Rio Tinto plans to invest US$395 million in a seawater desalination plant in the Pilbara, Western Australia, to support future water supply for the company’s coastal operations and communities in the region. The proposed Dampier Seawater Desalination Plant, which remains subject to Commonwealth and State Government approvals, will be located... Read more →

Australian battery technology company Li-S Energy recently announced the development of its first 20-layer battery cells utilizing third-generation (GEN3) semi-solid-state lithium-sulfur battery technology. Key benefits Li-S Energy’s GEN3 lithium-sulfur battery cell include: a 45% improvement in volumetric energy density, reaching 540Wh/l; higher gravimetric energy density of more than 400Wh/kg; and... Read more →

Albemarle Corporation announced its decision to build two additional processing trains at the Kemerton lithium hydroxide plant in Western Australia. The additional trains will be wholly owned and operated by Albemarle and would increase the facility’s production by 50 kilo-tonnes per annum (50,000 metric tonnes per annum). Operating at full... Read more →

Stellantis N.V. and exploration and development company Alliance Nickel (formerly GME Resources) signed a binding offtake agreement for the supply of 170,000 tons of nickel sulfate and 12,000 tons of cobalt sulfate in total over an initial five-year period. This represents approximately 40% of forecast annual production of the NiWest... Read more →

Rio Tinto has entered into a binding agreement to acquire the Platina Scandium Project (PSP), a high-grade scandium resource in New South Wales, from Platina Resources Limited for $14 million. The project, near Condobolin in central New South Wales, contains a long life, high-grade scalable resource that could produce up... Read more →

Liontown Resources, an emerging battery minerals producer based in Australia, has rejected an unsolicited, conditional and non-binding indicative proposal from Albemarle Corporation, in which Albemarle would acquire all of the shares in Liontown at a price of A$2.50 per share—valuing the company at approximately US$3.7 billion. The proposal represented a... Read more →

Shenge, a China-based developer, producer, and supplier of rare earth products, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Australia-based rare-earths miner VHM to purchase 6,400 tpa of rare earth mineral concentrate (REMC) and 100,000 tpa of zircon/titania heavy mineral concentrate (HMC) products for each calendar year of the three-year... Read more →

Global lithium company Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A., via its wholly-owned subsidiary SQM (SQM), will make a major cornerstone investment of up to A$20 million to acquire a 19.99% interest in Australia-based Azure Minerals Limited through a two-stage transaction. Azure Minerals is developing the Andover nickel-copper-cobalt sulfide project... Read more →

Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia Pty Ltd (TLEA), the 2021 lithium joint venture entity owned by Tianqi Lithium Corporation (TLC) (51%) and IGO (49%), has entered into an agreement to acquire 100% of Essential Metals Limited for A$0.50/share, payable in cash. The transaction represents a 36.3% premium to ESS’s 30-day VWAP... Read more →

Australia-based lithium miner Core Lithium has loaded the first export shipment of product from the Finniss mine in Australia’s Northern Territory. This first shipment of 15,000dmt of 1.4% Li2O Direct Shipping Ore (DSO) (1.4% Li2O), announced 3 October 2022, was successfully tendered using a digital exchange platform achieving a price... Read more →

Iberdrola Australia and Australia-based hydrogen developer ABEL Energy will build a green hydrogen and green methanol production plant at Bell Bay in northern Tasmania (Australia). The project, called Bell Bay Powerfuels, is backed by the Australian government and will involve an investment of €1.1 billion. The Bell Bay Powerfuels Project... Read more →

Australia’s Department of Industry, Science and Resources released the December 2022 edition of the Resources and Energy Quarterly (REQ). Among its findings are that lithium export earnings are expected to exceed $16 billion in 2022–23, up from $5 billion in 2021–22. This will make lithium Australia’s sixth-largest resource and energy... Read more →

Australian express freight company, Team Global Express, has placed an order for 36 Volvo FL Electric trucks. This is Volvo’s largest electric truck order to date in Australia. The trucks will hit the streets of Sydney during the first quarter of 2023. The Volvo FL Electric model will be equipped... Read more →

SK On, a global electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturer, signed a lithium supply deal with Australia’s Lake Resources (earlier post), a move that will further strengthen its key battery materials supply chain in response to robust business growth and geopolitical risks. Under the agreement, SK On anticipates the delivery of... Read more →

General Motors has secured a new source of cost-competitive nickel and cobalt for Ultium battery cells after making a strategic investment in Queensland Pacific Metals (QPM) of Australia (earlier post). The nickel laterite ore is expected to be processed using a new and proprietary process that helps reduce waste with... Read more →

Engineers from UNSW Sydney (Australia) have successfully converted a diesel engine to run as a dual-fuel hydrogen-diesel engine, reducing CO2 emissions by more than 85% compared to conventional diesel. The team, led by Professor Shawn Kook from the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, spent around 18 months developing the... Read more →

