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Mining giant Vale SA and an Asian-owned metals producer are among the first to tap a Brazilian program that aims to cut red tape and speed up mining projects in the South American nation.

Roy Hill will purchase the world’s first fully battery-powered, heavy-haul locomotive from Pittsburgh-based Wabtec, transforming the cost of transporting iron ore from pit to port. “The FLXdrive battery-electric locomotive is a bold step toward a low-to-zero-emission locomotive future,” Mendonca said. “We continue working on solutions that cut the overall carbon footprint of the industries we serve through the development of low-emitting locomotives like the FLXdrive, and the use of alternative fuels such as bio-diesel, renewable diesel and hydrogen.”

Based on the route and Roy Hill’s rail operations, the FLXdrive is anticipated to reduce the company’s fuel costs and emissions in percentage by double digits per train. The ongoing use of the FLXdrive will also reduce ongoing operational costs through maintenance spend. Simon Pascoe, General Manager of Engineering for Roy Hill, says: “Our analysis with Wabtec confirms the FLXdrive locomotive is ideally suited for our rail network. It has the horsepower to operate in a heavy haul train consist pulling loaded wagons with 35,000 t of iron ore, while at the same time reducing the entire train’s fuel consumption. The FLXdrive also is designed to function in the extreme heat of the Pilbara region.”

Roy Hill is set to be the first Pilbara miner to use a battery-powered electric locomotive to transport its iron ore to port. The Gina Rinehart-controlled company has bought the newest version of the FLXdrive battery-electric locomotive which has an energy capacity of 7 megawatt hours from US-based manufacturer Wabtec. Roy Hill chief executive Gerhard Veldsman said the company was committed to transforming the next generation of transportation by adopting advanced technologies that improve energy efficiency, lower operating costs and improve its rail and mining network.

Courtesy of the West Australian.

An iron ore export boom combined with a spending spree by West Australians living free of COVID restrictions propelled WA to a record-breaking $5.6 billion surplus last financial year — the second-largest booked by any State government in Australia. WA is now the only State projecting surpluses over the next four years, including $2.8b in 2021-22.

Front pages, 10 September 2021.

WA expects to deliver a cumulative $9bn in operating surpluses over the next four years, despite Treasury factoring in a pullback in iron ore prices to just $US66 a tonne. Iron ore prices spent much of the past year above $US200 a tonne and are currently above $US130 a tonne. The strength in WA’s economy, which has the lowest unemployment rate in the country at 4.6 per cent, has prompted the government to delay more than a dozen major infrastructure projects by a year in an attempt to smooth out the pipeline of work.

Resources lobby groups say the $5.6 billion surplus delivered in the State Government’s 2020/21 Budget highlights the huge contributions made by the industries they represent. Iron ore royalties added $11.3b to the State’s bottom line last year and are expected to contribute another $9.2b this year. Association of Mining and Exploration Companies chief executive Warren Pearce said the WA Budget had been ironclad by iron ore royalties and strong COVID management.

 
While the rest of the country heads to the bank to fund their pandemic responses, West Australian Premier Mark McGowan is expected to deliver one of the country’s biggest-ever surplus on Thursday thanks to an avalanche of mining royalties. “Some of the things that are very important in [the budget] are the $1.9 billion of new spend in our health system to provide new nurses and doctors and hospital beds across the state,” he said. “As you can see, we’re using we’re using the budget to achieve amazing social health and environmental and economic outcomes.”

Shipments from the four largest iron ore producers in the Pilbara region of Western Australia (WA) rebounded by over 2mn t in the week to 4 September, as Rio Tinto pushed to hit the bottom of its 2021 guidance and BHP found some work-arounds at its Port Hedland export facility. The four largest WA producers — Rio Tinto, BHP, Fortescue and Roy Hill — loaded vessels with a combined 18.57mn deadweight tonnes (dwt) of capacity in the latest week, up from 16.47mn dwt in the week to 28 August and 9pc above 12-month average levels.