Новости за 04.06.2019

The world’s top 40 mining companies continued to consolidate their performance of the past several years by delivering steady growth in 2018, PwC’s ‘Mine 2019’ report, published on Tuesday, states. Combined, these companies’ revenue had increased by 8% year-on-year, which PwC says was buoyed by higher commodity prices and marginally improved production. The companies also boosted cash flows, paid down debt and provided a record dividend of $43-billion to shareholders during the year.

Development-stage phosphate mining company Arianne Phosphate has entered into a nonbinding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Chinese State-owned enterprise Sinoconst relating to the development of the Lac à Paul project in Quebec's Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region. The parties have agreed to work towards a final binding agreement, which would include full project financing, Arianne said on Tuesday.

Opening the Junior Indaba, in Auckland Park, on Tuesday, chairperson Bernard Swanepoel questioned whether Mining Charter III had helped to kickstart exploration activity in South Africa’s mining sector. Swanepoel mentioned that the prevailing sentiment seemed to be that, while the gazetted charter was a “vast” improvement on previous versions, it was tailored more towards large mining houses and did not offer the junior sector or potential investors incentives to engage in prospecting and exploration.

A court hearing following Zambia's decision to name a provisional liquidator to run Vedanta Resources' Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) business was adjourned for a week on Tuesday without tackling Vedanta's demands to be involved, the company said. Vedanta Resources, part-owner of the Mumbai-listed Vedanta group of companies, is KCM's majority shareholder, while Zambian State mining company ZCCM-IH holds a roughly 20% stake.

TSX-V-listed Constantine Metal Resources has announced the results of a preliminary economic assessment (PEA) for its 51%-owned Palmer zinc/copper/gold/silver project, in south-east Alaska, demonstrating a “high-quality project with strong economics”. CEO Garfield MacVeigh said on Wednesday that quality North American development-stage zinc/copper projects were in scarce supply, particularly projects with high operating margins and resilience to low metal price environments as demonstrated by the Palmer PEA.

The race by Tesla, Samsung SDI and other technology giants to secure supplies of lithium — a key ingredient in batteries for electric vehicles and smartphones — is creating a unique chance for two global mining superpowers to reap more value from their natural resources. Australia and Chile are looking to lithium to help them escape a cycle that for decades has had the two nations digging out minerals such as iron-ore and copper, only to see them refined and turned into valuable products abroad.

LSE-listed Pembridge Resources has closed a transaction to buy the Minto mine in Canada’s Yukon from Capstone Mining – nearly a year-and-a-half after the deal was first announced. Pembridge initially offered to buy Minto for $37.5-million, but then struggled to close the equity financing element of the acquisition, leading to Capstone placing the mine on care and maintenance.

Canadian base metals miner Lundin Mining has thrown its weight behind the Stellar copper/gold project in Alaska, with a A$4.3-million investment in PolarX, affording the company a 14.3% shareholding in the ASX-listed junior. The share subscription will make Lundin PolarX’s largest shareholder and secures it an exclusive option to enter into a joint-venture on porphyry copper/gold targets in the Stellar claims.

Australian mine developer Clean Teq said on Tuesday it was looking to sell a stake in its nickel, cobalt and scandium project in central New South Wales, as it seeks a cornerstone partner to help fund development. The company has tasked Macquarie Capital to run a process to find a partner to buy up to 50% in the Sunrise Battery Materials Complex, in combination with long-term offtake, it said in a statement.