Latest news with #MountIsa
Reuters
13 hours ago
- Business
- Reuters
Glencore says Australia copper smelter unviable, asks for government help
MELBOURNE, June 20 (Reuters) - Glencore (GLEN.L), opens new tab has called its Mount Isa copper smelter unviable and is waiting to hear back on its requests for assistance from state and federal governments to keep the facility open amid tough global conditions, it said on Friday. The UK-listed miner has been sounding the alarm in local media about its Mount Isa smelting business in Queensland state as its related mining operations are set to close next month. It will then have to procure copper concentrate to process when excess global smelting capacity has pushed global processing fees to historic lows. "A combination of unprecedented smelting market conditions, high costs like energy, gas and labour, and a shortage of copper concentrates is currently making the Mount Isa copper smelter unviable," Glencore said in a statement. Glencore said it has approached both federal and Queensland state governments for support to keep the copper smelter and refinery operating. Several lawmakers visited the plant on Friday including Australia's industry and science minister, Tim Ayres, and Queensland resources minister, Dale Last. The state and federal governments have engaged extensively with Glencore to explore options for a viable path forward for the smelter, which is a critical asset for regional and state economies, the ministers said in a joint statement. "Any closure of the Mount Isa copper smelter would have a detrimental impact on Australia's sovereign capability and other facilities downstream that rely on the smelter," Ayres said in the statement, without giving any details on what options there might be to provide Glencore with any funding. Glencore said that it had put forward ideas for a "regional solution that would bridge the current economic gap and enable the smelter and refinery to continue operating." "We want to continue operating the smelter and refinery and look forward to hearing feedback from both federal and Queensland governments on a possible way forward,' said Troy Wilson, chief operating officer for Glencore's Australian metals business, in a statement.
ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
Pre-inquest hearing begins for cold case murders of trio shot dead in Mount Isa bushland
A coroner has been tasked with "finding answers" for the families of three friends who were killed in remote Queensland more than 45 years ago. In October 1978, Karen Edwards, 23, Timothy Thomson, 31, and Gordon Twaddle, 22, were found shot dead in bushland at Spear Creek, near Mount Isa. At the time, the trio had been on a motorcycle trip together, travelling from Alice Springs to Melbourne. In 1980 a coroner ruled they had been murdered by an unknown person or persons. Following a fresh cold case investigation, in 2019, Bruce Preston — who had previously admitted to stealing one of their motorbikes — was arrested over the triple homicide. However, after being committed to stand trial, the prosecution against him was withdrawn in 2023. Lawyers for Mr Preston have previously said he denies having any involvement in their deaths. During a pre-inquest conference held on Thursday, the Coroners Court in Brisbane heard an inquest could be held as early as October with more than 40 witnesses expected to give evidence. Counsel Assisting the Coroner Amelia Hughes told the court there were four proposed issues set to be examined, the first being an outline of the group's journey from the Northern Territory into Queensland. "Including the locations at which they stopped and the timing," she said. The court heard this issue would also look at any occasions they were seen in the company of a fourth rider and try to determine who that person was. Ms Hughes told the court the inquiry will also consider the movements and activities of the group after they arrived in Mt Isa and their time spent at a local caravan park. "Including… the visits by a Toyota Landcruiser at their campsite… [and] the identity of the driver," she said. The court heard there was evidence the group had been picked up by this vehicle multiple times during their stay. Coroner Stephanie Williams will also probe the adequacy of the two police investigations and attempt to identify whether anyone was involved in the deaths. She told the court she wanted to secure evidence as thoroughly as possible whilst "battling" the "passage of time". "No doubt as the families would be acutely aware this matter has been going on for many decades," she said. Some of the family members were dialled into the hearing, and Coroner Williams acknowledged their dedication to uncovering what happened. "This matter and investigation have been a long time coming, thank you for your commitment to your loved ones," she said. "I hope that as this inquiry progresses, the court is able to assist you with finding answers to some of the questions you have." A further preliminary conference into the matter will be heard in August.
ABC News
7 days ago
- Climate
- ABC News
More snow, drought relief, cold winds ahead, so what happened to predicted warm winter?
