#Official Mining Thread

[rhino]

Geoscience Australia collected 634 kms (390 miles) of seismic and other data from northern South Australia state and the southern part of the Northern Territory, providing images of the geology deep beneath the earth surface.

The area surveyed was remote and had previously been inaccessible due to sediments, including desert sands that cover most of the rocks which are considered to have potential for either energy or mineral resources.

Sounds like it could be the Simpson Desert. Sounds good.

[UrbanSG]

BHP hands over Olympic Dam draft Supplementary Environmental Impact Statement to SA Government
CHRISTOPHER RUSSELL, BUSINESS EDITOR
From: The Advertiser December 02, 2010 5:45PM

A KEY milestone in the expansion of Olympic Dam mine was reached with the handover of the draft Supplementary Environmental Impact Statement.
Mine owner BHP Billiton handed the document - which is more than 15,000 pages long - to the South Australian, NT and Commonwealth governments.

They will each assess whether it adequately addresses issues raised by the three governments and in 4189 public submissions over the plan published by BHP-B in May 2009.

"What is proposed at Olympic Dam is the world's largest mine and it is not surprising that there has been a huge amount of public interest in the EIS," Acting Premier Paul Holloway said.

"The Government's submission alone was a thorough examination of the draft EIS and the potential issues the project creates not only for Olympic Dam but also the surrounding region, the nearby town of Roxby Downs, the Upper Spencer Gulf and other areas of the state.

"This will be the largest project with the most comprehensive and rigorous assessment ever undertaken in SA's history."

Issues raised by the State Government which must be addressed before the copper-uranium-gold mine can become the world's largest open pit include:

•The proposed desalination plant at Point Lowly, near Whyalla.
•The long-term impact on groundwater, especially the Great Artesian Basin.
•On-site waste disposal, including the tailings storage.
•How BHP will honour its commitment to source 40 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent by 2050.
Mr Holloway declined to single out any issues but said the Government would process the draft supplementary EIS as the highest priority.

"There's nothing more important to the State's economy," he said.

The newly appointed chief executive of the government's Olympic Dam Taskforce, Paul Heithersay, said it would take about eight weeks to see whether the document met adequacy tests.

At that point it would be made public.

Only then will the governments assess the statement.

"Each of the three governments can either approve or eject the proposal or provide an approval with conditions attached," Mr Holloway said.

"Some matters can also be reserved for a later decision.

"It is anticipated that all governments will be in a position to make their decisions around mid-2011."

The process is not reopened for further public input unless there are significant changes from the plan announced in May 2009.

BHP Billiton chief executive Marius Kloppers has said he hopes to take a proposal to the company's board around the end of next year - if all the government approvals have been met.

[Wayno]

The newly appointed chief executive of the government's Olympic Dam Taskforce, Paul Heithersay, said it would take about eight weeks to see whether the document met adequacy tests.

At that point it would be made public.

ok, so next milestone is end-January-ish...

[frank1]

just out of curiosity, why is the NT government involved in the 15000 page report. is it because BHP wants to use the SA-NT railway, eventhough they are using an SA port to ship the ore.

[crawf]

I thought it was going to be shipped out of Darwin.

[skyliner]

I thought it was going to be shipped out of Darwin AND Adelaide. This would explain the NT involvement.

SA - STATE ON THE MOVE

[iTouch]

I thought it was going to be shipped out of Darwin AND Adelaide. This would explain the NT involvement.

SA - STATE ON THE MOVE

They should meet halfway at Uluru

[Aidan]

Geoscience Australia collected 634 kms (390 miles) of seismic and other data from northern South Australia state and the southern part of the Northern Territory, providing images of the geology deep beneath the earth surface.

The area surveyed was remote and had previously been inaccessible due to sediments, including desert sands that cover most of the rocks which are considered to have potential for either energy or mineral resources.

Sounds like it could be the Simpson Desert. Sounds good.

That's what I thought... but hasn't that area all been designated National Park?

[Wayno]

I thought it was going to be shipped out of Darwin AND Adelaide. This would explain the NT involvement.

In a word - yes

[Wayno]

Geoscience Australia collected 634 kms (390 miles) of seismic and other data from northern South Australia state and the southern part of the Northern Territory, providing images of the geology deep beneath the earth surface.

