shores and miners are no longer equipped to bear the brunt, but as one mining executive explains, even at the darkest hour there is opportunity.

Equinox Resources was the child of explorative entrepreneurs Craig Williams and Bruce Nisbet.

Together Nisbet and Williams worked under the guise of Hunter Resources discovering the Nimary gold deposit, which is now owned

by Newmont and the now Equigold controlled Dalgaranga gold deposit.

Fed up of making significant discoveries which line other people’s pockets the pair set off to do it for themselves.

“With our track record the pieces started to fall into place,” Williams said.

In September 1994 Equinox raised $9 million, set a focus on iron oxide copper gold [IOCG] deposits in the Cloncurry and Gawler Craytons districts and Equinox was born.

The early to mid 1990s weren’t the smoothest of times for Austra32

June 2013

AustralianMining

lia’s mining juniors and explorers but Williams stated there is opportunity in tough times.

At the time Native Title claims were causing headaches in Australia’s mining sector so Equinox made the decision to go offshore, first to Sweden and then to Africa after Anglo American approached the company.

“We were approached in mid 1996 by Anglo American asking: ‘Why don’t you come to Africa to explore for IOCG and we’ll foot the bill?’,” Williams said.

Equinox secured a deal with Anglo to explore for base metals in Africa, and the targets were handed over to Anglo in 1999.

Equinox’s entry into Zambia and Lumwana was at time seen as ‘uneconomic’.

But Equinox’s appetite had not yet been satisfied and so in that same year the company struck a joint venture deal with Phelps Dodge, securing the right to earn a 51 per cent stake in the Lumwana copper project.

An African adventure

Located in Zambia, one of the world’s largest copper producers, Lumwana at the time was considered uneconomic because of the then low copper price which was sitting around US.60c/lb.

Acquiring world class assets at the bottom of the market was to be Equinox’s strength.

The company managed to fund a $10 million feasibility study in 2003 which showed potential project viability but Phelps Dodge decided not to continue in the project.

As a result in 2005, Equinox bought the 49 per cent stake from Phelps Dodge for $5 million and the miner went in search of funding.

Equinox quickly realised Australian investors were showing little interest in Africa and set its sights www.miningaustralia.com.au

AM0613_033.pdf

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HARD ROCK MINING

on Canada, facilitating a TSX listing in order to raise equity financing.

Over the next 5 years Equinox raised AUD$800 million of equity funding and another AUD$640 million in debt financing, all on the back of a company with a starting $7 million market cap in 2003.

Construction at Lumwana commenced in 2006, remaining on track and looking very promising with copper floating around $3/lb.

But in July 2008 a transformer fire in the mill delayed commissioning 5 months, and was to be the first of Lumwana’s issues.

In September 2008 the GFC hit just as Equinox had to raise another A fire at the mill was the first set back, but not the end for Equinox. $80 million to cover the cost of the fire, and in quarter 1 2009 the first site produced 147,000 tonnes of $4.8 billion hostile take over of Lunload of copper was sold but the pre- concentrate delivering $1 billion in din Mining in 2011; if the acquisiviously high copper price was now revenue, and the company was now tion was to be successful it would’ve sitting at $1.38. cash flow positive. made Equinox the 9th largest global “[But] we still made money at For many achieving cash flow copper producer. $1.38,� Williams said. positivity would be enough, but the “It was an aggressive move that But the company’s unforseen dogged determination that was now ultimately didn’t come off as our woes weren’t to end there. instilled in Equinox’s culture meant growth achievements and expanIn 2009 landlocked Zambia ex- it wanted more of the pie. sions had attracted the attention of perienced a record wet season and The company launched a $1.25 others,� Williams said. the ramp up of material movement billion take over of Citadel Resource “It didn’t come off and growth took longer than expected.

Group which at the time controlled achievements and expansions started It wasn’t until the following Saudi Arabian asset Jabal Sayid which to attract the attention of others.� year that Equinox managed to se- at the time was expected to begin proNot long after a hostile bid for cure a 0reprieve; AM 6 1 3 _copper 0 0 0 _rose Q MinW2010 1 duction 2 0 1half 3 - way 0 5 through - 2 7 T 2012.

1 1 : 1 0 : 4 Equinox 7 + 1 0 : was 0 0 launched by China to jump between $3 and $4/lb, the It also initiated an unsuccessful Minmetals at $7 a share.

“We made the rather original statement that this offer was inadequate and opportunistic,� Williams said.

But in April 2011, Barrick Gold moved in offering $8.15 per share, valuing Equinox at $7.3 billion. “It was a hell of a ride,� Williams said. “When we closed we were Australia’s 37th largest listed company and 7th largest mining company. “Globally we were the 20th largest copper producer and Jabal Sayid [the previously mentioned Saudi asset] would’ve moved us to 15th.�

Equinox’s story is reminiscent of a mining fairytale, moving its way up the ranks from a $5 million market cap junior to a multimillion dollar producer, delivering original .6c shareholders a gain of almost 14,000 per cent over 11 years. “Very few companies evolve from explorers to global producers, maintaining independence and not having to sell down asset ownership,� Williams told the Sydney Mining Club.

Williams explained Equinox’s difference was its dogged determination to keep going, persistence for acquiring finance, and its ability to maximise leverage from robust copper prices.

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33

AM0613_034.pdf

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24/05/13,

11:06

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AUTOMATION & REMOTE CONTROL

Jumping on the

AUTOMATION BANDWAGON As automation grows, the fear for jobs is not growing.

A

s Rio Tinto moves its 100 millionth tonne via automated trucks, it is becoming clearAthat D _automation A M N O R DisEhere C _ to 1 stay.

2 . p Former US-based military officer

Tyler Berens spent a year travelling as the cultures around the world. around the world to talk to, and But Berens now saw a consistent listen to, miners speak about trend and vision – and a certainty mine d automation. f P a g e Views 1 5 /on1 1 / 1 2drill , 1 about : 4 4 theProle M of automation in the rig automation used to be as diverse industry’s future.

Automation used to be a bogey word to most miners when Atlas Copco first introduced its RCS computerised control system for drilling rigs in the late 1990s.

But miners are now embracing it. Berens said the fast rate of change has been evident even in the past 12 months.

“The customers know what they want from automation, which is good,” he said.

“They’ve obviously accepted the technology and they are ready to push forward and go autonomous where it makes sense to do so.

“I think it’s [automation technology] appealing to any stakeholder in the mining environment – whether that’s an operator, a safety officer, a mine manager, or even a mining investor.

Quick Disconnect “There are opportunities to eliminate risks normally associated with Couplings certain mining activities; there’s the Phone: 03 9793 1066 email: hydraulics@norden.com.au prospect of better efficiencies and www.norden.com.au lower operating costs; and, on a broader scale, there’s the opportunity • Mining • Defence to build a greater quality of life for • Offshore Drilling • Industrial the workforce.

• Laboratories • Agricultural “So I don’t see the industry’s em• Instrumentation • Plastic Moulding brace of automation slowing down • Oil Wells • Rolling Stock in the foreseeable future.”

• Construction • Mobile Hydraulics “In fact, I think peoples’ concept of automation is certainly maturing

ITH W T EC N N O C EST B E TH

NORDEN HYDRAULIC CONNECTIONS

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AustralianMining

greatly. Just in the past year that I’ve been with the company I’ve seen it mature rapidly.”

Texas-based Berens is a project manager for blast hole technology with Atlas Copco and said it was an exciting time to be involved with the company and the mining industry.

Atlas Copco introduced its Rig Control System in 1998, and has since developed computerised and increasingly automated rock drilling.

“Automation I think is a big buzzword out there in the industry – from trucks to dozers to blast hole drills – everybody has got that word in their vocabulary now,” Berens said.

Atlas Copco’s RCS increases drilling rates and economy, and also delivers rapid fault detection and lower maintenance costs, higher drill rig availability and utilisation.

The RCS4, which is fourth generation RCS automation, comes with advanced tools to aid mine planning and managing the drilling process, including wireless online data transmission between rig and site office.

This is done through PC-software that enables RCS-equipped rigs to communicate with a site office while referring to the same constantly updated plans.

“We use the international standard IRDS (information resource dictionary system) for all of our log files so that it should be compatible market wide, or industry wide,” Berens said. www.miningaustralia.com.au

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He said the company’s modularised approach means customers have the core control system on the machine. Customers can add more options as their needs grow, such as high precision GPS for getting logs off the machine.

“The customer can start with the basic system and then just add on over time – it’s not a big deal,” Berens said.

“When we went from full hydraulic to electric over hydraulic [control] that mainly stayed inside the cab in terms of who it affected. Now as we go to this more computerised control system we can affect ore stakeholders throughout the mine in a positive way.”

Berens said high precision GPS benefits surveyors and engineers as they no longer need to go out and flag each hole. This is because of better precision on the blast side.

“We’re putting the hole exactly where they designed it, and then we’ve got a log coming back saying if they did or didn’t put it right over that hole so that they can make the appropriate correction when they’re loading the hole.”

Berens said the company sends out data in a standard XML form. He said the standardisation was an Atlas Copco theme for mining’s new high-tech era.

“One of the good things about our RCS from our perspective is that RCS is just RCS. So whatever Pit Viper you walk onto, you know it’s going to be identical for the operator, in

terms of the controls and in the hardware department.”

There is only one difference in the PV275. It has an auto-rod counting feature. The operator can add or remove rods and it calculates in RCS to provide the right interlocks.

This prevents them from tramming off while there is still steel in the ground.

“The hardware and controls are basically laid out the same depending on the model,” he said.

The Australian market for Atlas Copco surface drills was exploding, but the company had been seeing strong take-up in other parts of the world too.

“North America…it’s taken off in South Africa as well as down in Chile,” Berens said.

Berens believes more users will mean more feedback, which the company can use to fine tune existing product lines and generate new product lines.

He said RCS is modularised, and a plug and play application. This means they can keep building new things into it as people ask for them.

“Basically, we integrate data capture, reporting, analysis and management from the drill all the way through the mine office to the new remote control centres in the industry.

“RCS is a technology that affects a lot of mine stakeholders, not just the operator.”

Berens has found a growing acceptance and uptake of automation on minesites. www.miningaustralia.com.au

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QUARRYING, CRUSHING, SCREENING

Making crushing MOBILE I n pit crushing and con- per capacity of eight cubic veying is often viewed metres, which IROCK says is as the mining industry’s significantly larger than simianswer to the rising cost of lar sized units. trucks and fuel.

The WJC-2644 is equipLate last year Vale an- ped with a 122 centimetre by nounced that it was making 11 metre discharge belt and its Carajas Serra Sul iron ore comes with a fixed discharge mine automated and com- height of 3.35 metres, which pletely truckless by using it claims is the highest stockIPCC. piling height in the industry.

However the difficult part Due to this higher stockof this remains moving the piling capability it allows heavy equipment around site. the jaw crusher to be paired A new mobile, wheeled with screening units. jaw crusher is providing a A hydraulic chamber lets solution to this problem. operators adjust crushing size IROCK has released its from a 50 millimetre miniWheeled Jaw Crusher-2644. mum closed side setting to a The jaw crusher is de- 15 centimetres maximum side signed to be used as a prima- setting. ry crusher and is capable of The machine includes a processing hard rock, gravel, 61 centimetre wide grizzly and slag. bypass conveyor with an It is powered by a Cat adjustable flop gate as well C-9 Tier III engine, and can as a one metre by four meproduce up to 370 tonnes per tres feeder with a 1.5 metre hour.

A M 0 6 1 3 _ 0 0 0 _ C L A grizz . p dlyf barPsection. a ge 1 8 / 0 The crusher has a hopThese ensure that mate-

Mobile plant machinery is making IPCC possible. rial, depending on its size, is properly classified and directed to either the side discharge conveyor or the crusher discharge conveyor.

In addition to this the jaw crusher is built with heavy duty components for greater 5durability / 1 3 , and 1 0 designed : 4 4 : 0for 3 easy maintenance.

Components of the crusher are open and easily accessible for ease of lubrication, part replacement, and general maintenance.

Catwalks and ladders provide easy access.

For transportation the features raAwheeled M A Ecrusher ST dial tyres under a 61 centi-

metre beam chassis.

The unit has a quad rear ride suspension and includes a fifth wheel pin.

For fast set ups it is equipped with a four hydraulic outriggers for offloading and levelling the plant.

The machine can be set up and moved in under an hour.

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www.miningaustralia.com.au

AM0613_000_VEY.pdf

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THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THE BEST CONVEYOR BELTS NOW ALSO

SERVICE THEM. Whether your mining operation is surface or underground, Veyance now offers a complete range of service, repairs and maintenance for all types of conveyor belts.

• Belt installation • Splicing • Scanning • Belt repairs • Pulley lagging • Condition monitoring Because we’re a total service provider, Veyance will also deliver full certified trained technicians. We believe prevention is the key to lowest cost per tonne conveying, which is why we offer regular maintenance checks to help keep you running in peak condition. Our Veyance Services network is now operational in Mackay and Karratha and will soon to be up and running in the Hunter Valley.

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Goodyear Engineered Products are manufactured and sourced exclusively by Veyance Technologies, Inc. or its affiliates. ©2011 Veyance Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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QUARRYING, CRUSHING, SCREENING

All eyes glued to the screen Increased screening capacity with safer maintenance.

A

s miners globally reign in costs, they are looking to get more uptime from their machinery with fewer maintenance costs.

If an operator lets their screens stand down for maintenance too frequently and for too long it makes it hard to reach maximum profitability.