Australia-based Pure Hydrogen Corporation has entered an arrangement with PepsiCo Australia to trial a hydrogen-fueled prime mover at one of PepsiCo’s manufacturing sites in the City of Brisbane. Pure Hydrogen will supply PepsiCo with a Hydrogen Fuel Cell 160kW 6 x 4 Prime Mover (HFCV Prime Mover). The company will... Read more →

South Korea-based SK On (SKO), a global EV battery manufacturer, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Australia’s Global Lithium Resources to explore future business opportunities together in regard to stable supply of lithium. SK On ranked ninth in terms of global EV battery market share in 2019, but has... Read more →

Woodside Energy; Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC); Marubeni Corporation; Hokuriku Electric Power Company; The Kansai Electric Power Co.; Tohoku Electric Power Co.; and Hokkaido Electric Power Co. signed a joint research agreement under which they will jointly conduct a feasibility study (Phase 2) on the establishment of... Read more →

ENGIE has taken the Final Investment Decision in the development of one of the world’s first industrial-scale renewable hydrogen projects, to be located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Scheduled for completion in 2024, the first phase of the Yuri project will produce up to 640 tonnes of renewable... Read more →

Foton Mobility and Transit Systems Australia announced the arrival of two hydrogen fuel cell buses. The hydrogen buses are equipped with the fuel cell system jointly developed by SinoHytec and Toyota. (Earlier post.) The hydrogen fuel cell buses have been added to Transit Systems growing green fleet of sustainable transport... Read more →

A new study by The University of South Australia (UniSA) has tested and verified the structural integrity of walls constructed from tires packed with earth, with the results potentially providing new opportunities for the reuse of end-of-life tires in the construction industry. Tire waste represents a major sustainability challenge globally,... Read more →

E-fuels company HIF (Highly Innovative Fuels) Global has begun the development of Australia’s first large-scale, carbon-neutral eFuels production facility in Tasmania. HIF Asia Pacific, a wholly owned subsidiary of HIF Global, filed a Notice of Intent (NoI) with the Tasmanian Environment Protection Authority (EPA) seeking approval for the facility, which... Read more →

Electric vehicles can handle the distances required to travel to essential services in remote and regional Australia, a new study from The Australian National University (ANU) has shown. The open-access research has been published in Australian Geographer. … the adoption of EVs in Australia has been slow by international standards,... Read more →

CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, has launched an online center consolidating Australian hydrogen research and industry activities to supercharge the development of a clean and competitive hydrogen industry. The Hydrogen Knowledge Center, part of CSIRO’s Hydrogen Industry Mission, has been designed to foster collaboration between the growing Australian hydrogen industry,... Read more →

A group of leading German companies along with Australia’s Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) has released a green hydrogen roadmap, outlining a set of recommendations for government and industry, to meet the ambitious target of importing large amounts of green hydrogen from Australia to Germany. The Green Hydrogen Taskforce, created earlier... Read more →

The Qantas Group and Airbus recently announced they will invest up to US$200 million to accelerate the establishment of a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry in Australia. Due to the lack of a local commercial-scale SAF industry, Australia is currently exporting millions of tonnes of feedstock such as canola and... Read more →

bp will acquire a 40.5% equity stake in and to become operator of the Asian Renewable Energy Hub (AREH), which has the potential to be one of the largest renewables and green hydrogen hubs in the world. Based on the development of world-scale renewable power generation, AREH, in the Pilbara... Read more →

Rio Tinto has delivered first ore from the Gudai-Darri iron ore mine as the company brings online its first greenfield mine in the Pilbara, Western Australia, in more than a decade. Gudai-Darri will help underpin future production of the company’s flagship Pilbara Blend product. Pilbara Blend products are known for... Read more →

Loop Energy, a designer and manufacturer of hydrogen fuel cell solutions, will enter the promising Australian bus market as a supplier of fuel cell modules to Aluminium Revolutionary Chassis Company (ARCC), the developer and manufacturer of Australia’s first lightweight bolted aluminum city bus chassis. (Earlier post.) ARCC becomes Loop Energy’s... Read more →

Transit Systems VIC, part of Kelsian Group, Australia’s largest integrated marine, tourism and transport company, is adding two Australian-built hydrogen fuel cell buses to the fleet as part of the Victorian Government’s three-year Zero Emissions Bus Trial. While this is a first for Victoria, Transit Systems has successfully operated 10... Read more →

Australia-based Core Lithium has entered into a legally binding Term Sheet with Tesla for the supply of up to 110,000 tonnes of Li2O spodumene concentrate from the Finniss Lithium Project over a term of 4 years, with pricing referenced to the market price for spodumene concentrate, subject to a price... Read more →

bp and Honeywell have signed a licensing agreement for Honeywell UOP’s Ecofining technology. bp is undergoing pre-feed engineering for its proposed diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) project in Western Australia. bp plans to convert hydroprocessing equipment at its former refinery site in Kwinana, Australia, to produce approximately 10,000 barrels... Read more →

