R Rio Tinto Limited

Rio Tinto Launches $15 Billion Asset Sell-Off Rio Tinto Has Announced Plans To Sell Up To $15 Billion Worth Of Assets As Part Of A Strategy To Streamline The Company And Refocus On Its Core Operations. The Move Marks One Of The Largest Portfolio Resets In The Miner’S History. Iron Ore Still The Backbone At Tom Price In Western Australia’S Pilbara Region, Iron Ore Is Moved By Rail Almost 400 Kilometres To Cape Lambert, Where It Is Loaded Onto Ships Bound For Asia. These Pilbara Mines Remain Rio’S Strongest Earnings Driver And Will Not Be Part Of The Sell-Off. What Will Be Sold? Rio Plans To Offload Non-Core Mines, Land Parcels, And Parts Of Its Processing And Infrastructure Portfolio. The Company Is Also Reducing Spending On Decarbonisation Projects, Shifting Towards Third-Party Partnerships Instead Of Funding Major Energy Investments Itself. Simandou Adds Global Pressure The Timing Of The Reset Coincides With The Long-Awaited Ramp-Up Of The Simandou Iron Ore Project In Guinea, Which Will Introduce New Global Supply. The Added Competition Has Intensified Rio’S Push To Sharpen Its Business And Strengthen Financial Performance. A High-Stakes Strategy Rio Says The Changes Will Make The Company “Stronger, Sharper And Simpler.” But With Iron Ore Markets Shifting And New Supply Emerging, The Key Question Remains: Will Selling Too Much Reduce Rio’S Long-Term Advantage?

Rio Tinto And Sumitomo Corporation Set To Build Innovative Hydrogen Plant In Queensland

Vault Minerals Approves $80m Expansion At King Of The Hills Vault Minerals (Asx: Vau) Has Signed Off On An $80 Million Expansion Of Its King Of The Hills (Koth) Gold Operation Near Leonora, Aiming To Lift Processing Capacity And Unlock More Of The District’S Long-Life Potential. New Crusher And Mill Upgrades: The Project Centres On A New Primary Crusher, New Tanks In The Cip Circuit, And Upgrades Across The Wet Plant. A Fresh Crushing Circuit Will Be Built 110 Metres West Of The Existing One To Avoid Interrupting Current Production. These Changes Are Designed To Reduce Bottlenecks And Support A Lift To 6 Million Tonnes Per Annum. Tapping A Massive Stockpile: Vault Is Currently Mill-Constrained, With A 7.3-Million-Tonne Stockpile Beside The Plant Holding More Than 108,000 Ounces Of Gold. The Expansion Allows Faster Processing Of This Ore And Better Use Of The Company’S Multiple Feed Sources. Strong Reserve Base: King Of The Hills And Nearby Operations Host: 2.24moz Ore Reserves 6.02moz Mineral Resources This Underpins A Base Case 10-Year Mine Life And Supports Future Growth Across The Leonora Region. Construction Timeline: Work Is Expected To Begin In April 2025, With Commissioning Targeted For Q4 Fy26. Gr Engineering Services Completed The Design And Cost Study For The Expansion. Positioning For Leonora’S Next Gold Wave: With Higher Capacity, Major Infrastructure Already In Place, And Renewed Underground Exploration, Vault Minerals Sees Koth As A Key Driver For The Next Phase Of Growth In The Leonora Gold District. Cover Image: Data Sio, Noaa, U.S. Navy, Nga, Gebco. Image Landsat / Copernicus. Processing Plant Image: © Vault Minerals.