However at the same time they do not want to sacrifice safety on site simply for a few extra tonnes of ore processed. With this in mind Metso has developed a new screen that not only provides fewer downtimes, but also allows for safer maintenance while delivering more screening capacity. The Metso ES – a new highenergy elliptical motion horizontal screen, is able to deliver up to 25 per cent more screening capacity compared to a conventional screen of the same size, according to Metso. Mats Dahlberg, Metso’s global business manager of vibrating equipment, mining A Dand _ Aconstruction, M A T L F E Bexplained _ 1 3 . p that “because our customers are

aiming for more accurate and consistent material separation with lower operational cost, we have taken the acclaimed Metso modular MV vibrator and integrated it into a unique, new screen design” that is providing more capacity.

It is able to achieve this higher throughput because it features a d robust f P adeck g e frame 1 1design, 0 / 0 1with / 1 no 3 , welding along the cross member sec-

tions w h i c h aids the Metso ES’s 1 1 : 4 7 conAM tinued performance.

The weld-free side plates ensure durability and a high stress tolerance while a huck-bolted design also guarantees easier assembly and maintenance conditions.

As there are no mechanical timing devices, gears, belts or oil leakage, which together with the reliable grease lubrication system simply keeps downtime and maintenance to a minimum. Safety has also been a focus. According to the machinery manufacturer, the space between the decks is now almost 50 per cent larger compared to similar flat screens, which means that it is now safer and more comfortable for workers to ac-

Has 25 per cent higher capacity than other similar sized screens.

cess the machine for maintenance and cleanining. The Metso ES is also equipped with coil spring covers to minimise the risk of pinching accidents, rubber stabilisers, high-safety belt guards and one centralised, conveniently located greasing manifold.

On top of this the gearless mechanism concept reduces noise, lessening the risk of industrial hearing loss for workers.

Its feedbox, discharge spout and cardan shafts feature Trellex modular wear and impact resistance rubber linings.

Consistent screening ensures better throughput.

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www.miningaustralia.com.au

AM0613_000_MIN.pdf

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Classy Kawasaki & Kobe crushers As OEM suppliers of Kawasaki and Kobe crushing equipment we supply, install and service a complete range of crusher models, specialising in large gyratory and cone crushers. Earthtechnica crushers provide the highest possible efficiencies in throughput, power consumption and product achievement at extremely low operating costs.

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Working in isolation Long life vibration screens are helping one miner to operate through the downturn.

A

ustralia’s coal industry is doing it hard. With rising costs of doing and maintaining business coupled with the dwindling price of coal, many miners are operating on razor thin margins.

While many were pointing to the huge demand from China and the boom in the coal industry, neither thermal nor metallurgical coal have actually spiked that high since the global financial crisis.

In fact coal hit its heights in July 2008 at US$ 192 per tonne, and since recovering from the GFC to reach US$ 141 per tonne, it has gradually declined to under US$ 100.

With tight operating costs, miners have to ensure that they are getting the most out of their equipment.

Equipment that can continue to operate for the life of the mine.

At one open cut Hunter Valley coal mine, near the town of Muswellbrook, a Schenck vibrating screen has been in operation for

A M0 6 1 3 _ 0 0 0 _ F L E 1 2 0 1 3 - 0 5 - 2 7 T1 1 : 1 2 : 2 7 + 1 0 : 0 0 Reduced of coal1screens miners increasing their overall productivity as there are fewer downtimes.

BB-0696maintenance FillDense_Layout 5/13/13aids 10:35 AMinPage 1

Continued on page 42

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AM0613_000_DYN.pdf

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Sandfire Resources’ DeGrussa copper mine’s five conveyor systems required 423 sets of idlers, 16 pulleys and 781m of conveyor belt. Dyna Engineering designed, manufactured and supplied all this to the minesite 90km northeast of Meekatharra within 10 weeks from receiving the order.

Idler experts Idlers ain’t idlers. Dyna idler rollers are manufactured from high quality ERW tube, precision pressed bearing housings, quality sealed bearings and double labyrinth seals. Our rollers are tested for rolling resistance, run out and balance to ensure they meet our high quality standards. They can be customised to suit your requirement including bearing brand, bearing sizes, standards, specification or series. Quality documentation and more is available for any project.

Telephone: 08 9473 4300 Freecall: 1800 801 558 Web: www.dynaeng.com.au Email: dyna@dynaeng.com.au

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Continued from page 40

nearly thirty years with only minimal maintenance.

The company originally designed the vibrating screen for the coal mine in 1982, and installed it the following year.

It was originally designed for a throughput of 2000 tonnes per hour with a scalping size of 35 millimeter, however it now runs on 1500 tonnes per hour and scalps at 50 millimetres.

While the design processes used in the early 80’s are vastly different, the principles and aim of the screen remain the same.

According to Schenck “the screens are designed to operate in tough conditions using minimal maint4enance while delivering on the same customer needs”.

The coal mine, which produces around 4.3 million tonnes of thermal coal annually, uses the screen to take the primary feed and scalp off the larger materials of more than 50 millimetres and send it to the crusher.

Smaller material passes through the screen deck and continues along the coal handling and processing plant process.

It is run on two main configurations during crushing, the first of which is straight crushing.

When running in this configuration the screen works harder as the material is of a higher grade and does not need to be washed, which has reduced the overall load on the plant.

The screen itself, now three decades old, is a single deck linear motion model four metres wide by ten metres long.

Driven by two exciters run in parallel, it sits on a custom designed isolation frame, which is mounted on springs that take up to 99 per cent

of vibration from the screen and absorbs it through the frame.

Excess vibration is prevented from reverberating through the building and also through the screen, increasing equipment life.

While this arrangement is rare on east coast coal mines, it is common practice throughout Western Australia’s iron ore mines.

According to Schenck countermass isolation frames use hydraulic dampeners to provide rapid, smooth shutdown between the isolation frame and the structure.

Ensuring these screens keep working on site is crucial for the CHPP and the coal mine, as Schenck stated “if there is a breakdown or the screen can not operate for any unplanned reason the whole primary plant must be shut down, meaning lost production”, a state that no coal mine can currently afford.

The company explained that “major maintenance has been minimal during the life of the screen’ there has been a redesigned crossbeam and deck rails to accommodate different types of screen deck upgraded exciters and adaptor plates to mount them and a change to low maintenance cardan shafts”.

The screen has racked up around 71 000 hours with no major maintenance.

The mine’s superintendent explained that Schenck’s onsite maintenance team kept a close eye on the machine.

“They constantly check for loose bolts and panels and repair any issues straight away,” he said.

Because of this “the screen is still running with no problems after all this time”.

Schenck reiterated the importance of using an isolation frame and how it helps to maintain screen life.

As coal prices decline, miners are looking for quick productivity wins.

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www.miningaustralia.com.au

AM0513_000_MMD

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Innovation

through experience Established in 1978, MMD designed and patented the Twin Shaft Mineral Sizer. To complement the robust Twin Shaft Sizer, MMD has also designed and developed a range of heavy duty Apron Plate Feeders, to be used in conjunction with sizers on both static and mobile Installations.

An independent company that focuses on Sizing and developing IPCC sizing solutions, MMD works with customers to develop systems adapted to their needs and has an unmatched record for the development and supply of effective trend setting static, semi and fully mobile sizing systems for mining a wide range of minerals around the world.

An exemplary track record of ‘Innovation through experience’ has led MMD to being an integral part of the global mining industry and a byword for productivity and reliability.

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MATERIALS HANDLING

MAINTAINING mining machinery Safer coupler removal on site.

M

A M0 6 1 3 _ 0 0 0 _ T S U . p d f Pa ge 1 1 5 / 0 5 / 1 3 , The hydraulic pullers took a quarter of the time compared to regular pullers.

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ining is now all about efficiency and productivity on site.

We no longer have the ability to ignore costs as we once did at the height of the boom.

Costs are now spiralling and many miners are having to do more and more with less than before.

If a worker can do a job better, faster, safer, then they are going to look to the technology to help them do that.

For a relief team at a MMG’s Century zinc mine’s workshop, heavy duty hydraulic pullers are helping them repair couplings and gearboxes faster and safer.

“The boys used the puller to remove two couplings from a gearbox and a Warman pump,” Anthony 1 Calleja, 0 : 3 6 : MMG 4 6 ACentury’s M A E S TRelief Team’s leader explained.

“It took no effort at all and a quarter of the time it would normally take with a lot less gear.”

The Posi Lock technology employed at the Queensland zinc mine is part of a broader range of range of hydraulic and mechanical pullers from Enerpac that offer quick set up and faster, safer operation during the removal of heavy industrial components such as seals, retainers, bushings and inaccessible parts of engineering, electrical, manufacturing, mining, transport and other equipment.

“All of our crew are impressed with this equipment.

“I also used the 9.07 tonne Posi Lock on the electric motor for the electricians, removing a coupling.

“They couldn’t believe how easy it was with the right type of gear,” Calleja said.

www.miningaustralia.com.au

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Posi Lock was supplied to MMG Century mine through Enerpac distributor Cooper Fluid Systems.

“Anthony at MMG explained to me that he was having issues with trying to remove couplings from gearboxes and asked if we had anything that could help,” Cooper Fluid’s Sandy Whyman explained.

“I talked him through the hydraulic pullers in our catalogue and suggested which ones.

“He [Calleja] was keen to get these pullers ordered,” she said.

Posi Lock technology acquired by MMG century includes a three-jaw 15-ton puller and a three-jaw 25- ton puller.

It also has hydraulic grip pullers and Hydra-Lift technology to facilitate adjustment of vertical daylight on roll-frame presses.

Available in two and three-jaw configurations, the pullers feature a patented ‘Safety Cage’ jaw retention system designed to enhance operator safety, increase operational precision, and minimise the possibility of damage to components being worked upon.

The pullers’ slim tapered jaws are designed to overcome the common problem of difficult access to important machinery components during overhaul and routine maintenance.

Both the manual and the hydraulic Posi Locks offer efficiency as well as safety, because one man can do a job that often requires two men with other tools.

The pullers will even grip on sur-

faces where normal pullers would typically slip off – for example, on tapered bearings, according to the company.

When matched with Enerpac pumps, valving and special-purpose tools, the Posi Lock slices time, effort and risk from tasks such as lifting, forming, fabrication, bending, bolting, pressing, pulling, production automation and maintenance.

Features of the Posi Lock range include manual models in capacities of 17 to 356 kN with roll-threaded shafts for less effort when applying high torque.

Available with inside and outside pulling configurations, the expanded range includes maximum reaches from 101 to 355 millimetres spread ranges from 12-635 millimetres and weights from 1.4-30.8 kilograms.

Hydraulic EPH models from 101 to 498 kN with maximum reach from 203 to 355 millimetres and spread range from 19 to 635 millimetres.

The EPH range is available with ram point sets, long jaws and lift plates.

For the heaviest pulling tasks, the EPH 100 ton hydraulic Grip Puller, which, when mounted on a roller cart, offers maximum reach of 1219 millimetres and spread range of 190 to 1778 millimetres.

A hydraulic cylinder enables the puller to be operated from floor level to a height of 1.7 metres.

Featuring adjustable jaw tips, the EPH includes multiple pushing adaptors.

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www.kockumsbulk.com.au

AustralianMining

June 2013

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MATERIALS HANDLING

HANDLING complaints A mine has utilised a unique materials handling solution to solve community noise complaint issue.

Vicky Validakis reports.

M

ining coal is an often be a contentious issue around the clock in the community. operation with One mining operation mines working 24/7 to ef- in the NSW mid-western reficiently produce the com- gion is working to be proacmodity. tive in dealing with comBut with more mines be- munity concerns, and this ing developed around high month unveiled a variety of population minimise A M 0 6 1 areas, 3 _ 0 0the 0 _ imK O N measures 1 2to0 1 3 - 0 5 -the 3 0 pacts of mining activities can impacts that noise from the

mine has on the local community through better material handling.

Moolarben Coal, located 45 kms north-east of Mudgee, has been operating for three years and knew from early in the development phase T 1 7 :that 3 9 minimising : 2 4 + 1 0noise : 0 0 impacts is an important part

of the mine’s profile.

At a recent mine site visit, the company told Australian Mining it was operating within noise compliancy conditions but continued community feedback prompted further research into ways to improve the levels of noise coming from the mine.

Moolarben sent people out into the community at night to further investigate the noises coming from the mine.

Luke Bowden, environment and community relations manager at Moolarben, Continued on page 46

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www.miningaustralia.com.au

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MATERIALS HANDLING

The trays were installed to reduce noise caused by first loading.

Continued from page 46

said the investigations into noise produced live data coming back into the site so it could be correlated with what operations were happening at the time.

After a time we came up with the key source of concern with banging and crashing noises which was the first pass loading activities,” he explained.

“We could have sat on our laurels and said to everyone ‘we’re complying easily with our conditions we don’t really need to act on this’, but we didn’t do that, we thought, no, there is a problem, the community is telling us there are issues, A D _ A MC A V MA R _ 1 what can we do about it?”

The SDB was trialled at Moolarben’s coal mine, near Mudgee in NSW.

To this end the company bodies reduce loading noises teamed up with Komatsu by up to 10 decibels, but it and Duratray to implement was found that payloads a materials handling solu- were also increased, improvtion for its 218 tonne truck ing productivity and effifleet that would help to re- ciency at the mine. duce noise impacts.

The bodies are able to Duratray provided Mool- carry 20-27 metric tonnes arben with a specific design more than the mine was body which reduced loading producing before, and renoise while still maintaining duce vibration jarring for truck efficiency. the operator and spillages.