Most of central and eastern Australia has shivered through the coldest first fortnight of winter in at least three years, and for pockets of the Murray Basin and north-west Queensland, the coldest in decades. This includes Canberra's chilliest start to winter in 25 years, and Mount Isa's coldest in 51 years. And the bleak conditions are set to continue, including further snow for the Alps, wintry showers for drought-affected southern states, along with frosty nights in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, and Queensland. However, weather modelling is also in strong agreement on another forecast — the cold won't last, and this winter should still be one of the warmest on record. The cold snap this week extended well north with frosty temperatures observed as far north as Julia Creek at a tropical latitude of 20 south. Numerous daily extremes were recorded as overnight lows dipped 10 degrees Celsius below the June average, including Winton's coldest June night in 48 years (0.0C), and Mount Isa's coldest in 44 years (-0.7C). For southern Queensland, NSW and the ACT multiple locations dropped below -5C this week, including Oakey, Cooma, Glen Innes, Goulburn, and Canberra. Milder regions near the coast also shivered — Brisbane's Friday morning low of 5.2C was the city's coldest night in seven years. So what happened to the warm winter promised by weather models and the Bureau Of Meteorology (BoM)? The current situation closely resembles last year. After a forecast for a warm winter, eastern Australia was notably frosty for a few weeks in June and July. The headlines then asserted the BoM's modelling was wrong, however a week or two doesn't make a season, and both June and July still finished warmer than normal when averaging minimums and maximums across the entire country. A record warm August then followed, leading to Australia's mean for the entire season ranking as the second warmest on record when comparing all winters since 1910. And that's exactly what's likely to occur this year, by winter's end it's highly probable the mean temperature will be well above average — and quite possibly one of the highest on record. The BoM's seasonal outlooks are updated every week to utilise the latest observations, basically if the modelling doesn't have a clear picture of the current state of the atmosphere it has little hope in accurately forecasting the future state. And the latest long-range forecast, despite the cold air currently analysed over Australia, is still showing a strong swing to favour well above average minimums and maximums through the remainder of winter. And the wait for warmer weather won't be long. After frosty nights this weekend as far north as central Queensland, the country as a whole can expect higher temperatures from about mid-week By next weekend, a northerly airstream may even lift maximums as high as 20C as far south as northern Victoria. The cold fronts and polar air responsible for the wintry weather is also bringing much needed rain. While falls are well short of what is required to break the drought, this June is on track to become the wettest month in one to two years for much of southern South Australia and western Victoria. Warrnambool hit its June average rain of 79 millimetres just 11 days into the month, while Adelaide's total of 42mm is already the city's wettest month since last winter. And thankfully there's more rain ahead as a pair of cold fronts sweep overhead during the coming days. The first front clipped south-west Western Australia on Friday and brought up to 20mm around Bunbury and has now reached the SA coast. This system will generate from 1 to 10mm in areas south of about Port Augusta during the next 24 hours, including north-west Victoria and south-west NSW. A second stronger front will then follow through Monday and Tuesday and bring an average fall of 5 to 10mm, on this occasion to southern SA and south-west Victoria. For coastal areas of SA, including Adelaide, more than 20mm is possible by mid next week. WA can also look forward to further rain as a series of cold fronts from Tuesday to Saturday drops more than 50mm on the lower west coast, including around Perth. Winter rain is essential for western farmers, and this week could produce more than 20mm across parts of the wheat belt. Last weekend's storm resulted in the deepest mid-June snow cover across the Australian Alps in three years. But 2022 aside, it's been one of the best starts to a ski season in decades — the natural snow depth reported by Mount Hotham is currently the second highest at this point in the season in 25 years. The upcoming fronts also promise to deliver a fresh top-up, although the first system reaching the Alps on Sunday night will only bring a light dusting. The second front has a higher snow potential and could bring 10 to 20 centimetres to Victorian resorts, and if everything lines up suitably, 10cm is also possible in NSW. For non-alpine regions, the post frontal air won't be cold enough for snow with the likely freezing level not dropping below about 1,400 metres.
