Новости за 22.02.2019

Aim-listed BlueRock Diamonds has sold the 8.97 ct diamond and the 16.28 ct diamond, that it recovered earlier this month at its Kareevlei diamond mine, in the Kimberley region of South Africa. The 8.97 ct diamond achieved a price of $8 306/ct, valuing it at $74 513, while the 16.28 ct diamond sold for $4 849/ct, valuing it at $78 947.

ASX- and Aim-listed Crusader Resources announced on Friday that MD Marcus Engelbrecht and chairperson Andrew Vickerman would step down from the board and that former chairperson Stephen Copulos would return as director. The resignation of Engelbrecht and Vickerman, who succeeded Copulos when the company listed in London in April last year, as directors is related to an agreement with the Copulos Group to underwrite $2.5-million of the recently announced $4.2-million rights issue to continue develop the Borborema gold project, in Brazil.

Rescue and body retrieval workers on Friday afternoon brought to the surface 13 more bodies of suspected copper cable thieves from the underground area at Gloria coal mine near Middelburg in Mpumalanga, provincial police spokesman Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said. “The workers could not continue with the operations due to the severe smoke which prohibited them, and they will apparently go down again on Monday,” said Hlathi.

Lucara Diamonds’ Karowe mine, in Botswana, achieved a strong operational performance in 2018, meeting or exceeding guidance in all areas, the company said on Thursday. Tonnes mined for the year ended December 31, 2018, reached 18.1-million, in line with guidance of 15.5-million to 18.7-million tonnes.

At least 18 people were killed when a truck transporting acid to a mine owned by Glencore in the Democratic Republic of Congo crashed and spilled its contents onto a minibus, a provincial health minister said. The tanker was heading to the Mutanda Mine, a copper and cobalt operation near Kolwezi in the southeast of the country, Samy Kayombo Mukanza, the health minister for Lualuba province, said. Nine people are also injured, he said.

JSE-listed Wescoal has appointed Reginald (Reg) Lavhelesani Demana, a mining and resources specialist, CEO, effective April 1. He will take over from interim CEO Dr Humphrey Mathe, who took over the position following former CEO Waheed Sulaiman's resignation in January.

The Canadian mining sector continued to face challenges in the final quarter of 2018, as a Chinese economic slowdown weighed on commodity prices, but advisory firm EY says there is reason to be optimistic for 2019. The EY Canadian Mining Eye index, which tracks the Canadian mining sector performance of 100 TSX- and TSX-V-listed midtier and junior companies with market capitalisations falling between C$158-million and C$2.2-billion, fell by 2% in the fourth quarter, following a 12% decrease in the third quarter.

ASX- and TSX-listed lithium miner Orocobre has reported a net profit after tax of $24-million for the six months ending December, compared with a net profit of $8.1-million in the previous corresponding period, as lithium production from the Olaroz facility, in Argentina, continues to improve. Some 5 163 t of lithium carbonate was sold during the six months under review, generating revenues of $63.5-million, with earnings before tax, depreciation and amortization, impairment and foreign exchange of $36.5-million... Читать дальше...

The Australian government has moved to allay shareholder fears after the share prices of Australian coal miners tumbled on news that China’s northern port of Dalian had banned coal imports from Australia, and placed an overall cap of 12-million tonnes for coal imports during 2019. Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister Simon Birmingham said on Friday that there was “no basis to believe” that there was a ban on Australian coal exports into China, or any port in China.

Wholesale prices for laboratory-grown diamonds have fallen by up to 60% since De Beers began selling synthetic stones for jewellery in September, CEO Bruce Cleaver said on Thursday, adding margins for the sector would continue to fall. De Beers, part of mining group Anglo American, shocked the diamond industry last year when it announced it was reversing a decades-old policy of selling natural diamonds only for jewellery and synthetic stones for industrial uses.

Multidisciplinary engineering and environmental consultancy Knight Piésold aims to improve project sustainability this year and lower the possible risks that can arise from tailings facilities. This includes regular inspections, geotechnical investigations  and necessary slope analysis, says Knight Piésold consulting lead engineer Veronique Daigle. “It is important for a mine to take the necessary steps such as the assessment of piezocone penetration test (CPTu) readings and laboratory tests to ensure... Читать дальше...

Amid a depressed market and low uranium prices, the Namibian uranium industry is streamlining operations through process optimisation and undertaking additional exploration, to overcome these challenges and be prepared for when the market improves, says Namibian Uranium Institute (NUI) executive director Gabi Schneider. The challenges in the uranium market over the past seven years have placed a difficult burden on Rio Tinto’s uranium assets, including Rӧssing – the longest operating opencast uranium mine globally ... Читать дальше...

With the Germiston-based facility of waste management company Interwaste benchmarked to provide a consistent supply of up to 1 000 tons a month of waste-derived fuel, Interwaste CFO Jason McNeil says there is opportunity to develop such projects and supply alternative fuel to mines. “The facility produces a lower-carbon fuel source of energy, which can offset a mine’s reliance on coal, and thereby significantly reduce operational risks associated with reliable availability, as well as supply and... Читать дальше...

Although the development of microgrid hybrid power solutions in South African mines is still in its infancy, multidisciplinary engineering consulting firm WSP Africa director Dinesh Buldoo says there is growing interest from mining companies to offset the risks to their business that power supply challenges can pose. This can be done by conducting investigations on standalone or microgrid hybrid power generation solutions that may include a combination of alternative resources. These resources could be gas... Читать дальше...

With existing and new mines in remote areas requiring electricity, power generation equipment manufacturer and energy service company Himoinsa’s bespoke and integrated solutions can support mines with a prime or a back-up power system, should there be a electricity outage. “We understand the modes of operation, different technologies and different applications needed at mine operations. We provide mines with a load profile analysis before recommending a solution, which places us in a good position to provide clients with cost-effective... Читать дальше...

Having completed a cogeneration project with diversified miner Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), energy solutions provider Vuselela Energy director Jacques Malan says the company looks forward to working on similar projects for more mining companies. Cogeneration, in the context of the South African mining industry, entails the use of wasted process energy for usable heat and/or power generation. Numerous examples exist at smelting operations where hot offgas, or sometimes combustible offgas is released to atmosphere. Читать дальше...

Amid rising electricity costs and flailing power supplies across the East Coast of Australia, the country’s government is standing firm on its decision to keep coal as one of its main sources of electricity generation. Australia’s East Coast is facing a plethora of electricity issues, with electricity prices having soared to become some of the highest in the world, while much of the natural gas produced in the country is exported instead of being sold domestically.

As various projects have demonstrated the value of renewables for reducing diesel, heavy fuel oil (HFO) and gas consumption, mining companies could now benefit from a significant cost reduction potential, said renewables research organisation ThEnergy MD Dr Thomas Hillig. “In the last few years, more and more mining companies have adopted wind and solar systems to reduce their energy costs at remote off-grid mines,” he noted in a report co-authored by international renewable solutions provider Voltalia. Читать дальше...