Unlike regular truck Duratray’s SDB is combodies, Duratray’s suspend- prised of rubber wall and ed dump body is designed to floor liners, the floor is supreduce loading noise, with ported by elastomeric ropes all trucks fitted with non- that are connected to a standard sound attenuated steel frame. These materials kits provided by Komatsu. dampen the noise when rock During trials a Duratray is dropped into the tray. body was retro-fitted to a Moolarben Coal general Komatsu 830E haul truck in manager John Blanning said late 2012. the seven-month trial was a 3 . pdf Pa ge 1 1 2 / 0 2 / 1 3 , 3 : 4 3 : 5 7 Not only did the new success.

“The initial Suspended Dump Body trial successfully delivered a notable measurable benefit of noise reduction during loading of adverse hard rock materials,” he said.

With the success of the first trial the company invested $2 million to purchase four new SDBs to fit the fleet of Komastu haul trucks.

Dubbed the ‘stealth fleet’, Blanning said the new trucks, set to start operation at the mine in the coming weeks, would set a ‘new benchmark’ for environmental noise reduction impacts on the community.

The new range of trucks commissioned by MoolPM AEDT arben is just one step in a

holistic materials handling approach to reducing noise at the mine.

The company has also employed four full-time noise monitoring staff who report back to the mine with realtime data around noise levels.

Bowden said the employees react to noise alarms, complaints from the community, and are out there every night with noise monitors tracking the mine operations.

“It has reduced the negative feedback from the community and helped the EPA out a lot as well,” Bowden said.

“Operating as a mine between two other mines means there is a lot of cumuContinued on page 48

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Inspired Engineering

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lative noise emanating from all sites but having people out in the community means Moolarben is able to better understand what noise issues are coming from our site and react or adjust accordingly.”

Bowden said the tracking of mining equipment with GPS is another management technique being implemented to reduce the impacts of noise.

“We have just put GPS equipment into all our trucks,” Bowden explained.

“What we can do now is see the trucks live so the people out in the field can use tablets to spatially track the trucks and be aware of what part of the mine they’re operating in and what noises they’re making.”

Another technique being implemented at Moolarben is a daily predictive noise model which is aimed at bet- The bodies are able to carry 20 to 27 metric tonnes, whilst reducing jarring and spillage during loading operations. ter understanding how daily operations may affect noise conditions, key in where the chall said engaging with the to solve problems,” he said. tening and responding to levels in the local commu- trucks are operating, hit a locals and being proactive is “We have a very good concerns. nity. button and it will spit out essential when operating in team here at Moolarben who “There are some great “Obviously you do noise the predicted noise impacts any community. are in the community and things happening at our modelling for a project to within the community and “A lot of our people are working every day to mini- mines NSW,” he said. get your approvals but this will have those noise con- local, I actually grew up in mise impacts.”

“We’ve got some of the tool is a daily noise model tours,” Bowden said.

Mudgee,” he said.

A spokesman for the world’s best miners in this where we set up all our per“We will have a fair idea Birchall said some groups NSW Minerals Councils said state and this new materimitters and variables that sit where any issues are going tended to make a lot of noise the million dollar investments als handling product is just behind the model and the to come from on any given about mining activities but being implemented at Mool- one of the hundreds of exproduction assistants can day,” he told Australian that solutions went much arben to help ease commu- amples of the innovation key in the variables for what Mining. deeper than simply stopping nity concerns around mining and technology that’s being the shift is going to do, so Moolarben open cut mining operations. showed the ways in which developed and used at our A D _ A MI E C A P R _ 1 3 . p d f Pa ge 1 1 1 / 0 3 / 1 3 , 1 0 : 0 7 : 0 8 AM AEDT they will key in the climatic mine manager, Bruce Bir“Miners understand how mining companies were lis- mines.”

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UNM13793_AusMiningS.pdf

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WEAR & LUBRICATION

GREASING the wheels L

ubrication keeps the workshop in the Southern One of the mining industry turn- Hemisphere and has five world’s largest ing, literally. Without separate workshop buildings such a vital, but overlooked spread over a 23 hectare site, oil monitoring component, the industry and was designed to support systems has would quickly grind to a halt. growth in the Hunter Valley.

Workshops need to enThe storage, pumping, been installed sure that lubrication is dis- reticulation, filtration, disin the Hunter pensed consistently and pensing and monitoring sysmanaged effectively, and im- tem that was designed and Valley. portantly can be monitored installed by Alemlube disand controlled. penses ten different oils plus Alemlube has just installed coolant and diesel through one of the world’s largest oil 170 hose reels hung from 30 and lubrication monitoring gantries situated across the systems in the coalfields of the five workshops.

Hunter Valley.

Every oil dispensing point The system dispense 10 oils through 170 hose reels slung from 30 gantries.

Recently, Alemlube com- is monitored and fully intepleted the commissioning of grated with the WesTrac ing systems currently in use After being filtered to Waste oil is extracted one of its largest workshop Management system using globally. stringent CAT 5 star specifi- from every building and fitouts at the new WesTrac the Oilwatch system from The oil is stored in tanks cations, the oil is pumped by pumped back to a central CAT facility in Tomago near Permex. ranging from 1000L to high capacity Alemite pumps waste. The total cost of the Newcastle, NSW. This oil monitoring sys- 12 000L, all with tank moni- through 9 km of stainless oil system installation was new faciluse at toring integrated AThis D_ A M BWesTrac I SJ UN _ 1 3 tem - in 1 2 the 0 1 WesTrac 3 - 0 3 -site 2 5 T 0 9 : 3systems 6 : 0 0 + 1 1 : 0 0 steel pipework to the dis- worth more than $2.5M and ity is the largest CAT dealer is one of the biggest monitor- into the Oilwatch system. pensing points. took six months to complete.

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AM0613_054.pdf

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URANIUM

Re-energising the

URANIUM DEBATE Political support si finally emerging for uranium, after the mineral’s decades in the wilderness.

Vicky Validakis writes.

A

ddressing the fear of the uranium industry was the central theme of a uranium conference held in Adelaide last month, with industry leaders speaking out against campaigns that they say have choked the development of industry.

The annual conference was attended by industry professionals, investors and stakeholders who heard from a wide range of speakers about the condition of the sector in Australia.

South Australia is a leader in the extraction of the mineral, with three uranium mines operating in the state. But with community angst still surrounding the development of the uranium in Australia, many say that continued investment in the resource could be strangled.

While Australia is uranium rich, with over 40% of the world’s recoverable uranium, we currently only export 19% of this to the world market. The Australian Uranium Association (AUA) predicts that if the uranium industry was able to reach its full potential, exports would increase from 10,000 tonnes a year to 28, 500 tonnes a year. This would equate to between a $14.2 billion to $17.4 billion net value to the Australian GDP. Currently the mining of uranium is only allowed in the Northern Territory, South Australia and more recently in Western Australia. It is estimated that $887 million is made from the export of uranium from these projects.

AUA chief executive Michael Angwin said the local industry has been politically choked by fear.

“I think there has been a political fear there will be a public backlash party if there is any support for the uranium industry,” Angwin said.

“A lot of this fear has been sparked by non-government organisations running scare campaigns in the media.

“The good thing is the fear is starting to subside and political support has increased, highlighted by our last three prime ministers.

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“Politicians have, for the most part, done a pretty good job supporting the industry, and now it’s time to treat uranium as any other commodity, because the safety standards in Australia are among the best in the world.”

The South Australian Government has previously made it clear that it openly and actively supports exploration for uranium in the state.

They said they have streamlined project approval processes, improved transparency, and boosted industry and community confidence in regulatory process.

Angwin said that while there have been positive steps made in the industry, more needed to be done.

“There is no point signing international treaties if domestic uranium policies hamper Australia actually fulfilling its treaty obligations,” Angwin said.

“And while we need to align these policies, we should use that impetus to also reform the overweight regulation of and the approvals process for new uranium mines in Australia.”

Angwin said Australians were becoming less fearful as the indus-

Is uranium on the cusp of a renaissance?

try better told its story, adding that best practice regulatory framework meant the industry has proved its ability to go through and satisfy the most rigorous environmental assessments.

“Australian opinion on uranium mining shows a halving in opposition to it in the past six years with only a small impact from Fukushima but new support coming from the realisation of its jobs, export, and clean energy credentials,” Angwin said.

“In that time we have also seen the Federal Government say “yes” four times for uranium projects – the Beverley expansion, Four Mile, the Olympic Dam expansion and

ERA, in the Northern Territory, is Australia’s major producer of uranium.

Toro’s new Wiluna mine in Western Australia – so that is telling in how uranium has met and is meeting rigours politically backed environmental assessment.”

Angwin also pointed out public misperceptions re radiation incidents – saying that over 2009, 2010 and 2011, there had not been a singular reportable radiation incident at any Australian uranium mine yet there had been more than 100 such incidents each year in the areas of diagnostic radiology, nuclear medicine and radiotherapy.

“Thirty years of monitoring at Roxby Downs and the Olympic Dam village has also demonstrated convincingly that fears of excessive radiation are not borne out by credible data now which shows effective radiation doses to the public at those two sites are below detection limits for all of those two decades.”

Angwin said more than 11,000 containers of uranium concentrate have been transported in Australia with no incidents affecting public health and said that uranium needed to be considered like any other commodity.

“We have a track record now in the Australian uranium industry which justifies uranium being treated the same as other mining projects,” Angwin said.

“There is a case for better ports access, a removal of duplication between State and Federal Governments in the assessment processes and some reform is needed for the EPBC act. www.miningaustralia.com.au

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URANIUM

“In short, we have entered the political end-game for uranium and any remnant political fears about the industry cannot be justified against the sector’s 40 year track record.”

With uranium supply struggling to meet overseas demands, analysts say uranium’s ‘low-cost emission profile and its ability to produce low-cost power’ will ensure nuclear power generation ‘will continue to play a key role in future global power supply’.

Analysts are also tipping the resurgence of the industry and say demand from India is set to grow.

According to a former Australian Deputy High Commissioner to India, Rakesh Ahuja, the country’s most critical crisis is energy insecurity: “Australia has two things India needs to allow nuclear energy to fuel its emerging modern day economy and that is secure uranium supply and uranium at far better grades than its own poor quality uranium ore,” Ahuja said “India’s reserves of uranium are very very modest and its ore quality ranges between 0.03% and 0.06% whereas it needs to be above 0.2% so India does not have uranium options. itsU reacA“That M 0 6 1is 3why _ 0 0half 0 _ of SO . pd tors are working at less than 60 per

Africa is Australia’s main competitor for uranium resources. Image: Rossing mine.

cent optimum capacity simply due tory of the Non-Proliferation Treato a lack of suitable uranium. The ty, talks centred around the 22 safe Australian uranium industry has guard agreements around the sale of to prepare the ground to be ready uranium. to compete with other suppliers, Gillard said the International particularly Canada, once the Safe- Atomic Energy Agency would be inguards Agreement with India is in volved and India would have a protoplace.” col with the IAEA in any agreement.

The sale of uranium to India Gillard also pointed out that dominated talks when Prime Minis- Australia had negotiated agreements ter Julia Gillard visited the country in the past under the proviso “that f lastP year. a ge 1 8 / 0 5 / 1 3 , 1 0 Australian : 5 4 : 0 9uranium A M isAonly E S Tused for Although India is not a signa- peaceful purposes”.

Any safeguard agreement is expected to take years to negotiate meaning a final export deal is not expected any time soon.

However the negotiations do not come without controversy. Greens nuclear policy spokesman Scott Ludlam said selling uranium to India would be ‘mistake’.

“I’m extremely concerned that Australian uranium will find itself one way or another fuelling a subcontinental arms race,” he said at the time.

Ahuja said Australia needed to value the fact that the international nuclear sanctions imposed on India since 1974 had provided a catalyst for a concerted indigenous development of nuclear power stations and industrial facilities to service military and civilian nuclear establishments.

“As a result, India has one of the world’s most advanced nuclear energy sectors, has a large well trained workforce in the nuclear industry, has mature technological infrastructure and is providing nuclear related services to foreign entities.

“But Australia’s decision to open up uranium sales to India is a game changer and Australia is in the driving seat to harvest millions of dollars in sales.”

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MINERALS PROCESSING

Getting the mix RIGHT What is driving minerals processing?

A

s the focus on productivity grows, miners are aiming to get more efficiency out of their products and processing.

But getting the right processing power that can stand up to the heavy duty mining environment is critical, On Australian minerals processing company is not only getting the mix right for Australian miners, it is exporting to the world.

OreKinetics, a Queensland-based electrostatic separation technology company, is exporting over 60 per cent of its innovative machines to titanium mining operations all over the world.

Research by Peter Gates, OreKinetics founder and managing director, in 1999 led to the development of the company’s UltraStat conductive induction separator, and the CoronaStat ionised field separator the following year.

“Our machines are very robust and capable of processing five to eight tonnes of material an hour on a continuous basis; 8000 hours a year or more in hot industrial mining environments, in truly tough conditions, where it is extremely dusty and gritty.

“So when it came to choosing the electric motors and the gearboxes to drive our machines we went with SEW-Eurodrive from

the beginning, and still only use their equipment now 14 years on.

“They are good robust motors and gearboxes that can operate in extremely harsh environments,” he said.

“We also get excellent support plus they offer us the ability to get our larger quantities directly from Germany, by the container load.

We bought well over 1000 gearboxes from them last year,” Gates said.

“Another key advantage for us is SEW’s MEPS 3 higher efficiency motors.

“With high efficiency motors we can set the machine’s overloads at a normal current setting with the benefit that we get slightly higher output torque giving us the capability to set higher brush tensions in our machines if required,” Gates added.

