Mining

InfraBuild powers up steel furnace productivity and reliability with ABB’s advanced circuit breaker upgrade

Project by project, a steelmaker modernises its melt shop, ultimately replacing its aged electric arc furnace transformer with a dedicated circuit breaker to ensure reliable power supply When Australian steelmaker InfraBuild needed two new circuit breakers to provide backup for its main electric arc furnace, ABB had the solution — its VD4-AF vacuum circuit breaker with an innovative servomotor actuation system that delivers more than five times the operations of a standard breaker, supporting greater reliability andsafety as well as lower operational costs. But because this high-performance equipment was based on electronic technology rather than the spring-actuated mechanism of InfraBuild’s aged circuit breaker, the company was cautious. “Even though it sounded great, we felt things could go wrong because there are a lot of electronics involved, compared to the old mechanical-linkage style of construction, and we needed to hear from others who had already applied the technology,” says Jorge Aguilar, Electrical Project Engineer at InfraBuild in Laverton, Victoria. With a global installed base of more than two million units of the well-known ABB VD4 vacuum circuit breaker product family, ABB had no difficulty finding two similar customers who were able to reassure the Australian steelmaker of the VD4-AF circuit breaker’s performance. “We were pleased with their responses and experience with ABB’s technology, and felt reassured that they were very satisfied with the technology,” says Aguilar. InfraBuild proceeded with orders for of two VD4-AF vacuum circuit breakers specifically designed for protecting steel furnaces. The circuit breaker is integrated with air-insulated single panel UniGear ZS3.2 switchgear, which fits within the footprint of the original equipment. “Power reliability for this panel was critical,” says Henry Lin, Project Manager for Electrification Service at ABB Australia. VD4-AF is based on servomotor actuators that increase circuit breaker performance up to 10 times compared to standard […]

The global race is on to secure critical minerals

Amir Razmiou, Associate Professor, Edith Cowan University It’s clear there’s an era of global competition underway. Critical minerals are essential for manufacturing advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), electric vehicles and renewables. And governments everywhere are racing to secure a future supply. Australia holds vast reserves of lithium, rare earths, cobalt and tungsten. This presents both a golden opportunity and a looming challenge. What, exactly, are critical minerals? And what advantages might they offer to Australia? What are they? Critical minerals are the raw materials used to manufacture objects like mobile phones, wind turbines and weapons. They underpin the technologies of the next industrial age, from lithium-ion batteries to F-35 fighter jets. There’s no single list of critical minerals, as countries have their own definitions of what is essential. The Australian government describes them as elements essential for modern technologies, the economy and national security with supply chains vulnerable to geopolitical risk. In Australia, the 31 minerals and rare earths defined as ‘critical’ include lithium, magnesium and zirconium. Rare earths are heavy metals used in electrical and magnetic components. These elements aren’t truly rare in the Earth’s crust but occur in low concentrations, making them difficult and expensive to extract. Geoscience Australia has mapped extensive deposits of critical minerals across the continent. Accessing them could position Australia as a key supplier to global clean-energy industries. The critical mineral lithium is essential to building large rechargable batteries used in renewables projects. Ted Shaffrey/AAP A booming industry Australia’s current Critical Minerals Strategy sets out a plan to move from simply mining and extracting these minerals to going further to refine, process and manufacture them. This is backed by initiatives such as the $4 billion Critical Minerals Facility to support projects aligned with the strategy. This also includes a new 10% production tax credit for onshore refining. Together, these policies form a strong foundation […]

As the Latrobe Valley moves away from coal jobs, could a green worker’s cooperative offer a solution?

