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voda 8 maart 2021 15:57

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BHP Inks MoU with HBIS to Cut Emissions in Steel Industry

BHP has signed a MoU with one of the world’s largest steelmakers and a major customer of BHP’s iron ore China’s HBIS Group Co Ltd with the intention of investing up to USD 15 million over three years to jointly study and explore greenhouse gas emissions reduction technologies and pathways. Under the partnership, BHP and HBIS Group intend to collaborate on three priority areas: hydrogen-based direct reduction technology, the recycling and reuse of steelmaking slag, and the role of iron ore lump utilisation to help reduce emissions from iron making and steelmaking. The partnership aims to help both companies progress toward their climate change goals, and support the steel industry’s role in helping to achieve China’s ambitions to be carbon neutral by 2060.

BHP’s Chief Commercial Officer Ms Vandita Pant said “We view decarbonisation of the steel industry as a complex puzzle that requires multiple technological solutions across the value chain over different time horizons. By forming this third low-carbon steelmaking partnership with HBIS Group, we are focusing on additional components, such as the role our products play in hydrogen-based steel production, that complement our other partnerships and support for endeavours in emissions reduction and capture from the traditional blast furnace route.”

BHP’s investment would be drawn from its USD 400 million Climate Investment Program established in 2019 to support projects, partnerships, research and development to help reduce Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.

The MoU with HBIS Group follows recent partnerships established with major steelmakers China Baowu and JFE to explore emissions reduction from steelmaking. BHP has been active in other areas to reduce emissions, including awarding the world’s first LNG-fuelled Newcastlemax bulk carrier tender and the first LNG supply agreement for those vessels, and renewable energy supply contracts for BHP’s Queensland coal mines and Nickel West operations.

Source - Strategic Research Institute

voda 17 maart 2021 08:38

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Rio Tinto Aluminium Scandium Alloy for 3D Printing

Rio Tinto has signed an agreement to provide a first commercial batch of high-performance aluminium-scandium alloy from its North American operations to Amaero, a leader in metal additive manufacturing. This first sale is being delivered through Rio Tinto’s unique position as a producer of both aluminium and scandium, and its technical capability to develop specialised alloys. Under the agreement, Rio Tinto will deliver alloy billets made of responsibly produced, low carbon aluminium from its hydro-powered Canadian smelters and high purity scandium oxide from its Rio Tinto Fer et Titane (RTFT) metallurgical complex in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec. The billets will be processed by Amaero into powder for 3D printing and offered to the market for high temperature applications.

The scandium oxide will be supplied from a new plant Rio Tinto is building in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec, bringing the first North American supply source to the world. The plant will use an innovative recovery process developed by Rio Tinto scientists to extract high purity scandium oxide from the waste streams of titanium dioxide production, without the need for any additional mining.

The companies will also collaborate to develop the supply chain for Amaero’s high performance, High Operating Temperature Aluminium Alloy, “Amaero HOT Al”, and commercialise this lightweight material for applications in the aerospace, defence and other industries.

Amaero International Limited is an Australian based company that manufactures large format complex components in metal with laser-based additive manufacturing processes, commonly known as 3D printing.

Source - Strategic Research Institute

voda 17 maart 2021 08:39

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Rio Tinto Investing in Isle-Maligne Power Plant in Quebec

Rio Tinto is investing a further CAD 92 million in maintenance work and upgrades to improve the reliability and efficiency of its Isle-Maligne hydroelectric station, which is essential to the production of hydroelectricity for the manufacture of low-carbon aluminum in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean in Quebec. The work will work begin this summer and take place over two years, with one turbine-alternator group being replaced and major maintenance work undertaken on another. The plant will be upgraded with state-of-the-art instrumentation and information management technologies to deliver improved operational efficiencies.

GE Renewable Energy will deliver engineering, fabrication and installation of the replacement turbine-alternator group.

The investment adds to a CAD 160 million maintenance project announced in October 2020 to replace valves in the Isle-Maligne station.