High efficiency gearmotors

John Bellert from SEW explained that OreKinetics produces a range of machines demanding different quantities of gearmotors.

“For example on one separator there are eight of our Spiroplan W Series and six parallel shaft helical F Series gearmotors.

“The Spiroplans are economical, robust right-angle gearmotors that feature low

Miners have to preplan their processing procedures.

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operating noise and life-long lubrication.

“The gearmotors feature steel-on-steel gearing, special tooth meshing relationships and an aluminium housing ensuring they are very quiet in operation, wear-free and lightweight,” Bellert said.

He explained that the particularly short design and the aluminium housing make for very compact and lightweight drive, while the wearfree gearing and the life-long lubrication facilitate long periods of maintenance-free operation.

And as the oil fill is independent of the mounting position, the gearmotors can be installed in any mounting position without altering the quantity of oil.

“Plus, identical hole spacing in the foot and face as well as the equal shaft height to both provides users with diverse mounting options,” he added.

Bellert said the F Series gearmotors were also popular in the mining industry due their high power density, high permitted overhung loads and a multi-stage gear unit for low output speeds.

“These two and threestage, extra-slim parallel shaft helical gearmotors are designed for heavy duty applications, high torque and 24/7 operation. “The many different sizes and designs ensure that the gearmotors can be used in a wide variety of applications even under the most unfavourable conditions.”

Bellert said SEW motors and gearboxes are widely used by heavy industry due to their efficiency, reliability and back up.

“All of our components are still manufactured in Germany, with the gearboxes and motors hand assembled here in Australia with excellent quality control.

Bellert explained that every SEW motor and gear-

Milling and processing takes a hard toll on drives and motors.

box has a unique serial number which allows customers, via a smart phone app, to instantly download a wide range of information on the equipment including type and quantity of oil required, maintenance procedures, and spare parts list.

As well as OreKinetics, Bellert said SEW work with many of its customers on their prototypes.

“When it comes to designing a new machine, we can work with manufacturers regarding recommendations on different motor power needs and speeds.

“Many manufacturers come to us for our expert advice on motor and drive technology.

“We work with a wide range of industries including the water treatment, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, mining and waste water industries,” Bellert said.

Separation technologies

In the last 14 years OreKinetics has worked closely with the titanium minerals industry and has supplied its proprietary technology to virtually every processing plant in the world.

“Our machines performance and our delivery capability has seen us become the preferred supplier worldwide for our mineral separation technology. This year we have sold over 130 machines.”

Gates said the advent of OreKinetics CoronaStat has enabled new titanium mineral provinces, particularly where finer minerals are present, to be developed and processed in a viable manner.

“Our patented induction plate electrodes are designed to concurrently ‘force’ the charge decay of conducting particles as well as apply a holding force to charged nonconducting particles.

“Each electrode used in OreKinetics CoronaStat has a unique function which combined overcome the shortcomings of conventional ionised electrostatic separators,” Gates explained.

Today, OreKinetics is continuing the development of its revolutionary machines along with the development of new flowsheet and process control concepts particularly with a focus on reduced capitol costs and improved plant control specifically with respect to environmental influences. www.miningaustralia.com.au

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MINERALS PROCESSING

Solid returns New wear avoidance methods for minerals processing plants is helping miners cut costs.

T

he war on costs today has seen several major mining projects in Australia and elsewhere in the world put on ice because of operating cost blow-outs, uncertainties ahead on metal prices and constant revisits to blueprints.

The challenge for existing operators’ costs is maintaining mineral processing plant and refineries and the related issues of downtime and repair or replacement of equipment.

For the first time an effective method of slurry pipeline bend wear avoidance has been developed.

This invention addresses the cause of wear rather than trying to address the effect.

Minimising wear and tear can produce massive savings on equipment, pipe work maintenance and downtime.

Maxbend, has focused on the pipe bend with a static device that reconfigures the flow characteristics of a slurry so it limits wear on the bend without relying on linings.

A number of pilot test plants were used to develop Maxbend.

Development provided real-time imaging so that the effects of solids flow in

a pipe bend could be viewed and alternative designs and configurations developed.

The application of the Maxbend technology in actual process plants has returned positive results.

One of WA’s gold mines, the Edna May at Westonia owned by Evolution Mining, changed conventional bends in the gravity circuit on its plant to Maxbend and instead of having to change worn pipe bends every 5001000 hours, Maxbend has been achieving 8000 hours plus.

One of WA’s major refineries is utilising Maxbend in place of conventional pipe bends that were wearing within 120 days and having to be replaced or exchanged during a shut down cycle.

So far the Maxbend has been in place for more than 305 days and is estimated to remain in service for 720 plus.

This technology can be applied to any line size, material and pipe specification for both liquid and gas phase streams.

The company says while Maxbend reduces wear the flow conditioning technology

Solid and slurry flow is a serious cost for processors.

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has other applications, for example the performance of process additives such as flocculants can be enhanced by the mid-stream injection into a low shear zone where contact duration is maximised.

Presenting at a recent international alumina workshop, Maxbend principal Scott Doig said the ability to change the solids profile of a slurry stream without compromise to the system offers new opportunities in process reliability for components such as valves, strainers, heat

It has seen wear times increased from 120 days to more than 305. exchangers, distributors and cyclones.

The development of Maxbend and its application in processing plant has highlighted that generally there are issues with the performance of hydro-cyclones originating from poor flow distribution. These observations have led to development of a different concept for hydro-cyclone distributor design.

“The problem standard cyclone distributor systems

face is gravity hang up in the vertical supply line and uneven settling in the distributor causing slurry to pulse as it enters a standard distributor.

This in turn creates a velocity slump which produces an uneven or poorly distributed solids/fluid feed into the cyclone inlet,” Doig said.

“This out of specification and poorly distributed feed causes accelerated wear and overloads the cyclone device and result further in poor process stability.”

Doig looked at the problem of pulsing in a vertical pipe and, if this could be mixed and the flow to the cyclones balanced, then the cyclones would receive an uninterrupted even feed.

To achieve the flow balance a new flow distribution technology was developed to optimise flow to multiple devices requiring a uniform flow.

This technology was enhanced by taking advantage of the Maxbend flow conditioning technology to create an optimised flow distribution to all devices connected to a distributor.

An additional benefit is the ability to fine tune flows while on line.

The Maxbend and Distributor technologies have now gained use in a high wear mill circuit for ore classification in gold processing where even solids distribution has been achieved.

As a result of these new upgrades, the hydro-cyclones average overflow has improved by more than four per cent, with no changes to the hydro-cyclones spigot or vortex finders.

The life cycle of the on line hydro-cyclones wear is constant across all units; in addition the distributor and hydro-cyclone maintenance has reduced by 90 per cent over the previous system.

This was all achieved by changing the feed pipe to a Maxbend static flow conditioning unit and the new static distributor.

This technology can be utilised in many other processing industries such as nickel, copper, iron ore and alumina; in any plant that can benefit from good solids particle distribution for the concentrate or for de-watering the slurry.

The distributor technology represents a step change to process stability and process costs.

Change outs have been increased from every 1000 hours to 8000 hours. www.miningaustralia.com.au

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AEST

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By combining the expertise of Outotec and Scanalyse, we now offer additional value-added services over the complete lifecycle of the comminution circuit.

To find out more, call us on 1300 Outotec (1300 6886832) or visit www.outotec.com

AM0613_060.pdf

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MINERALS PROCESSING

Solving a sticky situation Minerals processing is turning green to extract rare earths at cheaper rates. Alex Heber reports.

S

eparating and recovering rare earth materials is a complicated and expensive process, but one Japanese researcher claims he has discovered a low cost, environmentally friendly extraction alternative.

Yoshio Takahaski, an environmental chemistry professor at Hiroshima University in Japan, said a research team which included Japan’s Aisin Cosmos R&D Co. has found that dried salmon sperm is a “low cost and environment-friendly” method to extract rare earth metals.

The group did not comment on how they come to the solution of specifically using salmon sperm.

The study built on a 2010 report which determined phosphate groups found on the surface of bacteria can absorb and separate rare earths from the ore ten times more effectively Rich in phosphoric acids, salmon milt is used to absorb rare earth metals. than the current extraction methods.

Rare earth ores typically contain ering the metals proves to be com- which is rich in phosphoric acids several of the 17 metals considered plex because a special type of resin and is usually classed as waste, for essential to manufacturing motors, must be used. use in element extraction. phone parts and other high-tech Takahaski’s team explored the A D _ A MT R E 2 F E B _ 1 2 . p d f Pa ge 1 1 0 / 0 1 / 1 2 , 1 1Experimenting : 5 1 A M with dry, powproducts, EmulsionPlant122x210Ad.pdf but separating and recov- 1/5/12 use of8:26:42 milt, the dered salmon milt, the researchPM seminal fluid of fish,

ers put it into a beaker containing a rare earth metals solution. What they discovered was that the milt absorbed the rare earth elements as well as bacteria does, particularly the scarce and very expensive elements such as thulium and lutetium.

Unlike bacteria, milt does not have to be cultivated and is easier to preserve in a powdered state.

The findings also indicate that through the chemical enhancement of milt, various other types of rare earth may also be extracted.

Current processing techniques creates radioactive material which has had a polarising affect, especially in regions that have minerals processing plants such as Malaysia.

But the International Atomic Energy Agency said radiation generated from the Malaysian plant is “no cause for concern”.

Rare earths are used in the development of many renewable and environmentally sustainable technologies including wind power, lithium batteries, and electric cars.

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2013-05-27T11:38:49+10:00

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MAINTENANCE & MONITORING

LIFTING the game New lifting systems are aiding maintenance and cutting costs.

A

n innovative new lifting system developed specifically for the mining sector is dramatically improving safety, increasing machine availability and keeping maintenance costs down.

The Australian invention, TFP Engineering’s Pakka Jacks hydraulic lifting systems are shaking up onsite maintenance schedules across the continent.

Each lifting unit incorporates a self

packing system that applies positive pressure during lifting meaning the load is fully supported, not suspended, at all times.

The jacking units are inherently stable, helping to give the system very high sideloading capacity and control is centralised in a separate cabin with full auto PLC control or full manual control available.

The key point of differ- The units provide almost failsafe simultaneous lifting of up to 2000 tonnes. enced this inherent in the lifting system is the eliminaBuilt for fully automated age slew bearing change-out tonne system and the 2000 tion of suspended loads control, a lift requires only on a 600 tonne excavator tonne system, each comprisand its failsafe design. one operator who controls can take between six and ing of four lift units (300 Failure of any com- the operations from behind nine days to complete us- tonne and 500 tonne respecponent will result in a a purpose built control con- ing conventional methods, tively) and a fully enclosed maximum drop of 5mm. sole, cutting out the need for the Pakka Jacks system can control console.

“It was developed multiple crane lifts. have the job done in just Pakka Jacks are already to meet real engineering Safety is the most critical two days; delivering an ex- being used by a number of needs in a safe, efficient aspect of mining machine tra seven full days of extra Australia’s major miners inmanner,” Pakka Jacks maintenance, by eliminating machinery availability from cluding BHP Billiton, Newgroup manager com- multiple crane lifts which just one procedure. crest, Peabody, Xstrata, and mercial, Joe Denyer told are difficult to control, the “Over 90 per cent of all Rio Tinto.

Australian Mining.

Pakka Jacks system reduces of our clients have realised Denyer said that currentThe Pakka Jacks sys- the amount of labour re- savings of more than 50 per ly about 50 per cent of the tem removes the risk of quired. cent,” he said. company’s work is coming personnel being under A challenging mining “They are commonly sav- from breakdowns. suspended loads market is forcing miners to ing in excess of half a million But with companies and is one of set out on a cost cutting mis- dollars for single procedures. looking for ways to minithe only lift- sion.

“The average slew bear- mise maintenance costs he ing systems that Denyer explained that ing change-out includes a is expecting a significant inmeets all relevant Pakka Jacks can reduce saving of $200,000.” flux of work.

Australian Standards costly downtime by up to The company’s heavy lift“We’re growing expoA M0 6 1 3 _ 0 6 2 _ C ME 1 2 0 1 3 - 0 5 - 2 8 T1 4 : 5 1 : 3 8 + 1 0 : 0 0 and Workcover legislations. 80 per cent, where an aver- ing range includes the 1200 nentially,” he said.

The units are remote controlled.

If quality matters in fabrication and repairs, talk to CME Boilermaking Services.

Field Service & Repairs Rebuilds & Repairs General Fabrication

) 08 9250 1511

www.cmeboilermaking.com.au 62

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www.miningaustralia.com.au

AM0613_063_HEN

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1

2013-05-27T11:25:24+10:00

Industry benchmark.

Enough said

The world’s #1 brand of engineering adhesives and sealants, Loctite has been setting the benchmark for more than 50 years.

Our innovative solutions are about consistently delivering the highest level of performance, reducing cost and increasing reliability.

To view our complete range of products and receive your FREE Loctite bottle opener, visit loctite.com.au/AM

STRENGTH IN SUPPORT

STRENGTH IN PRODUCT

STRENGTH IN INNOVATION

STRENGTH IN BRAND

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MAINTENANCE & MONITORING

A step ahead Australian designed access ladders are making maintenance easier.

B

oasting fewer moving parts, an integrated power system, and robust design Tefol’s Aus­ tralian made access ladder systems are reducing main­ tenance costs and improving access safety.

TefSteps are designed, engineered and manufac­ tured in New South Wales, utilising a solid cast metal construction and in house built electrical compo­ The solid cast metal access ladders increase safety and aids operator and maintenance access. nents.

