Exploration, mining and processing briefs

Updates on Mount Chalmers, Curragh mine, Magnis Energy Technologies and more in this week’s exploration, mining and processing briefs. QMines expands land holdings at Mount Chalmers QMines is adding two additional freehold land packages to its Mount Chalmers copper project footprint. The company’s land holding now covers 68ha (169 acres) across three freehold properties adjacent to the Mount Chalmers mine site and 112 ha in total. It said freehold land acquisition was part of the company’s integrated development strategy at the project as itcontinues drilling operations in and around Mount Chalmers. QMines has a 30,000m-plus drilling program underway at the site, 17km north-east of Rockhampton Curragh coal production lifts despite interruptions Curragh mine's saleable coal production rates were up 4.7 per cent in the first six months of this year as the global steel market returned to pre-pandemic levels. Owner Coronado said this increase in production levels in HY21 came despite seasonal wet weather at the beginning of the year, a three-week breakdown of the bucketwheel reclaimer, and scheduled dragline maintenance. A train derailment on the Blackwater line in June saw Curragh unable to rail coal for about five days. During the half, the mine deployed additional fleets for overburden removal to increase coal availability in the second half of the year. Meanwhile Coronado said it was working with the Queensland Resources Council to assist in the roll-out of vaccinations to neighboring communities. Blair Athol delivering strong operational results says owner TerraCom has released financial results for the Blair Athol operation for the month of July 2021. The operating EBITDA for the month was $13.6 million, with the Bowen Basin operation achieving coal sales of 234,000 tonnes. This represents an operating cash margin of $58 per tonne. TerraCom said Blair Athol was continuing to deliver superior operational results. With a reduced sustained Free on Board operating cost base, the operation was in a strong position to capitalise on the exceptional seaborne coal pricing currently being experienced, the company stated. NQ battery plant proponents see New York project secure $1b in sales deals The group behind a proposed $3 billion North Queensland lithium-ion battery factory has secured almost $1 billion in offtake deals for the New York battery plant it is also developing. In addition to the US$655 million ($AU890 million) in binding sales agreements announced in May, Magnis Energy Technologies said iM3NY had been able to secure another agreement for US$74 million ($AU100 million) over four years with a US Government supplier. “We are encouraged by the progress at the New York Lithium-ion Battery Plant which remains on track for semi-automated production this year,” Magnis chairman Frank Poullas said. “It is of note that the iM3NY team continues to work diligently in making savings and the project is currently under budget.” Castillo Copper takes aim at Arya Castillo Copper has the logistics in place for drilling to commence at the Arya prospect in North-West Queensland during September 2021. The company said its geophysical consultant had re-interpreted historical aero-electromagnetic (AEM) and electromagnetic (EM) data that verified the prospect was a major target in Mount Isa’s copper-belt. Re-processing data from an AusAEM Survey commissioned by Geoscience Australia showed an anomaly interpreted to be 130m thick, 1500m long and 450m wide, was much shallower than initially thought at around 100-200m deep (image below). “We are on track to commence drilling the prime Arya prospect during September," managing director Simon Paull said. "Encouragingly, recent work by our geophysicist consultant has uncovered new insights which make the case for drilling the Arya prospect even more compelling, especially as interpretation of the sizeable EG01 anomalyshows it is materially shallower than previously estimated.”

Exploration, mining and processing briefs

Industry Queensland

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