Rio Tinto is Canada's largest private producer of hydroelectricity. Its seven hydroelectric facilities, located in Quebec and British Columbia, provide a competitive advantage, allowing the company's modern aluminum smelters to position themselves favourably in the industry.

Source - Strategic Research Institute

voda 17 maart 2021 08:40

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Rio Tinto to Build New Tellurium Plant at Kennecott Mine in Utah

Rio Tinto will begin construction on a new plant that will recover tellurium, a critical mineral used in solar panels, from copper refining at its Kennecott mine near Salt Lake City in Utah in US. Rio Tinto is investing USD 2.9 million to set up the plant, which will recover tellurium as a byproduct of copper smelting, extracting a valuable mineral from waste streams. The plant will have a capacity to produce approximately 20 tonnes of tellurium per year. Rio Tinto expects to begin production of tellurium in the fourth quarter of 2021, creating a new North American supply chain for this critical mineral.

Tellurium is an essential component of cadmium telluride, a semiconductor used to manufacture thin film photovoltaic solar panels. Thin films made of this compound can efficiently convert sunlight into electricity. Tellurium can also be used as an additive to steel and copper to improve machinability, making these metals easier to cut. It can also be added to lead to increase resistance to sulfuric acid, vibration and fatigue.

Tellurium is a chemical element with the symbol Te and atomic number 52. It is a brittle, mildly toxic, rare, silver-white metalloid. Tellurium is chemically related to selenium and sulfur, all three of which are chalcogens. It is occasionally found in native form as elemental crystals. Tellurium is far more common in the Universe as a whole than on Earth. Its extreme rarity in the Earth's crust, comparable to that of platinum, is due partly to its formation of a volatile hydride that caused tellurium to be lost to space as a gas during the hot nebular formation of Earth and partly to tellurium's low affinity for oxygen, which causes it to bind preferentially to other chalcophiles in dense minerals that sink into the core.

Along with producing almost 20 per cent of US copper, Kennecott’s smelting process also recovers gold, silver, lead carbonate, platinum, palladium and selenium, while molybdenum is recovered from the Copper concentrator. In total, nine products are currently recovered from the ore extracted at Kennecott.https://cdn.britannica.com/48/22348-050-71DF708D/Tellerium-Te-square-periodic-table-some-properties.jpghttps://cdn.britannica.com/48/22348-050-71DF708D/Tellerium-Te-square-periodic-table-some-properties.jpg

Source - Strategic Research Institute

voda 17 maart 2021 08:41

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Rio Tinto Update on WTSP 2 Expansion at Tom Price Iron Ore Mine

Rio Tinto has to date awarded contracts valued at over AUD 500 million to local Western Australian and Pilbara Aboriginal businesses to support the latest development of its Greater Tom Price Operations. Construction of the Western Turner Syncline Phase 2 expansion commenced in early 2020 and to date more than 85% of spending on the project has been awarded to Western Australian and Pilbara Aboriginal businesses, directly through Rio Tinto or principal contractor Mondium. At peak construction, development will support a workforce of over 1,000 people with the majority employed by WA businesses, including Guma Warnii, Monadelphous, Mondium, Kerman Contracting, Whittens, North West Mining & Civil, MACA Civil, Linkforce and Aerison.

Rio Tinto approved the AUD 1 billion investment in the mine in November 2019 to sustain production capacity of its iron ore business in the Pilbara. The investment allows for the mining of existing and new deposits at WTS2 and includes construction of a new crusher and a 13-kilometre conveyor which will help lower greenhouse gas emissions from the mine by 3.5% compared to road haulage. First production from the new deposits at WTS2 is expected in the second half of 2021.

Western Turner Syncline Phase 2 is located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia 35 kilometres north-west of the Tom Price mine from where its ore is ultimately processed and loaded onto rail. Rio Tinto’s Greater Tom Price production hub includes the Tom Price, Western Turner Syncline Phase 1 and Western Turner Syncline Phase 2 satellite hubs. Rio Tinto commenced development of Western Turner Syncline Phase 2 in 2014 and expansion plans commenced in 2019. The investment in the WTS2 mine will help sustain the current workforce at Rio Tinto’s Greater Tom Price production hub. The project is expected to deliver an attractive internal rate of return with a capital intensity of about AUD 25 per tonne of production capacity.