The area surveyed was remote and had previously been inaccessible due to sediments, including desert sands that cover most of the rocks which are considered to have potential for either energy or mineral resources.

Sounds like it could be the Simpson Desert. Sounds good.

That's what I thought... but hasn't that area all been designated National Park?

i've not yet been able to determine the designated area - could even be towards the NE corner (as sedimentary sands cover much of the SA outback).

My personal bet is due North of Oodnadatta (midway between the musgrave province and the eromanga basin).

[Wayno]

Portia Gold was recently categorised as an 'emerging mine' which roughly translates as 2-3 years to go before starting operations. Well, the latest revised estimate is only 6 months away. Yay!

Gold mine for Eastern SA

Mining company Havilah Resources plans to proceed with gold mining in the far north-east of South Australia.

It says work will start next year on the Portia gold project in the Curnomona region, west of Broken Hill in New South Wales. The SA site contains an estimated resource of 67,000 ounces of gold.

Bob Johnson from Havilah Resources says production could start within six months. "The costs are quite competitive, it's become economic to do this," he said. "When we first studied it, the gold price was $600 an ounce. What's happened is the price of gold has increased such an amount it's now very attractive to mine the Portia gold deposit by open-cut mining method."

[skyliner]

Is this the 14th mine that will be operating Wayno?

SA - STATE ON THE MOVE

[Wayno]

Is this the 14th mine that will be operating Wayno?

Nah, i think Peculiar Knob (hematite mine near coober pedy) will be our 14th and first of the new year. It's cashed up and just awaiting govt signatures. Should be followed by Wilgerup (also an iron/hematite mine on eyre peninsula).

There's also a couple of uranium mines which will probably start in 2011. In-situ leaching is very quick to ramp up.

So ~18 mines by end-2011. Good times.

[rhino]

IMX exports first ore
Christopher Russell From: AdelaideNow December 10, 2010 9:13AM

THE first iron ore shipment to be exported from Port Adelaide began loading yesterday.
The ore, from IMX Resources' Cairn Hill mine near Coober Pedy, is the first from SA's biggest port and the first to be produced by the next generation of junior iron miners whose projects are scattered through the Eyre Peninsula and northern SA.
And in another first, Stevedore DP World Adelaide is using a new technique, hoisting containers inside the hold before rotating them to dump the ore.
"This Rotainer system has never been used before in Australia," DP World director/general manager Andrew Towers said.
DP World is investing $8 million in Outer Harbour to serve the IMX Resources contract, which will run for at least five years.
The Rotainer reduces handling compared to a conveyor system and minimises dust - with mist sprayed in the mouth of the hold as ore is dumped to capture any fugitive material.
DP World's investment includes buying four more straddle cranes from Germany. The contract also has added jobs to the company's 200-strong workforce.
"We took on 20 people in preparation for this and we'll be looking for at least 10 more in the first quarter of next year," Mr Towers said.
IMX Resources managing director Duncan McBain said the firm was excited to reach a turning point, with sales revenue now to flow into the company.
"From February, we'll be shipping twice a month," he said. "Each one will be about 65,000 tonnes of ore.
"It's very exciting - you start off each exploration project hoping to have a mine, but the odds are stacked against you.
"To get this far is a credit to everyone involved."
IMX chairman Johann Jacobs, Mr McBain, Chinese partner and IMX director Song Yuangang and others celebrated the landmark at Port Adelaide last night.
The ore will be shipped to Yingkou in north-eastern China for processing.
The Cairn Hill ore is unusual in being high grade magnetite - averaging about 50 per cent iron - with saleable copper of about 0.4 per cent as well as 0.12g/t of gold.

[fabricator]

Relate article to story above

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010 ... 092442.htm

Iron ore shipment bound for China

Posted Tue Dec 14, 2010 8:51am AEDT

The first shipment of iron ore from the Cairn Hill mine in South Australia's far north has arrived at Port Adelaide.

The 62,000-tonne consignment has been loaded for shipment to China.

The Cairn Hill mine began production in August and is a joint venture between IMX Resources and Chinese company Sichuan Taifeng.

The mine will produce about 1.7 million tonnes of ore per year when it reaches full production.