Providing safe and easy access to heavy machinery, eral manager Simon Mont­ they found a tem movement the ladder retracts at the gomery said. gap in the takes place. push of a button, parking “A lot of other systems market that TefSteps itself neatly away so as not require a secondary power was not be­ RS Series ver to interfere with workings. source to operate the lad­ ing serviced tical rollup The ladder’s controls and ders, we integrate into the well. ladder is typ­ power supply are seamlessly machine,” Tefol marketing Cover­ ically used integrated in to the existing manager Ben Dolman ex­ ing all bases, on wheel machine, simplifying instal­ plained. the TefSteps loaders and lation, reducing maintenance Manufacturing qual­ system acti­ comes in and delivering lower down­ ity access systems for heavy vates both multiple step time rates. earth moving equipment internal and configurations; “We’re trying hard to that meet OH&S standards external warning while the SL Se­ work with industry to save and reduce operator’s lost alerts before any ries swing ladder A M 0 costs,” 6 1 3 _ 0 0 0 _gen­ O M R time - injury, 1 2 Tefol 0 1 3 explained - 0 5 - 2 7 T 1 3 : 1 1 : sys­ 5 2 +Simple 1 0 : button 0 0 operation. is normally in­ mining Tefol automated

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stalled on track tractors and its movement is controlled via a hydraulic cylinder.

The company has also manufactured straight fold ladders for use on large mo­ tor graders and excavators, as well as a specialised grad­ er swing ladder for medium sized machines.

With a few runs already on the board in the Austral­ ian market, Tefol is now preparing to launch the sys­ tems into Chile.

www.miningaustralia.com.au

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MAINTENANCE & MONITORING

Cleaner maintenance

Repair bandages

Maintaining equipment and repainting protective coatings is getting greener. traditionally operators had to resort to using blast media to remove paint and anti-corrosion products during equipment cleaning.

During these maintenance activities not only were workers potentially put at risk of injury during blasting, there was also an increased environmental impact as blast media often ended up in waterways and the surround environment due to traditional blasting creating a large number of small hazardous particles. not to mention the damage that improper abrasive blasting may cause to machinery or equipment. now increasing pressure on the industry to minimise its environmental impacts caused by maintenance activities has seen the development of new paint and coatings removal technology.

Led by the Queensland government organisation Roadtec, the new RPR machinery removes paint and coatings without using blast media.

First used by Roadtec to remove lead paint from the Burdekin Bridge, the technology works through a process of magnetic induction. this induction heats the steel beneath the coating to the point where paint and coatings begin blister, after which they can easily be scrapped off into a suitable container for safe disposal, reducing the environmental impact and creating a cleaner, safer worksite. the advantage RPR has over traditional sand and media blasting is that there is no potentially hazardous airborne or water waste, is safer for operators as it is silent and only minimal safety equipment is required, and is faster, particularly when removing thick difficult coatings and has been measured as being between five to 20 times faster. it is distributed in australia through australian Coating Removal.

• Australian Coating Removal 0408 783 135 www.acrtech.com.au A D _ A MA F C F E B _ 1 3 . p d f Pa ge 1 1 0 / 0

RaPP-it have released new, smaller pipe repair bandages following industry demand. according to the company these new size bandages, measuring 50mm x 1.5m deal for repairing smaller pipes that measure up to 40mm in diameter.

For bigger pipes, Rapp-it Bandages are available in a range of four larger sizes.

Rapp-it Pipe Repair Bandage is a quick action emergency pipe repair system that is simple to use with no mixing or measuring required. Operators simply immerse the bandage in water for 10 seconds, and then apply by wrapping around the damaged pipe area. a successful repair can be achieved in 30 minutes.

www.miningaustralia.com.au

Rapp-it is a roll of fibreglass bandage impregnated with a water-activated polyurethane resin.

Each Rapp-it bandage comes with a 50mm stick of Steel Putty, which can be pushed into holes or cracks before applying the bandage, resulting in an even more secure repair.

Rapp-it Bandages can withstand heat up to 150° C, pressure up to 150 psi, and most diluted chemicals and fuels. the bandages are also approved for use with potable water.

• Marine & Industrial 07 3262 3755 www.piperepair.com.au

Machinery cleaner LanOtEC has launched a new naturally derived, nonflammable, industrial strength machinery and plant cleaner and parts washer fluid. according to the company its new PowaWasha is specially formulated for the environmentally sensitive mining industry.

Research conducted by Lanotec over recent years in the mining, oil & gas industries indicated that a high performance, non-flammable, environmentally friendlier machinery and plant cleaner/parts washer fluid would be well received as environmental to ensure that 1demands / 1 3 on , the1industry 1 : 3 steps 3 up AM

products used on site aid in satisfying Environmental Policies and Sustainability Declarations. the company explained that it is best used as a parts washer, workshop cleaner, machinery and plant cleaner, quick break degreaser, blackjack remover, and for oil and grease removal.

Lanotec PowaWash is water soluble and is available in five litre jerry can, 20 litre cube, 200 litre drum & 1000 litre iBC. • Lanotec 07 3373 3700 www.powawash.lanotec.com.au

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PRODUCT FOCUS: TEST & MEASUREMENT

Thickness gauges oLyMPus has released a new all in one thickness gauge application.

Known as the 45MG, it is an advanced ultrasonic thickness gauge with a number of standard features and software options.

The basic configuration of the 45MG is a simple and straightforward gauge that requires minimal operator training to tackle most common thickness gauging applications such as wall and coating thickness, mineral deposition and corrosion.

Additional software options and transducers turn the 45MG into a significantly more advanced instrument that allow it to be used for applications well beyond a typical entry-level unit. examples include fibreglass (to 100mm), rubber, very thin Designed for rugged environments. materials (<200µm), and high precision quality control (to 1µm resolution).

According to Graham Maxwell, national technical & key account manager at olympus, all the options are built-in to the unit at manufacture and accessed by purchasing ‘unlock codes’. “each function is controlled by a separate software module so additional features are available by upgrading the software,” Maxwell said.

The 45MG is built for operation in difficult and rugged environments, for example those encountered in the marine, aviation, refinery and pipeline industries.

It has a rugged, sealed construction meeting the IP67 standard, and has also been shock and vibration tested using MIL-sTD-810G. In addition, the unit can be used in a wide range of operating temperatures.

The 45MGhas been designed for easy operation with a simple keypad that can be used by both right- or left-handed technicians.

The display is a colour transflective QVGA monitor that is bright both indoors and in direct sunlight. with the data storage option, up to 475,000 thickness readings can be stored in user defined grids and easily copied to a spread sheet via microsD card or usB connection.

• Olympus 03 9265 5467 ibdinfo@olympus.com.au www.olympus.com.au AD_ F PE AN CS EE SM ED ME J C U_ N1 _ 2 1 .2 p . d p fd f P a Pg a e ge 1 1 1 2 1 /4 1 / 1 0 /5 1 / 2 1 ,2 , 9 :2 1 : 9 5 5 AM PM

Tape extension sensor AuToMATeD Control and AsM have launched a tape extension sensor that provides up to four metres measuring length in a compact industrial housing.

The wB61 sensors have been designed to operate in harsh conditions, making them ideal for installation on cranes, excavators, forklifts, and access platforms.

Due to the design of the sensor and the inherent strength of the stainless steel tape, the wB61 range of sensors can be found in environments and upon applications where other traditional pull-wire sensors struggle to survive.

The durability of the extension tape allows for the reliable use of directional changing pulleys and also within applications where icing may occur or dusty, gritty environments.

These features make the sensor ideal for safety critical control functions within the mobile equipment market.

It features a housing manufactured from composite and stainless steel components; a rugged sensor that meets the sealing level of IP67/69K; the choice of three analogue and three digital outputs (ssI, CANopen or CAN J1939); and has linearity of ±0.10% with the option of redundant outputs.

It is distributed by Automated Control in Australia.

• Automated Control 02 4964 4022 sales@automatedcontrol.com.au www.automatedcontrol.com.au

Cable certifiers Power Parameters have unveiled the newest LanTeK II series cable certifiers.

They are designed for comprehensive testing and certification of basic link, channel link, and permanent link testing.

The LanTeK II series is available in three models with frequency sweep ranges of 350, 500 and 1000 MHz thus permitting testing of cat 5, 6 and 7(C1) cables and networks.

The testers are available with fibre optic link testing for multi-mode (850/1300 nm utilizing LeD[C2] source) and single mode (1310/1550 nm with laser source) in full duplex testing configuration.

According to the company it is fast in conducting tests, completing Cat 5e testing within nine seconds and Cat 6 in thirteen seconds, and is on average a third faster than many other certifiers.

The testers provide on-board memory for test results, Certification of basic link, and in the case of Cat 6, 1700 test results complete channel link, and permanent with graphical information can be stored. A lithium-ion battery provides energy for up to 19 hours with display link testing. on maximum brightness, and a testing period of every two and half minutes (Cat 6), and the instrument’s dual charge capacity permits charging to take place while testing. If the battery is faulty it can operate off external power.

It can be certified for TerA, GG45 and eC7 category as well as M12 industrial ethernet.

• Power Parameters 1800 623 350 power@pararmeters.com.au

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Sensor storage

Linear rail HAyDon Kerk Motion solutions has released the latest addition to its Balll Guide screw (BGs) linear rail product line. the BGs06 linear rail with the integrated iDeA Drive is a versatile system utilising the popular size 17 single stack or double stack stepper motor linear actuator with an integrated and fully programmable stepper motor controller.

Part of the wider BGS line.

All Haydon Kerk BGs rail systems utilize linear stepper motors and precision rolled 303 stainless steel lead screws.

Lead screws are coated using Black ice tfe coating providing a wearresistant and maintenance-free dry lubrication. the lead screw drives a precision nut embedded in a machined aluminum carriage mounted to a stainless steel ball rail. the result is a rigid, smooth operating motion system. the BGs06 with the integrated iDeA Drive is available with the following standard features such as an easy-to-use graphic user interface (GUi); is RoHs compliant; has an interactive program “Debug” feature; an input voltage range of between 12 and 48VDc; a max current of 2.6A RMs; up to 30 per cent current boost capability during ramping; and four digital inputs/ outputs.

By combining core technologies into a preassembled unit, Haydon Kerk Motion solutions is able to improve system integration for the equipment oeM or end user. the overall integration cost to the customer is dramatically decreased by offering a complete solution that combines motor, lead screw, load support, and programmable drive into a single system.

• Haydon Kerk www.haydonkerk.com A M0 6 1 3 _ 0 0 0 _ F L I . p d f Pa ge 1 8 / 0 5 / 1 3 ,

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ActisAfe has released secure storage cabinets for electrical and electronic sensors. the high density storage cabinets are designed specifically for industrial and general manufacturing applications.

A distinguishing feature of this product is its lockable top cupboard for larger items which don’t normally fit into a drawer space.

Actisafe, a ‘Defence Recognised supplier’, has developed these Secure sensor cabinets. cabinets to meet the growing call for secure facilities in storage applications. these secure storage cabinets are also customisable.

Whereas most commercial brands normally manufacture ranges in selected dimensions, these can be manufactured to specific dimension for those industrial companies that often find it difficult to fit catalogue sizes in specific locations.

All shelving and ancillaries fittings can also be made to order, so little aspects of the products – inside and out – such as handles, shelf inclusions, rollers etc can be procured to the exact requirement.

• Actisafe 1300 852 397 www.actisafe.com.au A EST

FLIR GF-Series Thermal imaging cameras for gas detection and industrial applications Conventional leak detection equipment such as a Volatile Organic Compound meters (or sniffers) mean that the operator must visit and test each potential leak site.

Using a FLIR GF-Series thermal imaging camera you get a complete picture and can immediately exclude areas that do not need any action. This means you can achieve enormous savings in terms of time and personnel.

Another advantage is that systems do not have to be shut down during the inspection.

Depending on the model, a wide variety of gas can be detected.

All FLIR GF-Series thermal imaging cameras are dual-use systems. They not only allow the user to detect gases, they can also be used for industrial maintenance inspections.

www.flir.com FLIR Systems Pty Ltd. VIC: 03 9550 2800 NSW: 02 8853 7870 WA: 08 6263 4438 Free Call AU: 1300 729 987 NZ: 0800 785 492 Email: info@flir.com.au

Captured gas leak

Electrical inspection

Gas leak

Disclaimer: Images for illustrative purposes only, subject to change. ISO No. FLIR20870

www.miningaustralia.com.au

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PRODUCT FOCUS: TEST & MEASUREMENT

Surge measurement

RCD testers

WeiDMULLeR has released its new Varitector Logger 20 to register and document large current pulses as well as the frequency and time of the incidents.

The plug and play product counts the current pulses greater than a set threshold value which are discharged by Pe conductors on surge protection devices.

Any lightning strikes and surge voltages are continuously recorded. each measurement is issued with time a stamp accurate to the hour and the time and date of the event.

Using this information engineers can then design and implement appropriate systems as well as tweak existing ones to protect against surges.

For the accurate measurement of currents the Varitector Logger 30 features an external sensor with a ferrite toroid.

Has a V-0 flammability rating.

Clipped to the earth cable, this logger detects current peaks on the Pe conductor which can be caused by events such as lightning or power surges.

A large two line LCD display provides the operator easy visualisation of current/incident data; while its buttons allow the menus to be easily navigated.

Weidmuller’s Varitector Logger 30 also features a an internal CR123A replaceable 3-V battery with around four years of service life which allows the surge measurer to be connected to the mains at all times it complements Type-ii and Type-iii VPU surge protection devices, and can quickly and effortlessly be installed on the terminal rails in switch cabinets via its plug and play housing.