Source - Strategic Research Institute

voda 17 maart 2021 08:43

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Fortescue Strengthens Target for Carbon Neutrality by 2030

Fortescue Metals Group Ltd Chairman Dr Andrew Forrest announced Fortescue’s target to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, ten years earlier than the previous target. Fortescue Future Industries, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fortescue, will be a key enabler of this target through the development of green electricity, green hydrogen and green ammonia projects in Australia. Dr Forrest said “We have joined the global battle to defeat climate change. We are trialling and demonstrating green hydrogen technologies in global-scale commercial environments, while also rapidly evolving into a green hydrogen and electricity producer of similar scale. Our commitment to demonstrate green hydrogen’s economic value in world-scale operations, and become a major energy exporter, while implementing the considerable facilities to support both, means that Fortescue has emerged not simply as a thought-leader and investor, but uniquely as an executor of major green hydrogen projects. Our aim is to provide the two missing links in the climate change battle, to create both the demand and the supply of green hydrogen. Due to its high energy performance and environmental neutrality, green hydrogen and direct green electricity has the potential to eliminate fossil fuels from supply chains. Once established, these advances will also substantially reduce Fortescue’s operating costs. Fortescue’s strong focus on green energy and our carbon neutrality targets will sit alongside our continuing excellence in, and commitment to, our iron ore business. While our green energy and industry initiatives may one day significantly outscale our iron ore business due to the global demand for renewable energy, our commitment to iron ore and resources globally remains indefeasible.”

Fortescue is seeking to move from being a major consumer of fossil fuel with a current trajectory of more than 1 billion litres a year of diesel being used across the operations if no remedial action is taken - to a major clean and renewable energy exporter. FFI is advancing projects across Australia including Tasmania, to build large-scale renewable energy and green hydrogen production capacity. This will expedite the substitution of green hydrogen and green ammonia for carbon-based fuels. These projects will, with the support of Australia’s governments, contribute to a significant reduction in national carbon emissions. Through FFI and its highly committed Operations team, Fortescue is undertaking to deliver several key projects by the stretch target of 30 June 2021. This will underpin its pathway to decarbonisation. These projects include

Developing a ship design powered by green ammonia and trialling that design in new ammonia engine technology, at scale

Testing large battery technology in our haul trucks

Trialling hydrogen fuel cell power for our drill rigs

Trialling technology on our locomotives to run on green ammonia

Conducting trials to use renewable energy in the Pilbara to convert iron ore to green iron at low temperatures, without coal.

In June 2020, Fortescue announced an industry-leading target to achieve net zero operational emissions by 2040. This included a 26 percent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions from existing operations by 2030 relative to 2020 levels.

Source - Strategic Research Institute

voda 18 maart 2021 09:38

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BHP Partners with ADC for Electrification of Transport in China

BHP has signed an agreement with Chinese automotive think tank, Automotive Data of China Co Ltd, to support its research on the future electrification of transport in China. The two-year partnership will focus on the key drivers for the development of energy saving and new energy vehicles in China, such as - the manufacturing value-chain, efficiency, consumer attitudes and products development, battery chemistry, technical performance, the policy environment and the long range outlook for electrification. The outcomes and insights identified will be shared with companies across the value chain in the next two years.

ADC is a subsidiary of China Automotive Technology and Research Center, a globally prominent automobile technological research institute.

Nickel makes a vital contribution to the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles and Chinese demand for high quality nickel sulphate is expected to surge as the trend towards EVs accelerates further. BHP Nickel West is a fully integrated mine-to-market nickel business that produces some of the highest quality and lowest carbon nickel in the world, with over 75 per cent of BHP’s nickel sold to electric battery material suppliers. BHP is investing in expanding its nickel operations and exploration activities as global demand is expected to grow.