Gregory Patmore, Emeritus Professor of Business and Labour History, University of Sydney. Worker cooperatives may sound like something out of the 19th century, but they still exist in the age of global capitalism. In Spain, for instance, the Mondragon Corporation is a huge worker-run cooperative based around 95 collectives – the largest cooperative in the world. Worker cooperatives produce products or services. But they are run very differently. Workers can become members of the cooperative they work for by buying a share of the business. This gives them a vote in how the business is run and a share of net income, after costs have come out. Co-ops do not have external shareholders – the profits stay with workers. Rather than bosses deciding and workers carrying out the tasks, worker cooperatives are based on democratic principles. Big decisions are discussed and then voted on, and each member gets one vote. They offer a direct way for workers to control their production and shape the economy. In Australia, these models peaked in the 1980s. Most are gone, though a few older cooperatives are still running, such as Tasmanian recycling cooperative Resource Work Collective, founded in 1993. In recent years, there’s been renewed interest in the model. The Earthworker cooperative network focused on Victoria’s Latrobe Valley. The goal: find new types of employment and products in a coal area undergoing transition. Coal plants in the Latrobe Valley provided jobs for generations of workers. Their closure poses real challenges. Pictured: worker hardhats left on the fence at Hazelwood Power Station after it closed in 2017. Dorothy Chiron/Shutterstock How well does the model work? Mondragon is the most well-known example. Founded in 1956 in the Basque region of northern Spain, Mondragon grew and became self-sustaining. It has developed supporting institutions such as research and development companies and even a university. It also established a credit […]

Unlocking the benefits of multi-material drills

Versatile drilling offers a key to more productive manufacturing In January 2025, the World Economic Forum reported that facilities identified as part of its Global Lighthouse Network are achieving remarkable productivity gains of 70%, while simultaneously reducing energy costs by 40% and time to market by 40%. Lighthouses aside, how can all manufacturers raise their productivity, without increasing costs? Here, James Thorpe, Global Product Manager for Hole Making and Composite Machining at Sandvik Coromant, explains how a new drilling tool can enhance manufacturing production goals for multi-material applications. Beyond the Lighthouse facilities, manufacturers across the globe are increasingly tasked with producing parts from a diverse array of materials — from hardened steels and composites to softer metals and plastics — all while striving for uncompromising precision and efficiency. Addressing these challenges head-on requires tooling solutions that not only push the boundaries of traditional drilling capabilities but also streamline operations in an increasingly competitive market. Overcoming pain points Drilling is a fundamental yet technically demanding operation in modern manufacturing. One of the most persistent challenges involves material variability. Manufacturers often work with a wide range of materials, from tough hardened steels to lightweight but ductile metals. Each material presents unique difficulties —hardened steels can cause excessive tool wear, while softer metals may deform under drilling forces. Heat generation and tool wear are also significant concerns in drilling operations. High cutting speeds, prolonged machining cycles and demanding material compositions contribute to excessive heat buildup. This not only accelerates tool degradation but also impacts machining accuracy, leading to surface defects and deviations from required dimensions. Effective heat management solutions, both in tool design and machining strategies, are therefore critical for extending tool life and improving component quality. Another key challenge is chip evacuation. In deep-hole drilling or high-feed applications, inefficient removal of chips […]

China has moved to curb supply of critical minerals. Can Australia seize the moment?

Marina Yue Chang, Associate Professor, Technology and Innovation, University of Technology Sydney. In the escalating trade war between the United States and China, one notable exception stood out: 31 critical minerals, including rare earth elements, were strategically exempted from tariffs. This was not a gesture of goodwill. It was a tacit acknowledgment of the United States’ deep dependence on China for materials essential to its technological competitiveness, clean energy transition and national defence. Beijing’s response was swift and calculated. China’s Ministry of Commerce announced expanded export controls and a shift in pricing principles. The move reflects China’s long-standing effort to shift rare earth pricing from market supply and demand to pricing based on their strategic value. The impact was immediate. Rare earth exports from China effectively ground to a halt, as exporters awaited approvals under a new, opaque licensing regime. The announcement prompted President Trump to issue a new executive order directing a review of national security risks stemming from the US reliance on imported, processed critical minerals. As global supply chains reel from these disruptions, Australia finds itself in a unique strategic position. As a trusted US ally, it possesses the resources, partnerships and political capital to step into the breach. But can Australia seize this opportunity – or will it come with strings attached? China’s new playbook China’s latest restrictions target seven rare earths – such as dysprosium and terbium – crucial for electric vehicles, wind turbines, fighter jets and missile systems. While stopping short of a full export ban, the policy functions as a chokepoint. It leverages China’s near-total global control of rare earth refining (around 90%) and its monopoly on heavy rare earth processing (98%). Domestically, China’s rare earth sector is dominated by two state-owned giants which together control nearly 100% of national mining quotas. These measures have exposed the vulnerability of Western supply chains. The US has only one operational rare earth mine […]

