Новости за 01.03.2019

The processing plant front-end crushing circuit commissioning has been completed at TSX-V-listed Alphamin Resources’ flagship Bisie tin project, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with full commissioning and ramp-up scheduled for the second quarter of 2019. The Bisie project is now running at nameplate capacity of 60 t/h, with production at planned throughput expected to start in the third quarter of the year.

TSX-listed Sherritt’s Fort Saskatchewan metals refinery has reached a production milestone of producing three-billion pounds of nickel since operations started in 1954. “As one of Canada’s oldest mining companies, we are proud of this important milestone,” said David Pathe, CEO and President of Sherritt International

Glencore CEO Ivan Glasenberg met the Democratic Republic of Congo’s new president this week, their first encounter since Felix Tshisekedi took office, according to people familiar with the matter. The meeting comes after relations between mining companies and the government deteriorated last year, when former President Joseph Kabila backed an overhaul of Congo’s mining code that hiked royalties and imposed new taxes. Tshisekedi replaced Kabila Jan. 24 after winning elections in December.

Miner and trader Glencore said trade barriers are its "foremost risk", but climate, political, legal and other risks had become more prominent. Glencore, said in its annual report published on Friday that it was seeking to mitigate these challenges through conservative spending and strict compliance. It also said in February it would limit its coal capacity.

Diversified miner African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) achieved a 13% increase in headline earning to R2.2-billion for the six months ended December 31, 2018, compared with R1.9-billion in the six months ended December 31, 2017. The company, which is led by chairperson Patrice Motsepe and CEO Mike Schmidt, on Friday reported headline earnings a share of R11.49, compared with R10.23 in the prior comparable period.

Copper miner Finders Resources has suspended operations at its Kali Kuning openpit project, in Indonesia, following a series of pit wall failures. The ASX-listed company on Friday noted that the failures predominantly consisted of sloughing of loose material from the side of the pit, which had previously experienced failures.

The share price of coal developer Atrum Coal remained high on Friday, following Hancock Prospecting’s A$740-million takeover offer for Atrum’s unlisted neighbour, Riversdale Resources earlier this week. Hancock Prospecting has announced an A$2.20 a share all cash offer for the unlisted Riversdale Resources, with the company prepared to increase its offer price to A$2.50 a share once its shareholding in Riversdale reached more than 50% before the close of the offer.

A prefeasibility study (PFS) on the Ovoot early development project (OEDP), in Mongolia, has delivered a robust financial outcome, ASX-listed Aspire Mining reported this week. The OEDP is expected to deliver four-million tonnes a year of washed saleable coal over an initial 9.2-year period, from a single openpit operation that would make use of only a small portion of the overall Ovoot project reserves.

Nevada is the most attractive jurisdiction in the world for mining investment, followed by Western Australia and the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, according to the yearly mining survey of Canadian policy think-tank Fraser Institute. Nevada, which Barrick Gold CEO Mark Bristow says is the “Witwatersrand of the 1970s”, has moved up from third place in 2017, and dethroned Saskatchewan as the world’s best mining address.

De Beers Group on Thursday night celebrated the successful conclusion of the first phase of its Enterprise Development Project for Diamond Beneficiators. Five black South African-owned diamond and cutting companies graduated following a three-year entrepreneurial development programme.

Junkyard palladium is quickly becoming a growth market as mined supplies of the silvery-white metal used to control harmful auto emissions run increasingly short. With palladium prices up 83% since mid-August, recyclers are gaining an edge at a time when some producers are forecasting a deficit of about 1-million ounces for the year. If the raw metal is removed from holders in 2019 at the same rate as 2018, “known inventories” may run out in about a year, said Nicky Shiels, a strategist at the Bank of Nova Scotia.

Data and analytics company GlobalData has forecast that worldwide zinc production will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 3.8% between this year and 2022. This growth will be underpinned by production increases and the opening of new mines in Canada, China, India, Kazakhstan and Mexico, and will result in total global production of 15.7-million tons in 2022. “After declining substantially in 2016, global zinc mine production increased in both 2017 and 2018, reaching 13.2-million tons and 13.4-million... Читать дальше...

The Peruvian government will likely grant Southern Copper Corp a construction license for its $1.4-billion Tia Maria project before its environmental permit expires in August, the Energy and Mines Minister told Reuters on Thursday. Southern Copper has spent years waiting for the construction license, a final green light for Tia Maria that consecutive governments have declined to give amid fears it would revive deadly protests at first derailed the project in 2011.

Chilean miner SQM said on Thursday it foresees strong long-term demand for lithium but offered a short-term prognosis clouded by the entry of new projects into the market and slowing growth of demand for the product this year. The company's new chief executive, Ricardo Ramos Rodriguez, said in an earnings call he expected sales volume in 2019 to rise slightly from 2018, along with modestly higher average market prices.

he Investing in African Mining Indaba celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary, and the 2019 edition was the best one yet, says mining investment conference Mining Indaba marketing head Joanna Kotyrba.

While some volatility is expected, there is optimism about the prospects of demand for cobalt and copper in 2019 which will be sustained in part by the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), says diversified natural resources producer Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) CEO Benedikt Sobotka.

The term mining auction refers to a range of disposals in the mining sector, including the disposal of scrap and/or surplus yellow equipment, assets from business rescue and/or liquidation, and the disposal of mining concessions, explains Hogan Lovells partner Nicholas Veltman. The primary distinction between a bidding process and an auction process is that, under a bidding process, the actual disposal is preceded by an extensive due diligence phase and commercial negotiations, while in an auction assets are sold as is.

Renewable energy has become a very important part of the conversation in mining, says energy solutions provider MD for Africa John Lewis who attended the 2019 Investing in African Mining Indaba, held in Cape Town, last month.

Following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s speech regarding the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) at this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba, mining companies made it clear that there will be some change in the near future as people start believing in practical impact of digitalisation and technology a lot more, says global engineering company Aurecon Group client director, resources Dr Eduard Vorster.