Source - Strategic Research Institute

voda 18 maart 2021 09:40

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Vale Appoints Ms Deshnee for Base Metals business

Vale announced that Ms Deshnee Naidoo is the new Director of Finance and Business Development for the Base Metals business. In this role, Ms Deshnee will lead and direct the Base Metals Finance Team, responsible for financial strategy, planning, forecasts and supervising the investment cycles for Base Metals.

Ms Deshnee is a mining executive with diverse experience, her multifunctional and multicommodity roles have spanned corporate and operational levels, across many geographies. Among her many personal and professional accomplishments, Ms Deshnee is a three-time South Africa Mining Rainmaker, was recognized among the 100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining in 2018 and has served as a Board Member of the South Africa Minerals Council. Committed to creating more diverse and inclusive organizations, Ms Deshnee led the Women in Mining initiative for the South African Minerals Council to achieve gender equality, with a goal of 30% women by 2025.

Prior to joining Vale, Ms Deshnee was the CEO of the Zinc International business at Vedanta Resources from 2014 to 2020, where she held full P&L accountability for the international Zinc group and led its transformation and growth during this period to be recognised as a key global Zinc producer.

Source - Strategic Research Institute

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voda 22 maart 2021 11:10

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Vale Starts Vargem Grande Complex Filtration Plant Operation

Vale has gradually started the operation of the tailings filtration plant located at the Vargem Grande Complex, the first of four filtration plants to be operated in Vale's sites in Minas Gerais, totaling US$ 2.3 billion in investments between 2020 and 2024. In addition to reducing the dependence on dams, the start-up will allow an improvement in the average quality of Vale's product portfolio with the use of wet processing on the site.laborum. In the filtration process, the existing water in the iron ore tailings is minimized, allowing most of the material to be stacked in a solid state, thus reducing dependence on dams (please click here to watch a video). Still in 2021, Vale expects to start-up the first filtration plant in the Itabira Complex. Throughout 2022, the second filtration plant at the Itabira Complex and the first at the Brucutu site will start operating. The four tailings filtration plants will serve beneficiation plants that have a total capacity to process 64 Mtpy of iron ore.

The addition of 4 Mtpy of production capacity as previously announced in the Production and Sales Report on February 3rd, 2021, will take place from the third quarter of 2021 along with the start-up of the Maravilhas III dam, which is in its final stage of construction and you will receive the slime from the plant, equivalent to approximately 30% of the total tailings generated from this operation.

The start-up of tailings' filtration operations in Vargem Grande is another step in stabilizing iron ore production and on the way to resume the of 400 Mtpy production capacity by the end of 2022.

Source - Strategic Research Institute

voda 29 maart 2021 09:19

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Rio Tinto Outlines Path to Stronger Cultural Heritage Management

Rio Tinto detailed last week detail how it is working in partnership with Traditional Owners, host communities and independent groups to strengthen and improve its approach to cultural heritage and community relations. In virtual seminars, which will include presentations from Board and Executive Committee members as well as experts in the field, Rio Tinto will outline actions it has introduced to strengthen its performance and governance of cultural heritage following the destruction of the rockshelters at Juukan Gorge in May 2020 and outline the steps it will take to further improve its performance. One key step is confirmation that an Indigenous Advisory Group will be established to ensure Rio Tinto has a better understanding of Indigenous culture and issues in Australia, including at Board level. It follows broad consultation with Traditional Owners and Indigenous leaders with the aim to introduce more diversity and breadth of views, including external perspective, in decision-making.

Rio Tinto has also commenced work to review and re-define what best practice for cultural heritage management is in the mining industry. This work will be done in consultation with the IAG and other independent parties and will enable Rio Tinto to identify gaps in current protocols and provide a clear pathway to re-establish trust over time and regain Rio Tinto’s previous standing in this area.

Following the events at Juukan Gorge, Rio Tinto reviewed its internal processes and also consulted widely with Traditional Owners, host communities, governments and other stakeholders. As a result, the company has significantly strengthened internal practices, policies and governance.