The logger has an operating temperature range of between -20 degrees and more than 60 degrees Celsius. it also has a V-0 flammability rating.

• Weidmuller 02 9671 9999 info@weidmuller.com.au www.weidmuller.com.au A M0 6 1 3 _ 0 0 0 _ S T A 1 2 0 1 3 - 0 5 - 3 0 T1 2 : 5 2 : 4 1 + 1 0 : 0 0

AS2081-2011 compliant product that solves low-level VFD earth faults Minimize the risk of arc flash and protect your investment

Startco 68

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EL731 Sensitive AC/DC Earth-Leakage Relay

PGR-8800 Arc Flash Relay

Avoid hazards by continuously monitoring the NER For more information on Littelfuse Protection Relay products in Australia, please contact Startco Pty.

TesT and Tag supplies are now distributing the Metrel 3122 Z-line-loop RCD testers.

According to the company these products provide RCD testing and loop impedance measurements for low voltage wiring.

The Metrel 3122 single and 3-phase loop and RCD testers can be used for testing loop impedance, line impedance, RCD trip time, RCD trip current, voltage, frequency and phase rotation.

Results are clearly presented using unique LeD Pass/Fail indicators, while the inbuilt memory provides 1900 recorded measurements.

Unlike most other recording testers, details of tests can be recorded in a structured format, allowing users to ensure test data is still relevant when reports are created.

The 3122’s broad operating voltage range ensures the instrument can be used in a wide variety of environments.

Distribution board lead sets, and single phase power outlet leads are provided to ensure the 3122 can be used on single phase or 3-phase installations.

• Test and Tag Suppplies www.testandtagsupplies.com.au

SE-330AU Neutral Earthing Resistor Monitor

1/15 Page Street, Kunda Park, Qld 4556 Ph: 0754 56 4554 Email: sales@startco.com.au

www.littelfuse.com/RelaysControls www.miningaustralia.com.au

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PRODUCT FOCUS: TEST & MEASUREMENT

Universal calibration Bestech Australia has launched the new the Burster Universal 4423, a unique calibrator with load cell, pressure transducer, temperature sensor and RtD functions. the new universal calibrators allow mechanical magnitudes such as force, torque or displacement to be calibrated in addition to the usual calibrations of electrical and thermal magnitudes, with the use of only one instrument.

A highlight of the Universal 4423 is its capacity to generate extensive and comprehensive documentation with the Digical software simplifying the download of calibration results for the purposes of documentation and logging. the expansive memory holds up to 21 measurements per device for up to 50 devices. the tested items can also be classified in terms of performance according to the error tolerances permitted for the device.

It is also possible to group measurements together according to the initial check (as found) and after adjustment (as left).

Key features of Universal 4423 universal calibrators include a basic accuracy 0.015 per cent; simultaneous sourcing/measurement for transmitter calibration; storage of calibration routines for 50 calibration objects (as found/as left); plug and measure connection for connectable sensors for mechanical values; 24 VDc power supply for transmitter calibration; direct input of Pt 100 coefficient (R0, A, B, c); a current sink; and comes with a user-friendly configuration and data recording software.

• Bestech www.bestech.com.au

Load cell indication InstRotech Australia has released a new load cell indicator. the calog is a small, rugged and portable handheld battery or auxiliary-powered load cell display.

Designed to power one 350 ohm or three 1,000 ohm load cells with a fixed 5 VDc excitation, the calog load cell indicator may be set to show Mass, Force, strain or torque from load cells. the mV/V sensitivity, range, decimal points and engineering units are all user programmable.

Both automatic and manual trims are provided to offset Zero dead-weight and set span, with or without known weights.

User options such as tare, Peak hold and Auto Zero Maintenance are included in the load cell display menus. the key features of calog portable load cell display are data logging to internal sD cards can be set at fixed real-time automatic logging intervals or instantly at any time by pressing the enter key; the ability for data to be retrieved from the card or via the UsB interface in csV format; a built-in rechargeable Lithium Ion battery pack that provides up to six hours of use for load cell display and data logging; the capacity for it to be used with the supplied mains Ac or vehicle outlet Dc battery chargers.

It can be delivered in a carry case with chargers, operating manual, factory calibration certificate and M12 load cell cable connector • Instrotech www.instrotech.com.au

Magnetic field sensors ALVI technologies presents the PM-06 magnetic field sensors designed for various detection and activation functions in indoor as well as outdoor environments.

PM-06 magnetic field sensors are ideal for counting in driving lanes, and activating rolling shutter gates/ bollards in workshops and underground facilities as well as outdoors in addition to detection of vehicles in front of and behind gates. this data is transmitted to a superior controller via the serial interface. the magnetic field sensors are not influenced by pollution (IP68), weather or variations in temperature, lighting conditions and infrared sources, vehicle form, type or colour, and pedestrians.

PM-06 magnetic field sensors deliver long life expectancy and maintenance-free operation while enabling one-man commissioning due to configuration with standard parameters.

• Alvi Technologies www.alvi.com.au www.miningaustralia.com.au

“ Now we are also level switching with non-contact microwave technology.”

New from VEGA: the microwave barrier VEGAMIP. Maintenance-free technology for level switching under rough conditions.

Ideal for abrasive media or very high temperatures and reliable, even with buildup. www.vega.com/au/innovation Phone: 1800 817 135

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Shenhua’s environmental report runs to 3000 pages long.

Working closely with the community has been a major focus for the miner.

A GREENER approach Despite the downturn in coal globally, one miner is investing in the future. Vicky Validakis reports.

T

he world’s largest miner is set to develop its first greenfield mine project outside of China, as it seeks to receive the final environmental approval for its Watermark Coal project in NSW. China’s Shenhua Group is the world’s largest miner by output, and plans to develop a new mine in Gunnedah with an annual capacity of 10 million tonnes per annum.

Last month the company took Australian Mining on a tour of the proposed site, outlining the environmental work it proposes to undertake to mitigate the impacts of the mine.

The group has recently submitted their final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for its planned open cut coal mine, which the company says is the largest in the state’s history.

Covering a huge 3000 pages, the EIS sets out how the company plans to deal with issues around agricultural and other land resources; water resources; biodiversity; heritage; air quality; greenhouse gases; noise, vibration and blasting; traffic and transport; visual; waste; hazards; social and econom70

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ic; and rehabilitation. The document is the culmination of years of work to finally develop the mine.

Regulatory burdens and delays have threatened to hamstring the process.

In 2008 the company paid $300 million for an exploration license covering 195 square km of the Gunnedah Basin coal field.

By 2010, the Shenhua had spent $203 million to accumulate 37 farms and the 15,000 hectares needed to construct the mine.

Last April they received final directions from the New South Wales director general for planning regarding its environmental impact statement for Watermark, a year after submitting its planning application for assessment in April 2011.

The guidelines for the environmental study were prepared in consultation with the Watermark Community Consultative Committee and New South Wales Farmers’ Association.

However in September, NSW resources and energy minister, Chris Hartcher tightened the conditions of Shenhua’s coal exploration license for its Watermark project fol-

lowing a campaign by local farmers and residents.

The Chinese company was told their licenses prohibited any open-cut or underground mining in the alluvial flood plain and agricultural areas of the Liverpool Plains region. But instead of letting this deter them the company surged ahead with plans to create the EIS. Shenhua Watermark project manager Paul Jackson claims the EIS is so thorough that it will become the “benchmark for the mining industry in NSW, if not Australia”.

“The way this project has ramped up from its early inception to its current phase – both state and federal politicians have continued to change the legislation around us and we’ve had to respond every inch of the way and we’ve responded positively and we’ve responded in a dynamic manner but take it to a worst case scenario”.

“We stand behind the science and we’re comfortable that is people consider the science, it will gain approval,” Jackson said.

The mine is expected to become fully operational between December 2015 and March 2016, following a 12-

18 month construction period, if mine leases and environmental approval is obtained.

Jackson says the mine will deliver benefits for the local community and the state as a whole: “Benefits for the local community include jobs which will be in excess of 900, expenditure of $1 billion during construction and up to $900 million in direct and indirect spend every year, year in year out for 30 years,” he said.

But not all are convinced the mine will be beneficial to the local community.

Critics are worried about the impact the mine could have on the highly fertile Liverpool Plains land, affects on groundwater and the impact increased activity will have to local infrastructure.

Last month Liverpool Plains Shire Council lodged its response to the Environmental Impact Statement for the project.

Acting Director of Environmental Services, Donna Ausling, says the management of cumulative impacts has been a concern raised.

“We’ve got a number of coal mines that are coming on line, virtually concurrently, within the Gunnedah Basin and they all have to go

through our Liverpool Plains LGA,” she said.

“The other issue, of course, linked in to the cumulative implications are the traffic and infrastructure demands of the development and, finally, the management of the potential social impacts.”

A review of Shenhua’s EIS paid for by farmers and agricultural groups found problems with the proposed project which they say is proof the project should not go ahead.

Head of the Caroona Coal Action Group Tim Duddy said the mine could not proceed after the results of the assessment.

“There’s simply not enough data to assess whether it’s going to harm the agricultural resources or not,” he said.

“You can’t possibly approve a mine with this lack of data.

“This expert report makes it absolutely clear that either Shenhua does not understand what is involved in genuine environmental protection in a precious area like this or doesn’t take that obligation seriously.”

The report, by consulting group Earth Systems, www.miningaustralia.com.au

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said the mine could violate a prohibition on open-cut mining on the Liverpool Plains.

The assessment also found ‘major gaps’ in the mine’s risk assessment in areas like baseline data for water quality and geochemistry. Duddy said he will pass the two reports to state and federal governments for consideration along with Shenhua’s EIS. However, Shenhua are confident that the EIS has detailed more than enough scientific evidence.

“At more than 3,000 pages in length, it is difficult to understand how any third party could claim the EIS contains insufficient data to support the environmental as- Shenhua Watermark is looking at developing a coal mine underneath the Liverpool Plains. sessment,” the company said.

“The project has been into account in every aspect aquifer – the main water licensed and metered bores designed to comply with the of the mine’s development, source for farmers – doesn’t operating within 10kms of NSW Government’s Aqui- and have been thoroughly exist within the project’s the project boundary. fer Interference Policy an dealt with in the EIS. boundary. The aquifer will “I think we have struck Strategic Regional Land Use Buffer zones have been be protected by a 900 metre the right balance between Policy and Commonwealth designed to protect agricul- buffer zone to prevent direct mining, agriculture and the Government assessment re- tural land which includes a connection between the wa- environment,” Jackson said. quirements. We take our buffer of 150 metres from ter and the mine.

“Technically what we’re social and environmental re- black soils on the Liverpool Projections predict mini- proposing is no different opsponsibilities seriously.”

Plains. mal impacts on groundwa- erationally to what’s been community AJackson D _ A Msaid NOR S E P _ 1 0 . p Surveys df P have a g ealso1shown 2 / 0 9ter/ 1with 0 , reductions 1 2 : 1 5 of PbeM done in the Hunter Valley, or concerns have been taken the Gunnedah groundwater tween 0.1m and 1.4m to 35 any other parts of Australia

www.miningaustralia.com.au

or Queensland,” he added.

Other key protective elements in the mine’s design include making 1000 hectares of Class 3 land available for agricultural production, the avoidance of 143 hectares of critically endangered ecological communities in the Box Gum Woodland and allocating night mining activities in deep locations. Jackson said as well as addressing environmental concerns, the company has worked to become an integrated part of the local community.

And with the company setting up its Australian head quarters in the Gunnedah township, it is apparent the company is doing all it can to win over the locals.

“The Gunnedah office is Shenhua’s head office in Australia, that speaks volumes for what they want to do in Australia,” Jackson said.

“We understand we have to become a proactive member of the community we haven’t just come and dipped our toe in the water for six months and said ‘hey we’re here’ and left again.”

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PRODUCT SHOWCASE

Hearing protection

Portable barriers.

Noise barriers EcHO Barrier has released a new-generation noise barrier into the Australian market that can reduce construction noise by up to 30dB(A).

Echo Barrier is a portable noise barrier that soaks up sound rather than just reflecting it.

The company’s Ray Lee said before the introduction of Echo Barrier, mitigating noise from construction projects meant building heavy duty noise walls, which can be expensive and time consuming and sometimes impractical.

With Echo Barrier, you can create a noise wall where one could not have been made previously.

The barriers can be taken down on a daily basis, making them easy to use.

The noise barriers are engineered from a patented lightweight material which is highly sound absorbent, but does not absorb water.

This means they stay light and manoeuvrable on wet days so one person can easily move them around sites as required.

• Echo Barrier www.echobarrier.com

Composite water jackets WIcHITA clutch has developed new corrosion resistant, lightweight composite water jackets designed as drop-in replacements for cast iron jackets in brakes.

The new water jacket composite material was originally developed by Wichita engineers for use in their water-cooled clutch/brakes.

Used in the field for over three years, the engineered polymer blend has proven to be as strong as iron jackets while meeting or exceeding typical design stresses.

The composite material provides superior external corrosion resistance in any corrosive water environment including off-shore applications.

The composite material also allows for worry-free use of corrosive water for internal jacket cooling (requires proper filtration).

For added corrosion protection, all hardware used on the composite water jacket assemblies is marine-coated.

Wichita composite water jackets offer the additional benefit of weight reduction, with some jackets weighing at least 60 per cent less than iron jackets.

For example, a 91.44 centimetre cast iron water jacket assembly weighs approximately 340 kilograms, while a composite water jacket assembly weighs only 84 kilograms.

