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South32 said putting the Mozal refinery on care and maintenance after being in operation for 25 years was ‘not the outcome we wanted’.

MiningCommentsPremiumS32 clears out from Mozal refinery after 25 years

South32 has packed up from its Mozambique aluminium operations not a day later than promised, following six years of failed energy supply negotiations with the republic’s government.

Simone Grogan

The Worsley Alumina operation.

The West Australian exclusive
The West Australian exclusive
MiningPremium
The West Australian exclusive
Worker dies at South32’s Worsley

South32 is temporarily scaling back operations at the Worsley Alumina refinery near Collie after a workplace fatality before dawn today.

Adrian Rauso

Alcoa is not barred from mining despite the major breach. 

MiningPremiumAlcoa’s ‘unprecedented’ payout after illegal land clearing

Alcoa Australia has been slapped with an ‘unprecedented’ penalty to remediate land it cleared without permission in the Perth Hills, but mining is allowed to continue.

Adrian Rauso

The Worsley Alumina operation.

MiningSouth32’s boring quarter delights investors

An uneventful December quarter across South32’s portfolio has delighted investors, boosting the mixed metal miner’s share price to its highest point since April 2023.

Adrian Rauso

The West Australian exclusive
The West Australian exclusive
MiningCommentsPremium
The West Australian exclusive
South32 adds to Worsley cull with Perth HQ sackings

The miner is rolling out redundancies at its Perth headquarters amid a wave of job cuts sweeping through the State’s most important industry.

Adrian Rauso

Rio Tinto says its on track to hit the lower end of iron ore guidance.

MiningCommentsPremiumRio in ‘tightly balanced’ race to reach iron ore target

The mining giant has a bullish view on Chinese steel demand and is tipping a strong finish to the year in the Pilbara as it stays in the race to meet its full-year shipments goal.

Adrian Rauso and Daniel Newell

The Alcoa alumina refinery in Kwinana.

MiningCommentsPremiumMore jobs go as Alcoa confirms closure of Kwinana refinery

The US group will take a $US890 million ($1.3 billion) hit to close and scrap the mothballed alumina refinery with the loss of another 220 jobs after ruling out a restart.

Sean Smith

Bauxite and alumina has the highest injury frequency rate among WA’s most worked commodities, according to WorkSafe data.

MiningPremiumREVEALED: WA mining workers most likely to be injured on job

West Australian miners of this commodity were almost three times more likely to get injured than they were in tin, tantalum and lithium. SEE THE TRENDS.

Danielle Le Messurier

The Mozal operation in Mozambique

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MiningComments
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South32 preps to pull plug on Mozal in Mozambique

South32 will start standing down contractors and prepare to shutter its Mozal aluminium plant, saying it has little confidence it can reach a deal to secure affordable electricity to run the operations.

Daniel Newell

President and Vice President - Operations for Alcoa Australia Elsabe Muller has spoken at the WA Mining Club event at Optus Stadium. PIctured is Elsabe at the event Justin Benson-Cooper

MiningNew Alcoa chief admits ‘concern’ over South West plans

Alcoa’s new local chief Elsabe Muller insists the US bauxite giant is putting “all effort in” to win approvals to keep mining the State’s Jarrah Forest as the plans undergo lengthy public scrutiny.

Simone Grogan

South32’s Australian manganese business is comprised of the Groote Eylandt island operation in the Northern Territory.

MiningCommentsGains for S32 as cyclone, civil unrest damage contained

Shares in South32 rose after the multi-commodity miner posted production gains despite previous setbacks at its cyclone-damaged manganese and civil unrest-afflicted Mozambique aluminium operations.

Simone Grogan

A reservoir at Alcoa’s Willowdale mine.

MiningCommentsPremiumAlcoa pushes back timeline for approval of SW mine plan

Mining giant Alcoa is banking on a lengthy delay before contentious plans to expand bauxite mining operations in WA’s South West jarrah forests get the final nod.

Daniel Newell

Shipments jumped 13 per cent from the first quarter, when four cyclones impacted ports servicing WA’s mining hub the Pilbara.

MiningCommentsRio exports sink to decade low, cops $460m Trump tariff hit

Cyclones in WA’s north took the wind of Rio Tinto’s sails to start 2025 and the mining giant is yet to get its iron ore shipment numbers back on course.

Adrian Rauso and Paul-Alain Hunt

The Mozal operation in Mozambique

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MiningCommentsPremium
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Power deal threatens future of South32’s Mozal smelter

There is a growing risk South32 will be forced to pull the plug on its Mozal aluminium operations in Mozambique as the diversified miner races against the clock to secure a new electricity supply deal.

Daniel Newell

Richard and Ryan de Franck on site.

MiningPremiumFather and son turn a 1960s BHP dream into IPO reality

A local bauxite aspirant with deep family roots is making a rare and well-timed debut on the ASX amid upheaval in West Africa.

Adrian Rauso

David Flanagan.

MiningPremiumFlanagan’s Arrow Minerals stuck in Guinea limbo

An iron ore hopeful led by Perth mining executive David Flanagan remains locked in a trading suspension as the Guinea Government moves to reclaim tenements in the resources-rich country.

Simone Grogan

Ship being loaded at Alcoa refinery, Kwinana.

MiningCommentsPremiumProfit jumps for Alcoa but closure costs grow

Alcoa of Australia’s profit has more than tripled amid the shutdown of the Kwinana alumina refinery and broader moves to slash costs.

Matt Mckenzie

Jakob Stausholm said he would be spending the week meeting with US senators, congressmen and others.

MiningCommentsPremiumRio CEO goes to Washington as profit takes a tumble

Rio Tinto’s CEO took the unusual step of hosting the company’s earnings from Washington, as part of a whirlwind trip to understand what Trump intends to accomplish with his expanding trade war. 

Joe Deaux

The Worsley Alumina operation.

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MiningPremium
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S32’s WA ops protected from Trump tariffs

Donald Trump’s war on free trade is not expected to cut into the WA arm of South32, which saw half-year profit more than sextuple on the back of rising commodity prices.

Adrian Rauso

Worsley Alumina operations. South32

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MiningCommentsPremium
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Feds approve WA bauxite mine with Trump tariffs in play

South32 will forge ahead mining more aluminium feedstock bauxite at Boddington within months after securing a crucial environmental approval from the Federal Government.

Simone Grogan

President Donald Trump has threatened to impost steel and aluminium tariffs.

TradePremiumAlbanese says Trump will consider Australia tariff exemption

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said President Donald Trump has agreed to consider an exemption for Australia from planned US tariffs on steel and aluminium during a telephone call. 

Ben Westcott

Federal Minister for Resources Madeleine King and WA Mines Minister David Michael on Tuesday jointly announced the investment.

MiningPremiumPerth and Canberra link up for critical minerals study

The State and Federal Governments will spend $3 million looking into building a shared pilot plant for downstream producers of critical minerals.

Adrian Rauso

South32’s Australian manganese business is comprised of the Groote Eylandt island operation in the Northern Territory.

MiningCommentsPremiumS32 puts its insurers to work at manganese mine

South32 and Anglo American have now claimed almost $400 million from insurers to repair their cyclone-ravaged Australian manganese operation.

Adrian Rauso

Larvotto's Hillgrove project in NSW.

MiningCommentsPremiumThe mining tiddlers that triumphed or got torn down in 2024

The world of looking for pay dirt can quickly build up fortunes and just as easily wipe them out. With the year drawing to a close we take a look at eight junior miners that exemplified this rollercoaster.

Adrian Rauso