As part of Rio Tinto’s efforts to increase transparency in its approach to cultural heritage, the company has also committed to additional disclosures on the progress of heritage measures being undertaken. Rio Tinto is also engaging with a number of global investors and investor groups1, to jointly identify additional disclosures on:

Progress against Rio Tinto’s own commitments and internal work-streams, (including Trusted Partnership Plan), external obligations and recommendations

How Traditional Owners’ views are being sought and considered in shaping these commitments and Traditional Owners’ perspectives on how successfully these commitments are being met

Enhanced governance arrangements in place to oversee the company’s progress against these actions

How the company is working to advocate for enhanced sector-wide cultural heritage management and how this is consistent with Rio Tinto’s internal standards

Rio Tinto intends to commence with interim reporting in the third quarter of 2021 and thereafter with predominantly annual reporting, coupled with periodic disclosure as appropriate. Further consultation with a broad range of investors and other stakeholders will continue to assist in developing these disclosures over time.

Source - Strategic Research Institute

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voda 29 maart 2021 09:20

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Rio Tinto Selects Heliogen’s Solar Technology for Boron Mine

Rio Tinto and Mr Bill Gates backed renewable energy technology company Heliogen announced an agreement to explore the deployment of Heliogen’s breakthrough solar technology at Rio Tinto’s borates mine in Boron in California. Under a Memorandum of Understanding, Heliogen will deploy its proprietary, artificial intelligence powered technology at the Boron operation, where it will use heat from the sun to generate and store carbon-free energy to power the mine’s industrial processes. The two companies will begin detailed planning and securing government permits for the project, with the aim of starting operations from 2022. The companies will also use the Boron installation to begin exploring the potential for deployments of Heliogen’s technology at Rio Tinto’s other operations around the world to supply process heat, which accounted for 14 per cent of Scope 1 & 2 emissions from the Group’s managed operations in 2020.

Heliogen’s high-temperature solar technology is designed to cost-effectively replace fossil fuels with sunlight for a range of industrial processes, including those used in mining. At Rio Tinto’s Boron mine, the company’s proprietary technology will use AI to control a network of mirrors that concentrate sunlight to capture energy used to make steam. Heliogen’s system will also store the captured energy in the form of heat, allowing it to power nighttime operations and providing the same uninterrupted energy stream offered by legacy fuels.

The Boron operation mines and refines borates into products ranging from fertilizers to construction materials and is producing lithium carbonate from a demonstration plant. The site currently generates steam using a natural gas cogeneration plant and natural gas fired boilers. Heliogen’s installation will supplement these energy sources by generating up to 35,000 pounds per hour of steam to power operations, with the potential to reduce carbon emissions at the Boron site by around 7 per cent – equivalent to taking more than 5,000 cars off the road. Rio Tinto will also be assessing the potential for larger scale use of the Heliogen technology at Boron to reduce the site’s carbon footprint by up to 24 per cent.

Heliogen’s mission of slashing global carbon emissions by replacing fossil fuels with sunlight, as well as its focus on industrial sectors, made them an ideal partner for Rio Tinto, which is committed to decarbonizing its global operations.

Source - Strategic Research Institute

voda 29 maart 2021 09:21

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Glencore Inks Pact with Mitsubishi for Aurukun Bauxite Project

Glencore and Mitsubishi Development have signed a joint venture agreement to develop the Aurukun bauxite project in western Cape York in Queensland. Under the agreement, Mitsubishi will acquire a 30% interest in the project, with the remaining retained by Glencore. The project has the potential to become an open cut bauxite mine with a life of more than 20 years, producing up to eight million dry tonnes of washed bauxite a year.

The development is also subject to regulatory approvals but has been met with support from the Queensland Government.

Glencore is now finishing the Aurukun environmental impact statement, which will be open to public review in mid-2021, ahead of reaching a final investment decision next year.