The reduced weight is a significant maintenance advantage, as well as when equipment is installed in weight-restricted applications.

• Wichita Clutch www.wichitaclutch.com

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3M’s Peltor OraTac In-Ear system has lightweight hearing protection with ambient, tactical listening.

Users can communicate via two-way radios in high noise areas without needing a boom microphone.

With the tactical function mode users can hear conversations, vehicles, warning signal and alarms, while protecting them Has tactical listening capabilities. from sudden impact and other hazardous sounds.

Since the OraTac fits in the ear, it can easily be worn with other personal protective equipment like the full face mask, hard hats, eyewear and powered and supplied air respiratory protection.

It is designed for high noise/high heat duties like manufacturing, smelting and mining.

The OraTac also includes a push-to-talk adapter and a disconnect cable.

The cable connects to individual two-way radios and can be changed when a new radio is purchased without replacing the whole system • 3M 136 136 www.3m.com.au/ppesafety

Dual fuel forklifts MLA Holdings has introduced the Mitsubishi Grendia for greater benefits to the planet, and the operator and the employer.

Grendia offers forklift users a choice of diesel/dual fuel engines and electronically controlled gasoline engine that complies with all 2007 emission standards.

The forklift is equipped with features like Integrated Presence System (IPS), neutral safety, high-mounted Features integrated rear combi lamp and clear all-round presence system. visibility, all of which are within the basic price of the truck.

For driver comfort, there is a floating power train with Mitsubishi Powershift transmission, which delivers power and gradeability with minimum noise and vibration.

Other features include a suspension seat with a hip support mechanism, acrylic roof for comfortable operation in outdoor conditions, and a fully hydraulic power steering fitted with steering synchroniser. This automatically matches the rear wheel angle to the steering wheel.

It is an economic forklift with low overall running cost. They are built to last, with the frame, body, mast and even the smallest bearing designed to resist damage. It uses maintenance-free gears instead of belts.

The Grendia comes in a range of 1.0-3.5 ton machines.

• MLA Holdings www.mlaholdings.com.au www.miningaustralia.com.au

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20 per cent better fuel efficiency

Designed for ore body development and in-pit control.

RC drilling rig

Wheel loaders MAnufACtuRER of construction and mining machines Caterpillar has introduced its seventh-generation Cat 988K Wheel loader. the introduction marks the 50th anniversary of the 988 delivering performance for worldwide customers. fuel efficiency is enhanced by up to 20 per cent compared to the 988H, with the electronic fuel control. It also includes the 988K Mode (on-demand throttle), engine-idle shutdown system, and engine-idle kickdown/auto-resume system. the new operator stations features the next generation Vital Information Management system (VIMs). this provides real-time fuel consumption and fuel efficiency data through an interactive touch screen. In-cab sound levels are reduced to 71.1 dB(A), from 74.2 dB(A) in the 988H. It is designed as an optimum loading tool for Cat construction and mining trucks.

It includes redesigned loader linkage, worldwide engine configurations, drive train modifications, redesigned cab and enhancements in safety and serviceability. the 988K is powered by the Cat C18 ACERt and is available as a tier 4 final/stage IV version, using selective catalytic reduction to control nitrogen-oxide emissions. It is also available as a tier 2/stafe II version for less regulated areas.

It also comes with the optimised Z-bar loader linkage and expands its versatility in small quarries and underground applications. this uses solid steel lift arms in either a standard or high-lift configuration, decreases machine height at maximum lift yet increases dump clearance. the shorter machine length means better manoeuvrability. the impeller clutch torque converter uses a lock-up clutch for direct drive. this cuts cycle times and reduces heat especially in load-and-carry applications. the system lets operators balance rimpull and hydraulic power for efficient loading.

It also includes a remote panel with a stairway light switch, engine shutdown switch, and lockouts for the transmission and engine starter. A second panel comes with access to the battery disconnect switch and a jump start receptacle.

A rear view camera system provides images through the in-cab monitor. there is easy access to maintenance points including hydraulic pressure taps and oil sampling ports.

• Caterpillar www.au.cat.com A M0 6 1 3 _ 0 0 0 _ A U S . p d f Pa ge 1 1 5 / 0 5 / 1 3 ,

SURAT BASIN

ENERGY & MINING EXPO

19th & 20th June 2013

AtlAs Copco introduces the Explorac 100, a new reverse circulation drilling rig. Global demand for reverse circulation drilling is growing gradually for ore body development and in-pit control, as equipment becomes more versatile, cost effective and far reaching in terms of exploration capacity. the new reverse circulation rig is designed specifically for this purpose. the Explorac 100 offers modern benefits with a focus on improved efficiency with the power necessary for fast collection of dry, quality samples, personal safety, reliability, service and environmental friendliness. It has higher power, torque and pressure than previous rig generations. While specialised for minerals exploration, the Explorac rig can be easily adapted for water well drilling. It is compact and easy to transport from site to site, yet powerful enough to work in challenging environments. It is suitable for both RC and down-the-hole drilling (DtH) applications at depths of 100-200 metres. the Explorac 100 is presented on a crawler chassis with a new, automated rod handling system, a mechanised breakout table and remote control.

Vice president, marketing at Atlas Copco’s Geotechnical Drilling and Exploration division Martin sommers said the rig offers fast setup and drilling speeds, easy maintenance, reduced noise levels, minimum oil spillage and high-quality samples requested by geologists. the Explorac 100 comes with rod handling as standard, including a 30-pipe rack and a mechanised breakout table with two spanners. the operator’s panel is strategically placed on a tripod or carried on the operator’s shoulder. It operates on a low noise level for improved safety. A 35-bar compressor allows deeper drilling with the Explorac 100, without the need for a booster. It comes with tier III 82kW Cummins power pack for fuel efficient operations. It has a hydraulic tank of cyclone type with 30 per cent oil volume compared with conventional tanks, reducing the rig’s carbon footprint. the drill string equipment is designed for Greenfield exploration. the digout sub comes with four bars, stabilising and preventing damage to the hammer when digging out holes. the RC50 high-frequency reverse circulation hammers come with 15-20 per cent higher penetration than conventional tools for reliability in all rock formations.

• Atlas Copco 1 0 : www.atlascopco.com.au 3 9 : 2 2 AM AEST

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10th Annual Australian Mining Prospect Awards In this issue we have a brief word from some of the sponsors about their companies and why they choose to sponsor the Prospect Awards.

Hitachi

BASF

Hitachi Construction Machinery (Australia) Pty Ltd (HCA) is a subsidiary of Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd (Japan) and part of the global and diversified Hitachi Ltd group. This position allows HCA to draw on world-class research to implement industry-first technologies across its products and services.

HCA is the exclusive distributor of Hitachi, Bell and John Deere products in Australia, which are considered three of the most renowned and innovative Original Equipment Manufacturer brands in the world.

It delivers world-class machine sales, service and parts support to Australian customers across the mining, construction, quarry, forestry, material handling and recycling industries through its wholly-owned national branch network.

Founded on a commitment to contribute to society through the development of superior, original technology, Hitachi globally supports major environmental and social projects. HCA is proud to sponsor the Australian Mining Prospect Awards and recognise companies and individuals dedicated to safety and environmental sustainability within the mining industry.

Continued advancement in safety and innovation with a focus on reducing environmental impact are key priorities for HCA. Hitachi mining equipment utilise features aimed at lowering fuel consumption and emissions.

Creating a safe work environment is also a priority for HCA. Our machinery boasts industry leading safety features and our work practices adhere to the highest industry standards.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility.

Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society.

Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life.

We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of €72.1 billion in 2012 and more than 110,000 employees as of the end of the year.

BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN).

Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf. com.

SEW Eurodrive SEW-EURODRIVE is proud to be sponsoring the coal mine of the year award at the 2013 Australian Mining Prospect Awards. As a key supplier to the coal mining industry, we believe in quality and efficiency when it comes to drive technology.

Supplying a range of industrial gear units, motors and drives for especially large movements, we deliver more than just products to heavy industry. A team of talented engineers develop effective and timely solutions based on customers’ motion requirements, which are backed by after-sales commissioning & product support that is second to none.

We also understand that time is money, so units are delivered within a matter of weeks from our local assembly plants, rather than waiting months for items to be shipped from overseas.

The coal mining industry is one of Australia’s strongest assets – as the world’s greatest exporter of coal, we can be thankful for an industry that has given us global recognition. SEW-EURODRIVE takes great pride in sponsoring the coal mine of the year award, which we hope in turn encourages the organisations in an industry which has greatly supported our company over time.

We hope that this award goes to a fitting recipient to provide them with the acknowledgment they deserve for making such a strong contribution to Australian industry.

SEW-EURODRIVE looks forward to further ongoing partnerships with all forms of mining, now and into the future.

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Boom Logistics Safety Always is a core value at BOOM; caring for the health and safety of our customers, people, environment and community drives all of our activities and decisions.

BOOM recognises the Australian Mining Prospect Awards as a prestigious event in the mining industry, and we are proud to sponsor the Excellence in Mine OH&S Award again in 2013, and to support businesses in this sector that reflect the same safety values held by BOOM. Who is BOOM? As Australia’s leading provider of innovative lifting solutions, BOOM combines expertise and experience with the largest fleet of cranes, including travel towers, access equipment and specialty engineering resources, to help solve your lifting challenges.

BOOM serves a diverse customer base, including the mining and resources sector, and is relied upon by some of Australia’s largest blue-chip companies. We help our customers to develop and execute the right lifting solution with a focus on safety, productivity, efficiency and customer service. BOOM seeks to be recognised as the safest and leading lifting solutions company in Australia.

Be a leader in Australia’s mining industry and nominate today

www.miningaustralia.com.au

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OFFICIAL MEDIA PARTNER OF

AUSTRALIAN MINING IS PROUD TO BE AN OFFICIAL MEDIA PARTNER OF THE LARGEST MINING EXHIBITION IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION Australian Mining boasts penetration into 8,000 leading businesses including the top 1,300 mines, providing analytical feature driven content that has served and informed the information needs of senior and technical mine managers for well over 100 years.

GENERATE EXPOSURE

BEFOREYOUR COMPETITORS &

DRIVE TR AFFIC TO

YOUR STAND

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TODAY! In the lead up to AIMEX 2013 Australian Mining will deliver the following

JULY

AIMEX 2013 preview

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AIMEX 2013 edition

TO DISCUSS OUR ADVERTISING AND LEAD GENERATING SOLUTIONS, CALL US ON (02) 9422 2818 OR EMAIL US AT SALES@MININGAUSTRALIA.COM.AU

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MINING JOBS

To advertise a new job contact Hussein Azzan at 02 9422 2851

To see the latest jobs available visit www.miningaustralia.com.au, which is updated daily.

Governance SpecialiStS and MineralS SkillS developMentS SpecialiStS The Australian Government, through AusAID, is committed to broadening and deepening its engagement with African countries and institutions. The Australia Africa Partnerships Facility (AAPF) is one of the mechanisms used to achieve the second objective of Australia’s strategic approach to aid to Africa 2011-2015, which is ‘to help build the human resources capacity of African countries, particularly in areas and ways where Australia has recognised strengths and expertise’. The goal of the AAPF is to develop partnerships between Australia and African countries that contribute to achieving African countries’ development priorities.

The AAPF is managed on behalf of the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) by Cardno Emerging Markets (Australia) Pty Ltd (Cardno). The AAPF’s head office is in Pretoria, South Africa.

The AAPF is now seeking highly qualified and motivated candidates to be part of the Africa Program Support Group (APSG) – Panel of Experts for the short term technical positions: • Mineral Skills Development Specialists (job reference number EMR/ACNP/AAPF/APSG05) • Mining Sector Governance Specialists (job reference number EMR/ACNP/AAPF/APSG06) The APSG Panel of Experts is a panel of pre-qualified individual consultants that Cardno can engage quickly to meet the needs of AusAID’s program in Africa. The APSG Panel of Experts will be used for a number of tasks within their technical area, including provision of advice, project/ activity design, scoping missions, project review and monitoring, representation on AusAID’s behalf at conferences etc., and report writing.

The full Call for Application documents, including the Terms of Reference can be downloaded at http://www.cardno.com/en-au/ Careers/Pages/Jobs-at-Cardno.aspx searching for the job reference number mentioned above.

The terms and conditions of this position are determined by AusAID’s policies and procedures as set out in the ‘Adviser Remuneration Framework’ (ARF). Full details of the ARF are available at http://www. ausaid.gov.au/publications/pages/3994_1809_6357_1618_6763. aspx to successfully apply for any one or more of these applicants must submit a cv and fully completed application Forms (see call for application documents) quoting the position you are applying for to procurement@aa-partnerships.org by no later than 5pm South africa time on Friday 28 June 2013. any questions with regards to this application can also be directed to procurement@aa-partnerships.org. production MetallurGiSt Energy Resources of Australia is a publicly listed company that has mined and produced uranium oxide from its Ranger mine in the beautiful and rugged Alligator Rivers area of the Northern Territory since 1980. The open cut Ranger mine is on Aboriginal land, and is surrounded by, but separate from, the spectacular Kakadu National Park.

As a key member of the Processing Department in the role of Production Metallurgist you will provide key technical support and output to the Processing Department in line with the operational needs of the business unit, as well as the greater Rio Tinto group.

You will also be involved in identifying and implementing continuous improvement opportunities in consultation with your Team Leader.

In this role, some of your responsibilities will include the following: • Responsibility for the recording and reporting of daily, weekly, monthly and annual metallurgical accounts • Ensuring Process Plant production and quality targets are met and or exceeded • Conducting project work to improve and optimise Process Plant performance (including detailed laboratory test work and analysis) • Ensuring sufficient inventories of all reagents and Process Plant consumables are available on site and that regular stock takes are performed • Providing technical guidance, support and training to Processing and Maintenance employees.