$2.3b Copper Mine Green-Lit In Outback Queensland A Huge New Copper Mine Is Set To Be Developed In Outback Queensland, With Harmony Gold Approving The $2.3 Billion Eva Copper Project. Located North Of Cloncurry, The Mine Is Positioned To Become One Of The State’S Most Important New Resource Developments. Long Mine Life And Steady Production The Eva Copper Project Is Expected To Produce Copper For At Least 15 Years, Delivering Steady Output To Help Support Queensland’S Growing Demand For Critical Minerals. It Will Also Strengthen The Region’S Supply Chain As Older Operations Wind Down. Up To 1,400 Jobs For The North West Construction And Operations Are Forecast To Create Up To 1,400 Jobs, Providing A Major Boost For Local Workers And Communities Across The North West Minerals Province. The Project Is Expected To Play A Key Role In Supporting The Region’S Long-Term Economic Stability. Backed By Queensland’S Investment Push The Queensland Government Has Backed The Project As Part Of Its Broader Investment Drive To Attract Major Resources Developments. Officials Say The New Mine Will Help Position The State As A Leader In Critical Minerals And Support The Transition To A Cleaner Energy Future. One Of Queensland’S Biggest New Copper Mines Once Operational, Eva Copper Is Set To Become One Of Queensland’S Largest New Copper Mines. With Strong Government Support And Rising Global Demand For Copper, The Project Is Expected To Anchor The Next Chapter Of Growth For The North West.

$179m Desert Gold Mine Rebuild At Norseman Pantoro Is Pushing Ahead With One Of Western Australia’S Biggest Gold Revivals, Investing $179 Million To Restart The Historic Norseman Gold Project In The State’S Remote Desert. A Major Rebuild In The Wa Outback The Company Has Overhauled The Entire Operation, Installing A New 1.2-Million-Tonne-Per-Year Processing Plant, Reopening Underground Mines And Bringing Open Pits Back Into Production. These Upgrades Mark The Most Significant Work At Norseman Since The Operation Was Placed On Care And Maintenance Nearly A Decade Ago. Nearly One Million Ounces In Reserve Pantoro Says The Project Now Holds Around 949,000 Ounces In Ore Reserves, With Strong Growth Potential. Less Than One-Third Of The Known Mineralised Areas Have Been Drilled For Conversion So Far, Leaving A Large Portion Of The Field Still Untapped. A Historic Goldfield Set For A Comeback Norseman Has Produced More Than Six Million Ounces Since The 1930s, Making It One Of Australia’S Most Storied Gold Camps. With New Infrastructure, Modern Equipment And Ongoing Drilling, Pantoro Is Aiming To Return The Site To Significant, Long-Term Production. Could This Be Norseman’S Next Big Chapter? With The Rebuild Now Largely Complete And New Ore Sources Coming Online, Pantoro Is Positioning Norseman For A Major Comeback In Western Australia’S Goldfields. The Next Phase Of Exploration And Development Will Determine Just How Big The Revival Could Become.

Why $50 Million Is Being Spent Restarting A Wa Zircon Mine Image Resources Has Invested More Than $50 Million To Bring Its Atlas Mineral Sands Project Back Into Full Production, Around 180 Kilometres North Of Perth In Western Australia. The Atlas Project Replaces The Company’S Earlier Boonanarring Operation And Began Production In 2025, Reaching Full Capacity Shortly After Commissioning. What The Atlas Project Produces The Mine Produces Heavy Mineral Concentrate (Hmc), A Mix Of Minerals That Includes Zircon, Ilmenite And Rutile. Zircon Is The Key Revenue Driver, Historically Accounting For The Majority Of Value Generated At Image Resources’ Operations. Zircon Is Used In Ceramics, Foundry Casting, Refractory Materials And A Range Of Industrial And High-Temperature Applications. Why The Economics Stack Up Atlas Was Developed Using Existing Infrastructure From The Boonanarring Mine, Keeping Capital Costs Relatively Low. The Project Also Has A Short Mine Life, Meaning Capital Recovery Is Targeted Over A Shorter Timeframe Rather Than Across Decades. With Global Zircon Supply Tightening And Few New Mines Coming Online, The Restart Is Positioned As A Near-Term Cashflow Operation Rather Than A Long-Dated Expansion. Is Zircon Back On The Radar? Zircon Has Received Less Attention Than Lithium Or Rare Earths In Recent Years, But Steady Demand And Constrained Supply Are Pushing Prices And Margins Into Focus Again. For Image Resources, The Atlas Restart Is A Measured Bet: Limited Capital, Defined Mine Life And Exposure To A Mineral Quietly Regaining Strategic Importance. Whether Zircon Continues To Justify New Investment Will Depend On Market Conditions — But For Now, The Numbers Appear To Make Sense.