Source - Strategic Research Institute

voda 5 april 2021 09:36

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Vale Finalizes Sale of Vale New Caledonia to Prony Resources

Vale informed that, following the December 8th, 2020 release, its subsidiary Vale Canada Limited has concluded the sale of its ownership interest in Vale Nouvelle-Calédonie SAS to the Prony Resources New Caledonia consortium. The consortium of investors, including Trafigura, comprises a majority and non-dilutable shareholding for New Caledonian interests. Vale CEO Mr Eduardo Bartolomeo said "After several months of negotiations, I am pleased that we concluded our divestment of VNC, benefitting employees, New Caledonia and all its stakeholders. Vale is fully committed to this transaction. It meets the guarantees required at the financial, social and environmental levels and offers a sustainable future for the operations.”

Vale's intent from the beginning of the divestment process was to withdraw from New Caledonia in an orderly and responsible manner. This deal accomplishes that.

The deal provides the former VNC operations with a financial package totaling USD 1.1 billion, of which Vale Canada Limited is contributing USD 555 million to support the continuity of the operations. The financing of the Pact for the Sustainable Development of the Deep South will also be secured by Vale.

In addition, Vale will continue to have the right to a long-term nickel supply agreement for a proportion of the operation's production, allowing it to continue addressing the growing demand for nickel by the electric vehicle industry.

Source - Strategic Research Institute

voda 8 april 2021 11:56

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Rio Tinto Joins Japan’s Green Value Chain Platform Network

Rio Tinto Japan has joined Japan’s Green Value Chain Platform Network, a collaboration established by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment to lead transparent decarbonisation efforts in the country. Representative Director and Rio Tinto Japan President Bill Horie said “We are honoured to be welcomed into the Ministry of Environment’s GVC Network and look forward to engaging on innovative approaches with customers, government and industry to help reduce Japan’s carbon footprint”.

Rio Tinto aims to reach net zero emissions across its operations by 2050. To help reach net zero emissions across its operations by 2050, Rio Tinto is targeting a reduction in emissions intensity by 30% and in its absolute emissions by 15%, both by 2030 and from 2018 levels. The company also plans to spend approximately $1 billion over five years on emissions reduction projects, research and development, and activities to enhance the climate resilience of our business.

Its efforts to support decarbonisation through state-of-the-art solutions such as START Responsible Aluminium, an industry-leading traceability program, aligns with the GVC Network intentions.

Formed in 2018, GVC Network member companies work to set science-based targets for emissions reduction that are economically feasible and effective for the achievement of their Scope 1, 2 and 3 targets; and to share solutions related to renewable energy, energy conservation, or energy storage. The GVC Network collaborates formally through networking and has 141 members representing a variety of industries: electronics, machinery and equipment, automotive, airline, pharmaceutical, chemical, cosmetics, building and construction, real estate, housing, printing, food and beverage, marine, retailing, publishing, logistics.

Source - Strategic Research Institute

voda 12 april 2021 08:11

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Oyu Tolgoi, Rio Tinto & MUST Partner for Future of Mining

Oyu Tolgoi LLC and Rio Tinto in partnership with the Mongolian University of Science and Technology have launched a joint project to build and develop the capability of geotechnical and mining professionals in Mongolia. Rio Tinto Mongolia and Oyu Tolgoi LLC will provide USD 2.75 million in funding for the project, which will run until the end of 2025. The initiative was officially launched today with a cooperation agreement signed by Kh. Amarjargal, Country Director of Rio Tinto Mongolia, Armando Torres, Chief Executive Officer of Oyu Tolgoi LLC and B. Ochirbat, President of the Mongolian University of Science and Technology. The ceremony was witnessed by L. Enkh-Amgalan, Minister of Education and Science, B. Munkhzaya, head of the Policy Implementation Directorate at the Ministry of Mining and Heavy Industries and B.Bold, Chief Executive, Rio Tinto Copper.

The Oyu Tolgoi project currently has an experienced geotechnical team in Mongolia. This team has been working in the open pit since the exploration phase and has been using the latest geophysical equipment to measure boreholes, highlighting the importance of geotechnics for Oyu Tolgoi. These skills are integral to ensuring the safety of people, the safety of the operations, and the long-term health of the operations.

