Gold Fields, Shougang CCS, John Crane: Top 5 Mining Stories

Gold Fields Eyes Further Consolidation In Gold Mining Sector

Northern Star’s public rejection of a takeover enquiry by Gold Fields sets the stage for a takeover battle, as Gold Fields seeks to create what would be the world’s second largest gold producer.

The Australia-based mining company Northern Star also described the timing of the bid, shortly before new incoming Chief Executive Officer Suresh Vadnagra takes office on 5 October, as “opportunistic and unsolicited.” 

Northern Star announced the appointment of Suresh, who will join Northern Star from Glencore, where he was head of Glencore Nickel and Zinc Industrial Assets based in Zug, Switzerland, in July.

Rio Tinto And Shougang Commission Industrial Scale CCS Trial

Chinese Top-10 steelmaker Shougang has worked with Rio Tinto to successfully commission a 10,000 tonne/year capacity facility to process blast furnace gas at its Jingtang steelmaking complex in Caofeidian, Tangshan. 

While Rio Tinto and Shougang are exploring ways to recycle the gas back into the steelmaking process, reducing the amount of new carbon needed to make steel, the Shougang Group has also been actively investigating the possibilities offered by using captured carbon-rich offgases as feedstock for bioethanol production.

In July Shougang’s bioethanol producing subsidiary Shougang Lanzatech announced the completion of the world’s first demonstration project for the biosynthesis of anhydrous ethanol from offgases from a blast furnace.

The Mining Interview: Warren Smith, John Crane

As operators push existing assets harder than ever, the real battle is no longer about component choice – it is about keeping rotating equipment alive under conditions that would break most machinery. 

In an exclusive interview with Mining Digital, Warren Smith of John Crane explains how smarter upgrades, better data interpretation and disciplined root‑cause learning can unlock safer, more predictable throughput across the mining lifecycle. 

Warren works to translate the daily realities of abrasive slurries, high solids, unstable duties and remote maintenance into engineering solutions that actually shift performance.

China Autonomous Truck Solution Gains Battery Electric Experience

While China-based autonomous haulage solution supplier EACON’s portfolio of installations mostly includes mines in Mainland China, EACON has recently increased to six the number of autonomous vehicles operating at Norton Gold Fields’ Havana Open Pit in Australia.

Chinese mine vehicle supplier XCMG and EACON have agreed a tie-up targeting the Australian market.

Meanwhile, EACON has announced that its portfolio of installations exceeds 3,500, driven by a rise in battery-electric installations, which now account for over 42% of the autonomous solution provider’s installed fleet.  

One Weir: Meet the Exec Leading ESCO’s Global Growth

Weir’s ESCO division provides wear gear ground-engaging tools (GETs) engineered to support sustainable, efficient production.

ESCO forms a key part of the Scottish mining technology company’s portfolio of mission critical solutions. 

To guide its growth as it targets expansion in Australia and Chile, Brian Doffing will join Weir ESCO as the division’s President, following the departure of Sean Fitzgerald.