EV Metals Group plc (EVM) launched the Australian Lithium Alliance, a strategic initiative to partner with Australian companies to accelerate exploration, development, mining, processing and production of lithium minerals. The strategic initiative will be implemented by Australian Lithium Alliance Pty Limited (ALA), a wholly owned subsidiary of EVM, through joint... Read more →

Ford has become the first automaker to use 100% recycled ocean plastics to produce automotive parts. Wiring harness clips in Ford Bronco Sport models are made of ocean-harvested plastic—commonly referred to as “ghost gear.” The strength and durability of the nylon material equals that of previously used petroleum-based parts but... Read more →

Australia-based Mineral Resources (MRL, MinRes) announced a decision by the MARBL Lithium Joint Venture (MARBL), an unincorporated joint venture owned 40/60 by MRL and Albemarle Corporation, to restart operations at the Wodgina Lithium Mine (Wodgina), in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. MARBL expects Wodgina, which was placed on care... Read more →

Rio Tinto has approved a new solar farm and battery storage at Weipa in Queensland, in a move that will more than triple the local electricity network’s solar generation capacity and help provide cleaner power to Rio Tinto’s operations. The Weipa operations in Far North Queensland includes three bauxite mines,... Read more →

The technology group Wärtsilä will supply a 9.2 MW / 8.7 MWh energy storage system to Zenith Energy, an Independent Power Producer (IPP) in Australia. Zenith sells the electrical power it produces to some of the world’s largest mining companies with operations in Australia. The installed energy storage system will... Read more →

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation will deliver 20 units of the all-electric eCanter truck to the Australia Post fleet. In October, Australia Post will become the first local customer to integrate the electric light-duty truck into its daily operations. Australia Post is a government business enterprise providing postal services... Read more →

Researchers from the Monash Energy Institute, with colleagues from CSIRO, have used a saccharide-based binder system to develop a durable sulfur cathode with minimal polysulfide escape in a lithium-sulfur battery. The saccharide-based binder system regulates polysulfides due to its reducing properties. The binder also promotes the formation of viscoelastic filaments... Read more →

Roy Hill, the largest single iron ore mine in Australia, has purchased Wabtec’s FLXdrive battery-electric locomotive, the world’s first 100% battery-electric, heavy-haul locomotive (earlier post) for the region and the mining industry. We are committed to transforming the next generation of transportation by adopting advanced technologies that improve energy efficiency,... Read more →

Australia-based Arafura Resources Limited has awarded Hatch a contract to carry out Engineering and Procurement Services for the Nolans NdPR project hydrometallurgical plant. The Nolans project in Australia will encompass a mine, process plant (comprising beneficiation, extraction and separation plants) and related infrastructure to be constructed and located at the... Read more →

Australia-based Renascor Resources has executed a Strategic Cooperation and Offtake MOU with POSCO covering the purchase of 20,000 to 30,000 tpa of Purified Spherical Graphite (PSG) from Renascor’s planned Battery Anode Material operation in South Australia. The final annual amount to be delivered under the offtake and the term of... Read more →

Tritium, a global developer and manufacturer of DC fast chargers for EVs, and Miller Technology, a supplier of mobile mining equipment for safety and productivity, are partnering to provide fast chargers and light-duty battery EVs for the mining industry. The companies’ inaugural project at the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) mine... Read more →

Rio Tinto and Sumitomo Corporation are partnering to study the construction of a hydrogen pilot plant at Rio Tinto’s Yarwun alumina refinery in Gladstone and explore the potential use of hydrogen at the refinery. The two global companies have signed a letter of intent that focuses on Yarwun as the... Read more →

The Australian state Queensland has added five Hyundai NEXO fuel cell vehicles to QFleet for a trial; they join 100 electric vehicles already in the State Government fleet and will be available to frontline health staff, educators and community workers. Support for Queensland’s hydrogen industry is a key part of... Read more →

Global Energy Ventures entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding with Province Resources and Total Eren (together the HyEnergy Project partners) to support a technical and commercial feasibility study on exporting green hydrogen from the HyEnergy Project, located in the Gascoyne region, in Western Australia, to nominated markets in the... Read more →

Australian energy infrastructure company Jemena and gas supply company Coregas are partnering to advance the use of green hydrogen for the transport industry in New South Wales. Under a new agreement, Jemena will produce and supply green hydrogen from its Western Sydney plant for use by transport and industrial customers... Read more →

Hyzon Motors, a global supplier of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, announced a Memorandum of Understanding to develop and to supply 20 refuse collection vehicles (RCV) together with Superior Pak, an Australian manufacturer of waste-handling equipment. The companies aim to deliver a zero-emissions, high-performance side-lift garbage truck, capable of undertaking the 1500-2000... Read more →

A new $5-million program to be led by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, is intended to strengthen development of Australia’s hydrogen industry by supporting research, development and demonstration (RD&D) collaborations with international research organisations. The two-year Hydrogen RD&D International Collaboration Program is a key element in CSIRO’s recently-launched Hydrogen Industry... Read more →