Новости за 29.05.2019

Eurasian Resources Group and China Non-Ferrous Metals expressed interest in buying Konkola Copper Mines, should the Zambian government succeed in seizing it from Vedanta Resources, people familiar with the situation said. Eurasian Resources, owned by three Kazakh billionaires, approached the government about two months ago, according to the people, who declined to be identified by name. CNMC also wanted to buy the assets, they said. The Chinese company offered to spend $2.5-billion on development, one person said.

Sello Moloko will step down as chairperson of JSE- and NYSE-listed Sibanye-Stillwater, effective September 30, and will be succeeded by nonexecutive director Dr Vincent Maphai, whose appointment is effective June 1. A statement by the miner on Wednesday said Moloko wants to focus on his other responsibilities and the ongoing development of Thesele Group, a company he founded in 2005.

Switzerland’s top prosecutor opened a criminal probe against “unknown perpetrators” suspected of bribing foreign officials after a public interest group filed a complaint in 2017 against Glencore, adding to international scrutiny of the world’s biggest commodity trader. The investigation opened earlier this month relates to raw materials, and isn’t focused on the Baar, Switzerland-based company or a specific person, the Office of the Attorney General said in an email, declining to give further information. Читать дальше...

Vedanta chairperson Anil Agarwal said on Wednesday he was prepared to invest in increasing Zambian copper production to 400 000 t, creating another 10 000 jobs at Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), but said "the right framework" had to be in place. Vedanta is fighting Zambia's decision this month to name a provisional liquidator to run Vedanta Resources' KCM business. The government has accused KCM of breaching its operating licence.

Nasdaq-listed precious metals royalty firm Royal Gold will invest $8-million into TSX-V-listed TriStar Gold’s Castelo de Sonhos (CDS) gold project, in Brazil. TriStar has sold to Royal Gold an option to purchase a 1% net smelter return royalty on CDS for a cash payment of $500 000, once proven and probable gold reserves have been declared.

India’s Power Ministry has estimated coal demand from domestic thermal power plants at 651-million tons in 2019/20. State-miner Coal India Limited has assured thermal power producers supply of 530-million tons during the financial year, while the balance of 121-million tons will need to be imported.

Diamond miner Lucapa Diamond Company has reported sales revenue of A$5-million for the sale of a parcel of 7 008 ct of rough diamonds from its Mothae operation, in Lesotho. The ASX-listed company noted that the tender, in Antwerp, included prices of up to $26 000/ct for individual gems.

A scoping study into ASX-listed Caravel Minerals’ copper project, in Western Australia, has shown that the project could generate revenues of A$10.6-billion and free cash flow of A$3.1-billion over a 23-year mine life. The scoping study estimated that a capital investment of A$481-million would be required to develop an initial 16-million-tonne-a-year operation, which would ramp up to 30-million tonnes a year from year six.

In the face of climate change more emphasis needs to be given to platinum, and there needs to be a collective South African effort on this part. Meanwhile, in an effort to stop miners going down deep-level mines, remote machinery should come to the fore. And, inroads are being made in research, development and innovation at the Mandela Mining Precinct. Mining Weekly editor Martin Creamer unpacks the headlines.

Authorities from Mexico's Zacatecas state hope to mediate an agreement to end a two-month blockade at the Penasquito gold mine between mining firm Newmont Goldcorp Corp and villagers in San Juan de Cedros. The dispute at Penasquito, Mexico's largest gold and silver mine, has led to losses for public coffers and the firm, as well as lost pay for workers and contractors.

Namibia's Mines and Energy Minister said he has no objection to Rio Tinto's sale of its uranium mine stake to China provided it respects the African nation's laws. Rio, which is seeking to divest less profitable assets, said last November that it was selling its 69% stake in the world's longest-running open pit uranium mine to China for up to $106.5-million and expected the deal to be completed in the first half of 2019.

Canada's Nutrien, the world's biggest producer of potash fertiliser, said on Tuesday that it was evaluating whether to expand its annual production capacity by five-million tonnes after 2023, around the time that metals miner BHP Billiton is considering a move into potash. In a presentation to investors in Toronto, CEO Chuck Magro said the additional capacity would consist of expansions to existing Canadian mines during the next decade.