• Providing technical guidance to ERA on all metallurgical and operational matters as required As the successful candidate, you will possess at least 3 years experience in the area of metallurgy in mineral/chemical processing plants together with a tertiary qualification in Metallurgical Engineering, Minerals Processing Engineering, Chemical Engineering or Chemistry. Experience in Crushing/Grinding is Essential.

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You will have experience in process control of plant variables in addition to experience in one or more of the following areas: leaching/ solvent extraction/CCD. Strong problem solving ability incorporating troubleshooting of technical and complex issues are a requirement of this role together with good communication skills (oral and written) will be highly regarded. Experience with JKSIMMET, METSIM, MS Office, SAP or similar softwares is preferred as some are required for this role.

Rio Tinto provides a range of lucrative benefits to attract top quality candidates. Some of these benefits include: • Generous remuneration and leave provisions with salary packaging available • Full re-location assistance including temporary accommodation, and many other provisions • A commitment to your wellbeing with health insurance subsidies for you and your family and subsidised gym/exercise membership • A commitment to developing your talent with education assistance • The opportunity to participate in the Rio Tinto Share Savings Plan • Working within a dynamic and friendly culture, in an operation renowned for its world class safety standards and high quality product, this, is an opportunity not to be missed. if you would like to apply for this role your application should include an up to date cv and covering letter outlining your skills and experiences in relation to the role.

Belt Splicer At Fenner Dunlop we pride ourselves on being the world leader in the manufacturing and service of conveyor belts to our customers through our quality products and service standards.

As a company we have a strong cultural family team spirit environment where our people are cared about, invested in, and supported.

An exciting opportunity has arisen in our small yet very professional and dedicated service branch TEAM in Darwin for a suitably qualified or experienced Conveyor Technician to continue providing a very high level of personal and skilled service to a range of clients.

We currently have a well sort after Belt Splicing position available in our Darwin branch available for an immediate start.

The key responsibilities for this position include conveyor belt installation and repair; pulley refurbishment and lagging and refurbishment; and ensuring that the workplace and TEAM are operating in a safe manner The roster is based on a Monday to Friday operation with some weekend work as required. Travel to remote sites is required which includes time away from Darwin.

New hourly wage rates and benefits for living in Darwin are available for the successful candidate.

Applications should be in the form of a resume and cover letter demonstrating your ability and experience to fulfill the tasks required in this role. to apply for this position contact 1800 689 629. technical adviSor drill and BlaSt enGineer Our Sepon mine in southern Lao PDR is now seeking an experienced Drill and Blast Engineer to join our busy Mining Department as a Technical Advisor.

Reporting to the Superintendent Mine Production, you will provide visible safety leadership and technical mentorship for our team of Laos national Drill and Blast Engineers. You will develop the team’s skills in the design of drill and blast patterns, charging designs and quality control and analysis. With a focus on safety you will also provide technical support to the Drillers, Shotfirers, and Blast crews to drive first class drill and blast standards across the site. Additionally, you will develop processes that will allow our Laos Drill and Blast Engineers to analyse and control the costs of drilling, explosive equipment and associated consumables.

Your success in this role will be measured by the effectiveness of the QAQC systems you establish and the reduction in the number of misfires that occur as a result of the best practice principles you introduce and coaching you provide.

This is a specialist role requiring someone with a detailed understanding of drill and blast processes and sequencing. You possess relevant tertiary qualifications in mining, and have completed a Certificate or Diploma in training. You are collaborative by nature, and enjoy sharing your knowledge and experience with others. You have a high level of computer literacy and good skills in ShotPlus, Vulcan and/or MineSight.

Possessing a current driver’s license is also a requirement of this role.

This is a great opportunity for you to share your knowledge and experience with others in order to develop their skills and capability.

Working at Sepon will also give you the unique opportunity to work at a multi-pit, multi-commodity site that greatly values safety and the people who work there.

This position is residential based in Vientiane Laos, with a choice of either a 5 days on/2 days off x2, 4 days on/3 day off x2 or 14 days on/7 days off FIFO roster to site. Onsite accommodation facilities are provided, including a gym and sporting facilities. Relocation and living allowances for residential in Vientiane will also be provided. if you wish to explore this opportunity further, submit your application online today by visiting the website.

Mine Surveyor We are currently seeking an enthusiastic and professional Mine Surveyor to be part of this exciting chapter, successfully developing the Dugald River underground project in North-West Queensland.

As an ideal candidate you will be a qualified Mine Surveyor who has a degree or advanced diploma in Surveying with strong underground experience. Ideally, the candidate will have the ability to organise and prioritise survey activities and work well in a team environment.

Reporting to the Senior Mine Surveyor, your duties will include assisting with completing reports, survey and production controls, ensuring all MMG policies, procedures and standards are maintained with high quality of safety at all times.

The applicant must have a sound knowledge of underground mining equipment and processes and will be required to provide survey services to the operation including the collection of spatial data, alignment of underground drilling operations, presentation of physical information, and the compilation of spatial instructions. Important to the role is your experience with underground Surveying, Leica total stations and Surpac software.

This is a great career opportunity for a motivated Underground Surveyor who is looking to expand their capabilities within a supportive team environment.

This role will operate on an 8/6 roster, FIFO from either Brisbane or Townsville. to start your career journey with MMG, submit your application online in either Word (.doc) or adobe (.pdf) format before the closing date of Monday, 10th June, 2013 by clicking on the ‘apply’ button or visiting the job search page of our website – http:// careers.mmg.com/jobSearch.asp?stp=aW&slanguage=en Superintendent – kalGoorlie Service centre Based on-site in Kalgoorlie, the incumbent will manage all operational aspects of the Service Centre by providing services around mechanical, conveyor and wear products.

This includes but is not limited to workshop services, mechanical field services, conveyor belt maintenance including spare parts, wear components, conveyor system auditing and rubber lining.

Responsibilities will also extend to financial performance of the operational aspects of the Service Centre in relation to appropriate manning levels and administration of other associated costs.

Major Responsibilities include providing effective management and guidance of the belt splicing/rubber lining team and mechanical service team; ensuring the Service Centre reaches set financial targets and KPls which relate to operational services and parts and product sales; fostering current relationships, as well as identify and develop new business in and around the Goldfields region; that you lead by example in the area of HSE, ensuring the Service Centre operates in a safe manner; provide technical liaison services between customers, product divisions and sales personnel; and carry out investigation of customer complaints regarding quality, tolerances, specifications and condition of products. requirements: At least two years experience from one or several of the following industries: mining, quarrying or conveyer belt maintenance.

Significant experience with the maintenance of conveyer belt systems.

Significant exposure to managing or supervising a mining-related service operation.

Sound experience and clear leadership capabilities with strong powers of motivation and knowledge transfer.

Strong financial acumen, including the ability to read and analyse financial and operational reports.

Benefits: Company funded life and income protection insurance when electing MLC default fund.

Discount on private health insurance through Medibank Private Health Solutions.

For more information visit www.miningaustralia.com.au. www.miningaustralia.com.au

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EVENTS

Conferences, seminars & workshops Event submissions can be emailed to editor@miningaustralia.com.au Practical Belt Conveying 18 March-7 November Four day training course with a strong practical bias for engineers involved with the design or maintenance of high capacity belt conveyor systems for the mining or related industries.

Over 1200 engineers have now attended one of these courses.

The event is typically held with a small class size, while a 300 page manual is provided.

The event will be held on: 18-21 March, at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, Brisbane 19-22 August, at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, Brisbane 4-7 November, at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, Brisbane • Tech Training ann.odonovan@techtraining.com.au www.techtraining.com.au

COO Leaders Mining Summit 2013 23-23 July Crown Metropol, Perth In 2012, much importance has grown in the mining sector over the BOOM, DOOM, GLOOM; so which is true? Recent industry reports

August 20-23, 2013

show mining growth has increased by 11.9% annually which equates revenue to 13 billion.

“Is this the peak before it crashes?” is the question that haunts every COO in the mining industry. With rising operational costs and falling commodities, the constant need to reduce overheads, generate growth, watch performance and increase operational effectiveness has become the key priority for COOs today.

The COO Leaders Mining Summit is Australia’s ONLY event designed specically for COO leaders from within Australia’s major Mining companies to discuss and interact as one over a range of important issues currently facing the industry.

The current challenges and opportunities will be highlighted through visionary keynote presentations; roundtable sessions, interactive workshops, panel discussions, think tank sessions delivered by your most esteemed peers and thought leaders in the mining community.

The one-to-one meetings with leading solution providers will also provide you with a wealth of expertise, while the informal networking opportunities, gala dinners and leisure activities create a unique interactive forum.

• Media Corp International www.cooleaders.com.au

Sydney, Australia

AIMEX exhibitors spearhead focus on driving down operating costs Paul Baker, Exhibition Director, outlines what visitors can expect to see and learn at AIMEX 2013.

When the most important mining exhibition in Australia, Asia-Pacific’s International Mining Exhibition – AIMEX, returns to Sydney in late August, it will be a unique opportunity to see the latest productivity and efficiency-enhancing innovations on offer to the industry.

The mining industry is going through a very rapid rate of change and innovation, with a correspondingly fast pace of product development and in the two years since the last AIMEX, the industry has really focused on driving down operational costs.

In response to this, the emphasis among exhibitors and displays at AIMEX 2013 will really be all about innovation; how the very latest processes, systems, services and products can meet miners’ demands.

And remember, AIMEX has something for all mining regions and types; it will have new products and services covering metalliferous and hard-rock mining, as well as coal mining – in both surface and underground applications.

AIMEX 2013 online registration is now open. Please visit the website and pre-register, as a way of speeding up your entry to the exhibition – www.aimex.com.au

Diggers and Dealers 2013 5-7 August Kalgoorlie The annual Diggers and Dealers mining forum will be held in Kalgoorlie between August 5 and 7 and will feature a jammed packed schedule of speakers and workshops.

This year’s key note speaker is economic commentator and former chief economic advisor to President Obama, Austan Goolsbee.

Goolsbee will speak on Monday August 5 and is expected to provide an insight into international economic activity and an overview of how this will impact demand for commodities as well as the positives and risks that are currently affecting the market.

Diggers and Dealers runs for three days and attracts delegates from mining and exploration companies, brokers, bankers, investors, financiers and mining service industries.

There is also a large exhibition area housing exhibitors from the mining, exploration and service sectors.

• Diggers & Dealers www.diggersndealers.com.au

Rapid Development Conference 2013 – Enabling the Future Mine 14-16 August Marriott Hotel, Sydney From new approaches to shaft sinking; faster raise boring and downreaming; advances in hard rock cutting technology and continuous mining for hard rock; rapid decline development; and the use of new mobile miner and TBM technology to tackle mine access tunnels and block cave development – interest in this area of the industry is at an all time high.

If your group has an interest in offering a presentation (speakers attend for free),

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or sponsoring the event, please feel free to contact the Rapid Development 2013 Conference Director, Paul Moore at paul@ immining.com with a paper summary/synopsis for consideration or in the case of sponsorship interest, an indication of how you would like to be involved.

Paper preference will be given to those covering real current and ongoing projects, new technology, and joint OEM/mining group papers.

Sponsorship opportunities include conference lunches/receptions, lanyards, delegate bags, pens/pads, the program and other areas. A small number of exhibition booths will also be available.

• International Mining Paul Moore paul@immining.com www.corporate.im-mining.com/imevents

AIMEX 20-23 August Sydney Showground, Sydney Now held once every two years and firmly established on the international mining calendar, AIMEX is the flagship event within the portfolio of established industrial trade fairs staged by Reed Exhibitions.

AIMEX is where Australian and international suppliers of mining technology, equipment and services come together with mining industry buyers and specifiers from throughout the Asia-Pacific region to network and explore business opportunities, and exchange technical information.

• Reed Exhibitions Peter Thompson 02 9422 2472 peter.thompson@reedexhibitions.com.au www.aimex.com.au www.miningaustralia.com.au

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NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN Nominations are now open for the 10th Annual Australian Mining Prospect Awards, to be held in Sydney on Thursday 31st October 2013.

Fifteen awards will be up for grabs on the night, where we recognise and celebrate innovation and performance within the mining industry. All ďŹ nalists will receive free publicity in the Australian Mining magazine and two free tickets to the gala dinner where the winners will be announced.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.miningaustralia.com.au/awards

NOMINATE ONLINE NOW WWW.MININGAUSTRALIA. COM.AU/AWARDS

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

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A Member of The Linde Group

BOC can help you with the right combination

Welding procedure?

Welding equipment?

Shielding gas?

Safety?

Consumables?

At BOC we understand the challenges the welder faces within the mining industry. If we can help your business increase productivity and keep costs down, then weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing our job.

We recognise that for welding itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to use the right combination of BOC shielding gases, quality welding consumables, and state-of-the-art welding machines to help you achieve the results you need. In addition to this, BOC has a wealth of technical expertise available to you through our Welding Specialists located in major regions across Australia.

Just as we protect our own people , you can count on BOCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to help protect yours. We have a comprehensive range of personal protective HTXLSPHQW DQG ZRUNZHDU LQFOXGLQJ ÄžUH UHWDUGDQW FORWKLQJ VSHFLÄžFDOO\ GHVLJQHG IRU \RXU LQGXVWU\ 7R ÄžQG RXW PRUH YLVLW \RXU ORFDO *DV *HDUTM retail outlet, boc.com.au or call 131 262.

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