Through a shimmering heat haze, the Pilbara’s Green Iron dream is slowly taking shape. For decades, countries around the globe have turned to the Pilbara’s vast reserves of Iron ore to feed their growth. In recent times, the rise of China and growing demand from other Asian nations have generated massive profits for the region’s mining giants.
However, change is in the wind.
With demand for Fe dropping among Australia’s biggest customers, The Pilbara’s future is less sure than it once was. Its industrial inhabitants are also seeking a dose of innovation. And as steelmakers worldwide begin to phase out coal in favour of clean energy solutions like green hydrogen, the pressure is on miners to develop new value-added iron-based products.
In Australia, and thanks to an average low grade of iron ore, this could take the form of Green Iron production as a precursor to green steel smelting. Using the Pilbara’s abundant Fe and renewable energy sources, Miners could expand their iron ore value chains to include Green Iron manufacturing.
A product that will help steelmakers around the globe decarbonise while competing with other mining regions like Brazil and Africa, whose reserves are of a higher quality and more suited to green steel smelting. A new report published by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) goes into greater detail; you’ll find the link below.
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Liontown Resources Makes a Tasty Takeover Target
Australian Lithium miner and hot takeover target Liontown Resources has found itself between two hungry beasts.
Central American chemical processor Albermarle has a keen interest in critical minerals, particularly Lithium, putting in an offer for Liontown of $3.00 per share for a total buyout. While the offer is being debated, however, the potential takeover has been undermined by Australia’s richest woman and Roy Hill owner, Gina Rinehart.
Keen to bolster her exposure to future-focused minerals that are expected to remain in demand for many years, Rinehart bought up almost 20% of the company via the free market.
She poses a significant hurdle for the American firm.
Liontown is an attractive prospect for the big end of town thanks to its flagship asset, the promising Kathleen Valley lithium project, announcing in September that it would support Albemarle’s offer after a lengthy pursuit.
While it’s still unclear what Rinehart’s ultimate goal is, it’s easy to see why she would find a stake in Liontown appealing in complimenting and adding a modern touch to her traditional iron ore assets. A partnership between the two mining majors may seem plausible, but in reality, they could make for awkward bed partners in what could be Australia’s largest combined battery metals deal.
Watch this space.
Australia Braces for Higher Oil and Fuel Prices
The eruption of yet another international conflict, this time on the Israeli border in the Middle East, is driving oil prices higher again. After reaching record levels since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine put a limit on supply, the Hamas invasion of Israel could see prices skyrocket if the conflict expands.
While neither nation is responsible for a large amount of energy exports, either oil or gas, Iran is, and if it is dragged into the conflict, even by proxy, a good chunk of the world’s oil supply could be at risk. If this developed, it would raise prices at the fuel pump for the remainder of the year and reverse OPEC’s decision to cut oil production in response to diving oil demand.
Despite the short-term price fluctuations, oil demand is expected to continue to decline as the energy transition gathers steam. As the world’s foremost suppliers, like Saudi Arabia, slowly turn off the tap and oil demand dries up, prices will continue to decline for the foreseeable future.
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References:
https://ieefa.org/resources/australia-faces-growing-green-iron-competition-overseas
https://www.mining.com/web/iron-ore-billionaires-lithium-raid-leaves-investors-guessing/