On 19 April 2019, Oyu Tolgoi LLC and the School of Geology and Mining of the Mongolian University of Science and Technology signed a Memorandum of Understanding on “Mining Geotechnical Professionals Capability Development Project”. In this context, Mongolia’s first bachelor's degree program in geotechnics has been launched and currently 25 first-year students are successfully undertaking the course.

MUST will have an internationally recognised program

Highly competitive graduates

Increased research output for the mining industry

State-of-the-art mining geotechnical laboratory

Increased opportunities for joint international research

Continuous professional development of lecturers and highly skilled faculty

Model program for higher education reform and development, a pressing need in Mongolia.

Source - Strategic Research Institute

voda 14 april 2021 09:23

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Rio Tinto Achieves Battery Grade Lithium Production at Boron plant

Rio Tinto has commenced production of battery-grade lithium from waste rock at a lithium demonstration plant at the Boron mine site in California, United States. The demonstration plant is the next step in scaling up a breakthrough lithium production process developed at Boron, to recover the critical mineral and extract additional value out of waste piles from over 90 years of mining at the operation. An initial small-scale trial in 2019 successfully proved the process of roasting and leaching waste rock to recover high grades of lithium.

The demonstration plant has a design capacity of 10 tonnes per year of battery grade lithium. It will be run throughout 2021 to optimise the process and inform Rio Tinto’s feasibility assessment for progressing to a production scale plant with an initial capacity of at least 5,000 tonnes per year, or enough to make batteries for approximately 70,000 electric vehicles.

Rio Tinto’s lithium pipeline includes the Jadar lithium-borate project in Serbia, for which a feasibility study is expected to complete by the end of 2021.

Development of the lithium project at Boron draws on Rio Tinto’s long standing partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Critical Materials Institute, which is focussed on discovering ways to economically recover critical mineral by-products from existing refining and smelting processes. CMI experts worked alongside Rio Tinto technical leads to help solve a number of key processing challenges to produce battery grade lithium at Boron.

Source - Strategic Research Institute

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voda 14 april 2021 09:25

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Rio Tinto Pact with Turquoise Hill Resources for Oyu Tolgoi

Rio Tinto has entered into a binding Heads of Agreement with Turquoise Hill Resources for an updated funding plan for the completion of the Oyu Tolgoi Underground Project in Mongolia. The Funding Plan addresses the estimated remaining known funding requirement of approximately $2.3 billion, building on and replacing the arrangements established in the Memorandum of Understanding that Rio Tinto and TRQ previously entered into on 9 September, 2020. Under the HoA, subject to securing approval by OT LLC and any required support from the Government of Mongolia, and subject to timing, availability, and terms and conditions being acceptable to both parties, Rio Tinto and TRQ will:

1. Pursue re-profiling of principal debt repayments up to $1.4 billion with lenders under the existing project finance arrangements to better align with the revised mine plan, project timing and cash flows

2. Seek to raise up to $500 million in senior supplemental debt (SSD) under the existing project financing arrangements from selected international financial institutions

Rio Tinto has committed to address any potential shortfalls from the re-profiling and additional SSD of up to $750 million by providing a senior co-lending facility on the same terms as OT’s project financing and TRQ has committed to complete a rights offering or placement of common shares for up to $500 million to satisfy any remaining funding shortfall within six months of the Co-Lending Facility becoming available.

Rio Tinto and TRQ have agreed to jointly obtain an order dismissing the current arbitration on a without prejudice basis, including an order vacating the interim measures order.

Source - Strategic Research Institute

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voda 14 april 2021 09:37

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NPROXX Hydrogen Tank for Truck in Anglo American Mine

NPROXX is currently completing the manufacture of an innovative new hydrogen fuel tank system that is designed to power the world’s largest mine haul truck at an Anglo American PGM mine in South Africa. Once it has been delivered, installed onto the vehicle and qualified, the hydrogen tank system will drive a fuel cell that provides a zero-emission solution for materials hauling that is not currently available in the market. The hydrogen-powered truck will be trialed at Anglo American’s Mogalakwena mine, the largest open pit platinum group metals mine in the world, after which the trucks are expected to be deployed at other Anglo American operations across the world. Delivery of the power plant module to South Africa has been slightly delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but NPROXX expects the vehicle to be operational in the second half of 2021.

