A region-defining forum in Mount Isa has spelt out the challenges of bringing junior miners to production.
The first round of the Mount Isa Townsville Economic Zone (MITEZ) regional resilience series was held recently in Mount Isa.
Power, water and transport
The recurring themes of water, transport and power were presented to the audience at Mount Isa City Council.
MITEZ and Mount Isa City Council called for clarity over the government’s commitment to CopperString, which is a project designed to connect the North West Minerals Province to the National Energy Market.
Then the juniors stood up.
Maronan Metals is located in the same ‘street’ as Eloise, Dugald River and Ernest Henry mines. Exploration manger Andrew Barker called for common user facilities to be employed citing excess capacity in existing operations.
Mr Barker also called for a better appreciation of regional Queensland’s contribution to the economy.
In a telling point regarding decision making, be noted that Brisbane was further from Mount Isa than it was from Melbourne.
Special Economic Zone
Mount Isa City Council’s call for a special economic zone would help meet the challenges of attracting and keeping skilled personnel in the remote areas.
Special personal tax rates and lower payroll tax were supported by both Member for Treager Robbie Katter and MITEZ.
The forum has been spurred by a decision by Glencore to shut down Mount Isa Copper Operations in a staged five-year process.
It builds on the recent release of the Mount Isa City Council’s Future Economy Roadmap.
There are two main concerns that revolve around the continued operation of the copper smelter.
The big smelter question
The first is that other operations, like Ernest Henry, get their concentrate processed through the smelter. Concentrate is otherwise an inefficient and costly way to export copper.
Secondly, the smelter collects sulphur which is processed by Incitec Pivot and made into sulphuric acid that is central to their operations at Phosphate Hill south of Mount Isa. No acid, no mine.
Acid is also central to processing other commodities including gold and emerging critical mineral vanadium.
These and other issues are compounding to make it difficult for juniors to get up.
Some have had a red-hot go.
For example, True North Copper has been in and out of administration while producing at some assets near Cloncurry and developing others including Mt Oxide north of Cloncurry near 29 Metals’ Capricorn Copper operation.
The forum was different due to the presence of decision makers in the form of Assistant Queensland Coordinator General Kery Smeltzer, Chief Counsel and Executive Director at the Department of Resources Claire Cooper, Cameron McLeod from Queensland Treasury and Head of regional Queensland Rail Scott Cornish and Aurizon Manager of infrastructure and maintenance Wayne Prosser among others.
Proof of life
On the upside there was an announcement by Mount Isa Minerals (M1M) of a funding arrangement with Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners to develop a quartz deposit on its lease adjacent to Mount Isa Mines.
Quinbrook is developing a quartz refining facility on the Lansdown Industrial Precinct south of Townsville.