Новости за 17.05.2019

Zambian President Edgar Lungu threatened to “divorce” the domestic copper units of Vedanta Resources and Glencore after the companies said they’d curb operations in the Southern African nation. The threat marks an escalation in tensions between the mining industry in Africa’s second-biggest copper producer and the state, after an increase in royalties and plans to introduce new taxes. Last week, Mines Minister Richard Musukwa said the government directed Glencore’s Mopani Copper Mines to hand over... Читать дальше...

A higher chrome benchmark price and increased sales volumes are expected to result in an improvement in London-listed Afarak Group’s financial performance for the second quarter, after the company posted a €7.5-million loss for the first quarter. The company attributed the first-quarter loss to weaker ferrochrome prices and lower sales volumes, as well as to “specific segment conditions”.

The Competition Appeal Court of South Africa (CACSA) on Friday gave the green light for JSE- and NYSE-listed Sibanye-Stillwater’s proposed takeover of LSE- and JSE-listed Lonmin, dismissing an appeal filed by the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union. CACSA upheld the Competition Tribunal’s decision of November 21, 2018, to approve the deal.

Brazilian iron ore miner Vale SA told prosecutors in the state of Minas Gerais that a dam is at risk of rupturing at its Gongo Soco mine, about 40 miles from where its Brumadinho dam collapsed, killing more than 230 people. According to a document published on Thursday, prosecutors said Vale is predicting the dam in the city of Barao de Cocais may collapse next week if the current rate of movement in the embankment of the mine pit close to the dam is maintained.

Acacia Mining said on Friday its North Mara gold mine would be issued an environmental protection order (EPO) relating to alleged historical breaches of environmental regulations in Tanzania. Acacia, majority-owned by Barrick Gold, is embroiled in a long-running tax dispute with Tanzania and had cut output by a third after the government banned the export of mineral concentrates in 2017.

Field operations at Aim-listed African Battery Metals’ Kisinka copper/cobalt project, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, have now been completed. ABM executive director Paul Johnson says the team “coped well with difficult on-site logistics as grass levels remained high after late rains, and we recruited additional casual support staff to ensure the timely completion of the field phase of activities”.

An optimisation of the prefeasibility study (PFS) for the Mardie salt and potash project, in Western Australia, has improved the project economics, with a definitive feasibility study (DFS) now targeted for late 2019. ASX-listed BCI Minerals on Friday reported that the optimised PFS estimated a pre-tax net present value of A$560-million, which compared with the A$335-million estimated in the 2018 PFS, while the internal rate of return has remained unchanged at 20%.

The performance of British Columbia mining companies are mirroring the return of confidence to the global industry, with the mining sector of Canada’s westernmost province posting positive results for the second consecutive year. PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC) Canada’s ‘BC Mine’ report states that prices for most metals and minerals produced in the province improved in 2018, after an extended period of depressed prices.

Environmental consultancy and product developer I-CAT finalised a dust management project on a bauxite mine – a first for the company – in Guinea last month. “This is a different ore than what we are used to – it was unique . . . and we have been successful,” I-CAT divisional manager Morné van Wyk tells Mining Weekly.

Nonprofit organisation Copper Development Association Africa (CDAA) encourages countries, such as Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, to reduce their copper exports and start investing in infrastructure to support the use of copper in downstream industries. CDAA executive chairperson Evert Swanepoel emphasises that the association promotes the use of copper in Africa and, therefore, encourages miners in Zambia to join the CDAA.

The Minerals Council South Africa – formerly the Chamber of Mines –  officially rebranded in May 2018, repositioning the organisation to reflect, “the promise of the future”, by amending its role and ethos to drive a positive reform agenda that enables the industry to reach its true economic and transformation potential, says Minerals Council CEO Roger Baxter. He explains that the rebranding was a signal that the industry is “moving forward, building a new legacy and creating a future all South Africans can be proud of”.

In striving to become the preeminent policy advocacy in the mining industry, maintaining positive stakeholder engagements is key for Minerals Council South Africa, says public affairs and transformation senior executive Tebello Chabana. He describes the Minerals Council as a focused advocacy entity with a complement of 70 “highly professional individuals at the top of their game”.

This year’s CAMINEX trade expo, which will be held from June 4 to 6 at the Kitwe Showgrounds, in Zambia, will focus on key topics such as taxation and labour laws, says event organiser Copperbelt, Agricultural and Commercial Show Society (CACSS) chairperson London Mwafulilwa. The discussions on taxation and labour laws follow in the wake of the country’s 2019 mining fiscal regime changes. Changes in the 2019 Budget include royalty rate increases, an import duty on concentrates and a 15% gold export duty... Читать дальше...

Several large diversified miners dominate copper production in Zambia and account for a significant amount of copper production in the Copperbelt, which includes the Copperbelt province and the towns of Ndola, Kitwe, Chingola, Luanshya and Mufulira in particular, as well as the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC’s) Haut-Katanga province, which include  Lubumbashi, Kolwezi and Likasi. All active in the region, gold mining major Barrick Gold, Canada-based base metals miner First Quantum Minerals (FQM)... Читать дальше...

South Africa-based foundry and engineering company Thos Begbie’s Zambian branch will expand its workshop into a fully equipped heavy machine and fabrication shop with fabrication facilities to cater for other industries. Thos Begbie Zambia MD Piet du Preez highlights this as the medium- to long-term vision for the company.

Ventilation firm TLT-Turbo Africa will supply and install a turnkey solution for underground ventilation and fume extraction for Canadian miner Ivanhoe Mines subsidiary Kamoa Copper SA. Kamoa Copper SA forms part of the Kamoa-Kakula copper project, which is a joint venture between TSX-listed mining company Ivanhoe Mines, Chinese group Zijin Mining and the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Kamoa-Kakula group project has been independently ranked as the world's largest undeveloped high-grade copper discovery.

Aim-listed copper/gold explorer Bezant Resources entered into a binding memorandum of agreement with horizontally-integrated holding company KPZ International last month for a conational option to acquire 50% interest in the Buffalo copper/gold exploration project in Zambia. Under the terms of the agreement Bezant is required to complete an initial assessment of the licence area held under mining licence number 15164-HQ-SML, at a cost of up to $200 000 by February 1, 2020. Bezant will, throughout the phase... Читать дальше...

Junior exploration company Arc Minerals has started an exploration programme at its Zamsort copper/cobalt project, in Zambia. The exploration programme follows the completion of an airborne geophysical programme at the project.

The Minerals Council South Africa facilitated the inclusion of junior-specific provisions in Mining Charter 3, gazetted in September last year, says Minerals Council Junior and Emerging Miners Desk head Grant Mitchell. He notes that the provisions will assist the stability and growth of the junior and emerging mining space, which has lagged behind that of Australia and Canada.

The Minerals Council South Africa has established two pilot regional offices as part of its broader aim to enhance community relations, says Minerals Council public affairs and transformation senior executive Tebello Chabana. Minerals Council social performance head Alex Khumalo explains that the offices – centrally located in Emalahleni, in Mpumalanga, and in Kuruman, in the Northern Cape – are meant to facilitate access to the Minerals Council.

The industry needs to modernise, “but let’s be clear about what modernisation is not – it is not simply mechanisation, it is far more than that”, says Minerals Council South Africa modernisation and safety senior executive Sietse van der Woude, He describes it, instead, as a process of transition and transformation of the mining industry, which puts people at the centre of mining, making mining safer, healthier and more competitive.