With its expertise in mining, Anglo American is highly experienced and has undertaken to develop the zero emission mining vehicles itself by integrating the various necessary parts with the help of partners – it turned to NPROXX to develop a tank system that could safely and cost-effectively store enough hydrogen at high pressure to power the fuel cells.

As well as meeting the challenge of producing the pressure vessels and siting the tanks within the vehicle’s frame, NPROXX also designed and delivered a unique pipework and refueling system that could support multiple tanks on the vessel at pressures of up to 350 bar. The main challenge has been ensuring the development of a safe and robust system for the mining application, this is from the hydrogen generation all the way through to using hydrogen safely on the vehicle.

As well as the hydrogen tank system, which is entirely designed and built by NPROXX, the pressure vessels used to store the hydrogen in the refueling station have also been provided by NPROXX.

Anglo American has set out ambitious carbon related targets, including publicly committing to carbon neutrality across its global operations by 2040. Given that large trucks currently account for over 70% of diesel consumption on-site, switching from diesel to hydrogen will help move the company closer to its goal of operating carbon neutral mines. Anglo American plans to generate hydrogen from electrolysis on site, using renewable power sources, to power the truck. Anglo American and Engie are currently building a demonstration facility in South Africa, including a 3.5MW electrolyser to produce hydrogen on site. It has a capacity to produce up to 1 tonne per day. Producing hydrogen to fuel the truck on site will eliminate the reliance on importing fuels and generate further cost savings.

Source - Strategic Research Institute

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voda 27 april 2021 08:24

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BHP to Sell Thermal Coal Assets

BHP last week revealed that it will slash the value of its coal assets by AUD 1.25 billion as it looks to reposition its portfolio towards greener commodities like copper and nickel. BHP plans to sell its New South Wales Energy Coal unit, along with a stake in a Colombian coal mine, and has said it will take a write down of between AUD 1.15 billion and AUD 1.25 billion on the asset, cutting its value down to just AUD 250 million to AUD 350 million.

The miner said the impairment, which will show up when it publishes its half-year results to 31 December 2020 in February, reflects current market conditions for Australian thermal coal.

Source - Strategic Research Institute

voda 30 april 2021 08:29

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Rio Tinto in Arbitration withGFG Alliance over Dunkirk SmelterSale

The Telegraph reported that Australian mining giant Rio Tinto claims that it has unsettled payments of over USD 50 million from Mr Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance following the sale of the aluminium smelter in Dunkirk in France to for USD 500 million in 2018 and has launched arbitration proceedings against Mr Gupta in 2019 for the missed payments, which are related to price adjustments that took place after the transaction. GFG’s Alvance Aluminium spokesman said “As is usual practice in sizeable mergers and acquisitions, there is a mechanism in place post-completion of this deal to settle the final consideration to be paid to the vendor net of working capital, accounting and other issues. This system is on going with the vendor as part of the normal process. GFG’s deal to buy the Dunkirk smelter was a successful transaction. The Dunkirk plant is running at full capacity, is delivering to our customers and the outlook for its future remains very positive.”

GFG’s purchase of Dunkirk smelter was Mr Gupta’s first major industrial deal financed through traditional bank debt and formed part of a wider spending spree as he snapped up tired steel and aluminium assets around the world. GFG Alliance also bought the Lochaber smelter in Fort William in Scotland in UK from Rio Tinto in 2016, with backing from the Scottish government.

The legal wrangling with Rio Tinto is the latest headache for Mr Gupta as he scrambles to arrange new financing following the collapse of the supply chain financier Greensill, which blew a USD 5 billion hole in GFG’s finances.

Meanwhile, winding-up orders issued by creditors against three Liberty Steel companies are due to be presented at the High Court next week. The hearings, which have now been delayed, have sparked fears that a failure to deal with them could force Mr Gupta’s empire into liquidation.

Source - Strategic Research Institute

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