ABC News
10-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Mount Isa copper smelter's planned closure prompts fears production will move overseas
What would Queensland's "Stack City" be without its smoking stack? By 2030, the outback city of Mount Isa will find out. The famous candy-cane-striped copper smelter, or stack, gave the mining town of more than 18,000 residents its nickname. Swiss multinational Glencore has set a five-year deadline for its closure. However, if it is unable to receive government support to rebrick the smelter in 2026, that date could be brought forward. It comes after the mining giant announced it would shut the historic Mount Isa copper mine, which will finalise production next month. With the smelter and its closure date looming over Mount Isa's skyline, industry experts fear Australia's domestic copper production could be pushed to the brink. North West Queensland is one of the most mineral-rich regions in the world, and copper is arguably the star in the soil. The critical mineral is one of the most in-demand commodities in the world. Australia has two copper smelters, and Mount Isa's unique all-in-one facility comprising a mine, smelter and concentrator is a major investor drawcard. Copper from all over Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia is sent to the Mount Isa smelter. Mining analyst Gavin Wendt said that without the Mount Isa smelter, Australia's domestic copper processing industry could be headed offshore. "[The smelter] has potentially decades of life ahead of it, but it needs significant investment now," he said. Mr Wendt said another copper-producing country, such as China or the United States, would respond differently to a smelter closure of this magnitude. For example, China's government heavily subsidised its smelters, giving the country the upper hand, he said. "If we allow facilities like this to shut down across the Western world, it reinforces China's strategy, which is to subsidise its own infrastructure, subsidise its own production, to undercut Western-world production so that it closes, and then eventually China will raise the price of its products. "We will be paying more and [China] will be in a position of market dominance." Queensland Premier David Crisafulli told the ABC last week that losing the Mount Isa smelter would remove a major national capability. "There's a sovereign risk with not having that," he said. "Particularly how important copper is at the moment for some of the things we're looking to do, including in the renewable space." Mr Crisafulli said the closure would raise doubts about the future of surrounding mines that relied on the smelter's gas and would make the region a less attractive site for new mines. Queensland Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dale Last said the government was working towards a solution. "I'm working collaboratively and urgently with Glencore on a path forward," he said. "We are working through several options to support its continued operations." Glencore interim chief operating officer Troy Wilson said the company's smelter could not survive in the international market without government help. The amount of bailout money the company has requested from state and federal governments has not been confirmed. However, it has acknowledged other industrial bailouts, including Whyalla Steelworks's $2.4 billion package in February this year. Independent corporate analyst and previous Mount Isa Mine worker Peter Strachan said a local smelter was a strategic asset and was irreplaceable in today's market. "To build a new smelter in Australia somewhere now would be a huge job from an environmental-permitting [and] land-rights point of view," Mr Strachan said. Even if approved, he said a replacement smelter would cost about $1.5 billion. "You can't replace those realistically in Australia," he said. Mr Strachan said the mineralisation from surrounding copper mines, including Ernest Henry and Duchess Copper Gold Project, could provide enough copper to keep the smelter working for the next 15 years. "But it really relies on being able to maintain those assets in a way that works economically and to ensure that the project keeps going," he said. Mr Strachan said the solution could come from mining companies with big pockets, but also governments and junior mining companies working together. "There needs to be a multi-party deal that includes the smaller miners who say they've got mineralisation in the ground, it's ready to dig, and there needs to be some sort of deal worked out to enable everyone to move forward in unison," he said.
ABC News
06-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Nineteen people charged with drug offences after major Queensland operation
Nineteen people have been charged with 271 drug offences related to the alleged supply of supply of cocaine, methylamphetamine, MDMA, cannabis and heroin throughout Queensland Officers from the Mount Isa Tactical Crime Squad started Operation Whiskey Decker in June 2024 to investigate an alleged methylamphetamine trafficking syndicate operating in north-west Queensland. With help from the Northern Major and Organised Crime Squad (MOCS), officers identified a network of alleged drug traffickers responsible for the supply of cocaine, methylamphetamine, MDMA, cannabis and heroin throughout the state. The arrests were carried out across Mount Isa, Mackay, Ipswich, Gold Coast and Logan on May 20-21. Police said they had seized more than $110,000 in cash, 35g of cocaine and more than 270g of methylamphetamine. Mount Isa District Tactical Crime Squad officer in charge Sergeant Nate Carlton said significant resources had been used in the operation. "We are committed to disrupting the trafficking and supply of drugs and ask the public to continue assisting us by providing any information regarding drug supply," Sergeant Carlton said. Sergeant Carlton urged members of the public with any knowledge of the use, supply or trafficking of serious drugs to report the matter via Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 00. Those charged include nine people in Mount Isa, four in Mackay, one in Ipswich and four on the Gold Coast and in Logan. Charges include trafficking dangerous drugs, supplying dangerous drugs, possessing things used in commission of a crime, possessing drug utensils, possessing property suspected of being acquired from supply, unlawful possession of Category M weapon, money laundering, arson and supplying a firearm. The majority of those charged are due to appear in court between June and August.