Rio Tinto to develop BioIron R&D facility in WA to test low-carbon steelmaking

Rio Tinto will invest US$143 million (A$215 million) to develop a research and development facility in Western Australia to further assess the effectiveness of its low-carbon ironmaking process, BioIronTM, to support decarbonising the global steel value chain. The development of the BioIron Research and Development Facility in the Rockingham Strategic Industrial Area, south of Perth, follows successful trials of the innovative ironmaking process in a small-scale pilot plant in Germany. BioIron uses raw biomass and microwave energy instead of coal to convert Pilbara iron ore to metallic iron in the steelmaking process. When combined with the use of renewable energy and carbon-circulation by fast-growing biomass, BioIron has the potential to reduce carbon emissions by up to 95% compared with the current blast furnace method. The BioIron facility will include a pilot plant that will be ten times bigger than its predecessor in Germany. It will also be the first time the innovative steelmaking process has been tested at a semi-industrial scale, capable of producing one tonne of direct reduced iron per hour. It will provide the required data to assess further scaling of the technology to a larger demonstration plant. The plant has been designed in collaboration with University of Nottingham, Metso Corporation and Western Australian engineering company Sedgman Onyx. Fabrication of the equipment will begin this year, with commissioning expected in 2026. These works are expected to support up to 60 construction jobs. The research and development facility will employ around 30 full-time employees and include space for equipment testing to support further scaling up of the BioIron technology, while developing a workforce highly skilled in steel decarbonisation and supporting WA universities and research organisations. Rio Tinto Iron Ore Chief Executive Simon Trott said, “The world needs low-carbon steel to reach net zero, and we are working to make […]

State of the art electrical upgrades boost mine uptime

Sustainability, employee protection and operational insights are the drivers of a cutting-edge electrification upgrade at BHP BMA’s Goonyella Riverside Mine in Queensland. At the BHP-Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) conjoined metallurgical coal mines Goonyella and Riverside in Queensland’s Bowen Basin, Subra Nedunuri is responsible for delivering capital electrical projects without compromising environment, safety, quality, or mining schedules. When a 43-year-old section of Goonyella Riverside’s power infrastructure became unreliable, Nedunuri began designing an upgrade with ABB state-of-the-art capabilities which protect employees, equipment and the environment, and enables predictive maintenance of 16 pumps critical to the mine’s operation. Subra brings a wealth of business and engineering qualifications to the role of Senior Project Manager at Goonyella Riverside Mines (GRM). He says these are complex projects as their complexity and value to the mines are disproportionate to their cost of implementation compared to other projects. “A rehabilitation project to move earth from one side of the mine to the other may cost $20 million, but in contrast this $3 million electrical upgrade can save lives and hundreds of millions of dollars in downtime.” To power the coal wash treatment plant, pumps are used to direct water for reuse or into tailing dams, without them the plant can’t operate. In the past, the now obsolete electrical system communicated only three states of condition for the pumps operation – “On”, “Off” or “Fault”. The system had no protection against arc flash incidents (explosive releases of energy when an electrical arc travels through ionized air to ground or another part of the electrical system), which endanger the lives of service technicians and nearby workers. For the upgrade, BMA had a wishlist of not only the safest switchgear to protect its employees, but a human-machine interface (HMI) that would enable remote and onsite monitoring and control of the electrical […]

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Nickel Producer enhances quality of ore calcination through kilns

