Australian Mining Review

Zenith Energy has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) to supply Northern Star’s (ASX: NST) Kalgoorlie consolidated gold mines (KCGM) in WA.  The PPA underpins the development of Australia’s largest renewable project in the mining sector, comprising of 256MW of wind generation, 138MW of solar generation and 138MW/300MWh of battery energy storage.  Under the agreement, Zenith will fund, build, own and operate the renewable power facilities which will deliver lower power costs, increase energy reliability and contribute materially to emissions reduction at the KCGM operations.  Key design, engineering and procurement activities are already underway on the project which will take Zenith Energy’s contracted generation across Australia to beyond 1.3GW, more than 50% of which is renewable energy.  The 138MW solar farm will be the largest of its kind deployed at an Australian mining operation and will use…

WorkSafe Victoria has charged the operator of Ballarat gold mine and a mining services company after a worker died and another suffered life-threatening injuries in March 2024. Victory Minerals and Carr Mining Services each face two charges for failing to provide or maintain a safe working environment. The collapse occurred on March 13, 2024, killing Kurt Hourigan and seriously injuring Connor Smith. Workers were performing ‘air legging’, a potentially dangerous manual drilling technique on unsupported ground when the rockfall occurred. WorkSafe Victoria alleges both companies failed to provide a safe system of work that required ground support to be installed in the section of the mine where the air leg mining works were occurring. It is further alleged both companies…

Fortescue’s (ASX: FMG) long-running legal pursuit of three former employees who created rival green iron start-up, Element Zero, has come to an end with both parties agreeing to pay their own legal costs. Pursuant to confidential terms of settlement, the Federal Court dismissed the claims against Element Zero and its co-founders Michael Masterman, Bart Kolodziejczyk and Bjorn Winther-Jensen. In April last year, Fortescue alleged that trade secrets were stolen and confidential information was misused by the former employees to develop Element Zero’s patented technology — marking the beginning of a nearly two-year-long legal battle. In 2021, Dr Kolodziejczyk and Dr Winther-Jensen, were employed by Fortescue, as chief scientist and technology development lead respectively, where they led and undertook research and…

Construction has started on four key Western Power sites with planned upgrades that could double the capacity in some sections of the South West Interconnected System (SWIS). This marks the largest investment in electricity transmission infrastructure in over a decade as part of the Clean Energy Link — North project. The project involves building and upgrading high-capacity transmission lines, terminals, substations and transformers along a 354km corridor from Western Power’s North Terminal in Malaga to Three Springs. More than 400 jobs will be created, with the project scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2027. This is the first expansion under the SWIS Transmission Plan, part of the WA Government’s aim to establish the state as a renewable energy…

Alcoa and Aurizon (ASX: AZJ) will run a world-first trial on Alcoa’s Pinjarra–Kwinana rail route in WA, testing battery-electric technology to cut emissions from heavy rail operations. The Battery Electric Tender (BET) trial — also involving Alta Battery Technology and supported by a funding grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) — will use a battery-powered train wagon coupled with a modified locomotive, designed to operate as a hybrid system using both battery-electric and diesel power sources. The system captures regenerative energy during braking and downhill travel and will feature a static charging station for battery recharging. Alcoa Australia president Elsabe Muller says decarbonisation is a key priority, including working in collaboration with suppliers to ensure upstream and downstream operations are striving for reductions in emissions. “Transport, including…

The Federal Government has struck a deal with the Greens to pass the Environment Protection Reform Bill 2025, delivering on a five-year mission to reform Australia’s environmental laws. Today, the Federal Government released details of the bill which outlines proposed amendments to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, building on Professor Graeme Samuel’s 2019 independent review into the nation’s 25-year-old environmental laws. As part of the amended legislation, Australia will, for the first time, have a National Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and established national environmental standards. Notably for the mining industry, proponents of large emitting projects will be required to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and their emission reduction plans. Higher penalties for significant breaches of environmental law will also…