Global projects and exploration
Australia
Rio to develop tech hub
Global mining giant Rio Tinto will develop its
most technologically advanced mine yet when
it brings the Koodaideri iron ore project in
Western Australia into production. The project
will cost close to USD2.6-billion.
Koodaideri will deliver a new production
hub for Rio Tinto’s world-class iron ore
business in the Pilbara, incorporating a
processing plant and infrastructure, including
a 166km rail line connecting the mine to
the existing network. Construction will start
this year, with first production expected in
late 2021. Once complete, the mine will
have an annual capacity of 43 million tonnes,
underpinning production of the Pilbara Blend,
Rio Tinto’s flagship iron ore product.
Koodaideri Phase 1 will help sustain
Rio Tinto’s existing production capacity by
replacing depletion elsewhere in the system.
The project will increase the higher-value lump
component of the Pilbara Blend, subject to
market conditions, from the current average of
about 35% to around 38%.
It is expected to deliver an internal rate of
return of 20% and capital intensity of about
USD60 per tonne of annual capacity — highly
competitive for a new mine, considering the
additional infrastructure of rail spur, airport,
camp, and road access required.
According to Rio Tinto CEO J-S Jacques,
the operation has been designed to use an
increased level of automation and digitisation,
helping to deliver a safer and more productive
mine that is expected to be Rio Tinto’s lowest
cost contributor to its industry benchmark
Pilbara Blend product. “Through the use of
digital assets, advanced data analytics, and
automation, Rio Tinto expects to significantly
enhance the operation and maintenance of this
new mine. Koodaideri is a game-changer for
Rio Tinto. It will be the most technologically
advanced mine we have ever built and sets a
new benchmark for the industry in terms of the
adoption of automation and the use of data to
enhance safety and productivity,” says Jacques.
Koodaideri is about 35km north-west of
Rio Tinto’s Yandicoogina mine site, and about
110km from the town of Newman in the
Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Australia
Assay results boost resource base
Drill results from Core Lithium’s Carlton
and Hang Gong prospects in the northern
territory of Australia have demonstrated that
the Finniss resource base can be significantly
expanded through further exploration drilling.
Carlton and Hang Gong are within
1.5km from the Grants Lithium Deposit.
The Finniss lithium project comprises over
500km² of granted tenements near Darwin
over the Bynoe Pegmatite Field. Results
have confirmed that ore grade lithium
mineralisation is widespread within the
Finniss Project.
According to Stephen Biggins, managing
director at Core Lithium, the company’s
drilling in 2018 was aimed at growing the
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ex
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mineral resource base to underpin a potential
long-life lithium mining and production
operation.
Core plans to mine and produce high-
quality lithium concentrate from the Finniss
Project. The company aims to complete a
definitive feasibility study (DFS), regulatory
approvals, financing, and internal approvals
before commencing production at Grants by
the end of 2019.
Finniss has a number of infrastructure
advantages supporting the project’s
development: It is close to grid power, gas,
and rail, and within easy trucking distance
by sealed road to Darwin Port, which is
Australia’s nearest port to Asia.
“The mineral resource base of Finniss has
increased from 1.8 million tonnes (Mt) to 5Mt
since May last year and the drilling results
coming to hand suggest the company will be
able to materially increase that in the coming
months. “Core will continue to progress
Grants towards development while growing
the existing mineral resource base through
aggressive exploration programmes to unlock
the hidden potential,” says Biggins.
India
Technology partnership transforms
Sindesar
Equipment manufacturer Sandvik and
technology developer Newtrax have teamed
up to provide and implement a major digital
transformation at Hindustan Zinc’s Sindesar
Khurd (SK) mine in India. The solution will be
one of the most comprehensive digital offerings
globally in the mining industry, enabling an
integrated mine management solution for the
entire mobile underground fleet.
Newtrax will deliver personnel tracking with
cap lamps, tracking, and telemetry data for
ration
the entire mobile underground fleet, including
non-Sandvik equipment, numbering more than
150 drills, loaders, trucks, and other equipment.
The Newtrax offering will be integrated with
the Sandvik OptiMine digital platform, with
IBM Watson-IoT, creating an integrated mine
management solution at the SK mine.
“Sandvik OptiMine modules can be
combined as needed to build up the
required functionality and to optimise mining
operations. With open interfaces, the solution
can also be integrated to other mine IT systems.
This interoperability is crucial in enabling
our customers to leverage the full value of
digitalization,” says Patrick Murphy, president
product area rock drills and technologies at
Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology.
New Zealand
Pike River explosion relived
The New Zealand government announced that
a team of men will re-enter the Pike River
mine drift, eight years after multiple explosions
hit the operation on November 2010. Pike
River coal mine is 46km north-north-east of
Greymouth in the West Coast region of New
Zealand’s South Island.
“The decision represents the New Zealand
government’s commitment to fulfill the
original promise made to the families of
the 29 miners and workers … and to better
understand the cause or causes of the original
explosion on 19 November 2010,” says
Andrew Little, the minister responsible for the
Pike River re-entry.
The re-entry recommendations and risk
assessments provided by the Pike River
Recovery Agency — Te Kāhui Whakamana
Rua Tekau Mā Iwa — were evaluated for
months, in consultation with independent
advisor Rob Fyfe.
FEBRUARY 2019 MINING MIRROR [11]