Production Optimisation
In the drive to improve energy efficiency, recovery, and metallurgical precision, a global engineering company has released a quiet disruptor: a machine-learning-enabled sensor that’s helping mining operations monitor and optimise grind size with new levels of accuracy.
Western Australia’s listed companies have defied commodity headwinds to post a three point seven percent rise in collective market capitalisation, closing the 2025 financial year at A$362+ billion, according to the Deloitte WA Index Diggers & Dealers Special Edition.
From deserts to drill pads, remote exploration teams increasingly need to make informed, high-impact decisions without waiting weeks for lab results.
For decades, mine planning has leaned heavily on deterministic models - tools that simplify the earth into a single version of the truth.
When mining engineer Eddy Zhang took the stage at the 2025 AusIMM Underground Operators Conference in Adelaide, he was candid about the task at hand: “Today I’ll be presenting learnings from reorientating the Ernest Henry sublevel cave.
As ore grades decline and sustainability pressures rise, mining operations are being forced to find new ways to optimise resource extraction.
At a time when mining operations are under growing pressure to optimise resource use, reduce waste, and demonstrate environmental stewardship, access to real-time data is no longer a luxury - it’s a necessity.
In the race to squeeze more value from every tonne of ore, the mining sector is increasingly looking to data-rich, high-resolution technologies that can keep pace with operational demands.
What if the smartest way to power your remote mine site was silent, clean, low-maintenance - and already outsmarting diesel and solar in the field? For Chelsea Kovacs, business development manager at SFC Energy Canada, the answer lies in compact, intelligent fuel cell technology - specifically, direct methanol fuel cells that operate quietly, efficiently, and with minimal emissions.
For Superintendent of Mine Planning Anne-Marie Ebbels, the expansion of BHP’s Prominent Hill operation isn’t just a technical upgrade—it’s a strategic shift in how the mine approaches longevity, productivity and sustainability.
