Новости за 12.06.2019

Ivanhoe Mines Democratic Republic of Congo operations MD Louis Watum says the country’s new Mining Code has created uncertainty regarding the regulatory framework within the country, which has negatively impacted on funding in the DRC’s mining industry. The revised Mining Code seeks to benefit all stakeholders in terms of social, environmental and economic upliftment, but has also resulted in higher taxes and royalties on speciality minerals, including cobalt and coltan.

LSE- and Nasdaq-listed specialist alloy producer Afarak has decided to idle the two submerged arc furnaces at its Mogale Alloys processing facility, in Krugersdorp, South Africa. “The business environment in South Africa, with the irregular availability and the high cost of energy has constituted a major difficulty to achieving good, reliable performance in our Mogale smelter.

Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), owned by Vedanta Resources, plans to restart its Nchanga smelter on June 22, the company said on Wednesday. KCM said the Nchanga smelter, near Zambia's border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, had been idle pending availability of concentrates.

Aim- and TSX-V-listed Altus Strategies has discovered a new gold prospect, Wedi Keshi, at its Daro copper/gold/silver volcanogenic massive sulphide project, in northern Ethiopia. Altus CEO Steven Poulton says the Wedi Keshi prospect has been mapped for about 2 km in length and 300 m in width and that it is also coincident with a series of discontinuous hard gold workings in the area.

Aim-listed Arc Minerals has started an initial 7 500 m drilling programme at its Zamsort/Zaco copper project, in the Zambian Copperbelt. The drilling programme is designed to test the large Cheyeza anomaly, as well as the Lumbeta and Muswema targets, in addition to other targets generated through the comprehensive geophysical and soil sampling programme.

While Stornoway Diamond Corp continues with a strategic review aimed at ensuring the long-term viability of its Renard mine, in Quebec, the company has received financial backing from its secured lenders and key stakeholders. Under the terms of the bridge financing agreement, Diaquem, an affiliate of Investissement Québec, has agreed to advance an estimated C$11.7-million by way of access to the funds available in a senior loan reserve account maintained by Stornoway’s subsidiary, Stornoway Diamond (Canada) Inc (SDCI).

TSX- and Nasdaq-listed Mountain Province Diamonds has discovered a new kimberlite at its Gahcho Kué joint venture (JV) leases – the first to be discovered in the area in more than two decades. The Wilson kimberlite, which was named after Canada’s first female geologist, Alice Evelyn Wilson, is located about 200 m east of the Tuzo kimberlite and is well within the openpit mine plan for Tuzo.

Norway's $1-trillion sovereign wealth fund may have to sell its $1-billion stake in commodities giant Glencore, among other companies that derive more than 30% of their revenue from coal, to meet proposed tighter ethical investing rules. Under the centre-right government's plan, expected to be adopted by Norway's parliament on Wednesday, the world's largest fund would no longer invest in companies that mine more than 20-million tonnes of coal annually or generate more than 10 GW of power with coal.

The CEO of Polish State-run coking coal producer JSW was sacked by the energy ministry on Tuesday following a dispute over strategy. Shares in the company fell more than 6% on the news, which added to broader investor concerns that Poland's government is interfering in state-run and listed companies to use them for political projects, including investment designed to sustain the coal industry.

Chile´s Mining Ministry said on Tuesday it would release in "the coming weeks" a plan to clarify rules around its lithium industry to maintain its global share of output amid spiraling demand for the coveted battery metal. At a gathering of lithium investors in Santiago, Mining Minister Baldo Prokurica said the administration of center-right President Sebastian Pinera would push both state and private investment to double Chile´s production to 230 000 t of lithium carbonate equivalent per year by 2023.

Albemarle on Tuesday detailed a process it believes will increase its Chilean lithium output by nearly a third and said it is working to reduce the affect of precipitation on its evaporation ponds. Both steps should, if successful, help the world's largest lithium producer solidify its operations in Chile's Atacama desert, which contains massive reserves of the white metal used to make electric vehicle batteries.