Société Le Nickel (SLN), part of the Eramet Group, is the world’s largest producer of ferronickel. Pictured is one of the five furnaces managed by Rockwell Automation’s FactoryTalk Analytics Pavilion® software. Image copyright: Société Le Nickel (SLN), part of the Eramet Group. Characterised by the ability to resist corrosion at high temperatures and its usefulness as an alloying element, nickel plays a critical role in a host of industry sectors ranging from aerospace and chemical to electrical and automotive. Société Le Nickel (SLN), part of the Eramet Group, is the world’s largest producer of ferronickel. The 140-year-old company also produces manganese, lithium, and titanium which are critical for the manufacturing of batteries, paint pigments, and wind turbines among other products. Processing ores is a complex activity requiring the stable control of the rotary furnaces’ temperature profile and automating operations across different operating ranges. Feed ore introduced into the rotary kiln undergoes calcination as it travels through the length of the furnace. If the calcined product is not at a high enough temperature, product quality is compromised. Heat is distributed across the furnace with air being supplied for combustion to occur. If there’s too much air supplied, more fuel needs to be burned to maintain the same product temperature, thus decreasing energy efficiency. Excess oxygen must be minimised to a safe level to reduce operating costs and greenhouse gases. Legacy system lags SLN was using an expert system, an existing fuzzy logic controller, designed to automate the operation of the furnace. However, the company faced several challenges with the legacy system, particularly with varying ore content and variable heating values leading to temperature spikes and frequent electrical trips. Trips were being caused by high product temperature, which compromises both the quality of the product, and the integrity of the […]

Oil and gas dominates future major resources projects driving economy

Australia’s oil and gas industry has emerged as the dominant driver of nation-building new resources projects, creating new jobs and attracting billions of dollars of spending in Australia. The Australian Government’s Resources and Energy Major Projects (REMP) 2023 report said 12 oil and gas projects accounted for $36 billion of investment (46.5 per cent) of the $77.4 billion pipeline. Lithium and iron ore each represented $7.2 billion (9.3 per cent) worth of committed projects, gold accounted for $6.6 billion (8.5 per cent) and coal was behind $4.6 billion (5.9 per cent) of ventures. Australian Energy Producers Chief Executive Samantha McCulloch said the results showed how critical the oil and gas industry was to the national economy. “Australia’s oil and gas continues to power the national economy, creating jobs and delivering billions of dollars of investment, much of it into regional communities,” she said. “The pipeline of new gas projects highlights the importance of policy settings and regulatory certainty to unlock investment in new supply. “With Australia facing energy shortfalls on both coasts, new gas supply is urgently needed to avoid blackouts and put downward pressure on prices while securing future economic benefits.” According to the report, only one new oil and gas project reached a final investment decision in the 12 months to November 2023. Ms McCulloch added: “The pipeline of mining and critical minerals projects will also rely on natural gas supply, with AEMO forecasting resource projects will add a further 23 TJ/day to gas demand in Western Australia by 2026.” The report also found growing interest in hydrogen projects but with only three out of 76 planned projects reaching the committed phase in 2023, representing a capital expenditure of $234 million. Ms McCulloch said: “Natural gas combined with carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) is today the most […]

Global decarbonisation agenda drives Australian copper and lithium opportunities in Argentina

As the demand for critical energy transition minerals continues across the world, Argentina’s copper and lithium projects are taking off. This provides increased opportunities for Australian mining equipment, technology and services providers, especially those with solutions for decarbonising mining operations and cleaner energy alternatives. Argentina is among the world’s top 15 mining exploration investment destinations. Exploration investment hit its highest level in a decade in 2022. Exports are expected to more than double to $8.6 billion by 2025. Argentina currently has 18 operating mines, 95 projects at an advanced stage and more than 200 in the initial stages. By 2030, 8 projects that are under construction are expected to go into operation. The country’s largest potential lies in its lithium and copper reserves, which are critical to the world’s energy transition path. Opportunities for Australian miners in Argentina Australia is one of the leading countries exploring and investing in the extractives sector in Argentina. Over 20 Australian mining companies have invested in the market. Argentina has the world’s second largest lithium reserves, located in the Lithium Triangle, shared with Chile and Bolivia. It is the world’s fourth largest lithium producer. Two major lithium operating mines (Olaroz and Fenix) currently produce 37.5 k tons of LCE. With new projects coming into operation in the next few years, production is expected to grow to 290 k tons by the end of the decade. Argentina shares the same mountain range (the Andes) with Chile, the world’s largest exporter of copper. As demand for copper grows, investors have started to look on the other side of the Andes. This has created an investment boom in Argentina’s copper sector, with several large-scale projects coming into production in the next years. They include Josemaria, Pachon, Taca Taca, Los Azules, Filo del Sol and Valle de Chita. […]

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