Новости за 04.09.2019

Cash-strapped power utility Eskom could be forced to shut some plants if it fails to reduce emissions, its COO warned on Wednesday, raising the spectre of further blackouts. The potential closures, which Jan Oberholzer said could cut a tenth of the state firm's 45 000 MW production capacity, piles pressure on the government which has had to bail out the debt-ridden company to keep it afloat.

State-owned power utility Eskom on Wednesday said it was unlikely that there would be any load-shedding over the next seven months as the utility’s generation performance was starting to improve. The embattled utility had managed to avoid load-shedding for 164 consecutive days, with an average energy availability factor of 70.4% as at the end of August, COO Jan Oberholzer said.

Several BHP Group shareholders, including the Church of England pension fund, are recommending the company suspend its membership in industry groups that advocate for policies inconsistent with the Paris climate change agreement. The resolution was filed on Tuesday by the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility (ACCR) ahead of BHP's annual general meetings (AGM) in London and Sydney, the ACCR said in a statement.

ASX-listed uranium miner Paladin Energy’s two mines in Namibia and Malawi remain under care and maintenance to preserve resource and shareholder value in the current low uranium price environment; however, the company is positive that uranium demand will pick up in the near future. The company plans to restart production at the Langer Heinrich mine, in Namibia, within the next two years, and is selling the Kayelekera mine, in Malawi.

Indonesia's ban on nickel ore exports could boost the country's earnings from the metal five-fold in the next five years through growth in industries such as stainless steel and battery materials, a minister said on Wednesday. In a move that threatens to cut global supply, the world's top nickel miner said this week it would stop nickel ore exports from January 1, 2020, two years earlier than initially indicated, to promote more domestic processing.

Gold reserves held by Venezuela's central bank fell by $1-billion in the first half of 2019, official data released this week showed, amid opposition accusations that the government is selling the precious metal abroad to raise revenue in the face of US sanctions. The value of the gold bars in central bank vaults fell to $4.62-billion, down 18.5% from $5.67-billion dollars at the end of 2018 - the lowest in 75 years, according to bank dat

Anyone approaching the railroad tracks late last month from US Route 119 outside Cumberland, Kentucky, would have seen the mass of pop-up tents, and perhaps the hand-scrawled sign in capital letters, darkened from heavy rain: “COAL OR WORKERS -- WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?” A little more than a mile down the tracks, some 100 CSX railcars are piled high with coal mined by Blackjewel from the hills of Harlan county. David Pratt Jr., a 29-year-old father of three, is one of more than 200 people who helped... Читать дальше...

South Africa’s Mineral Resources and Energy Minister, Gwede Mantashe, has urged continued foreign investment into the country’s resources sector, saying that the government is actively working to address electricity issues, which have constrained economic growth. Speaking on the sidelines of Paydirt’s African Downunder conference, in Perth, Mantashe told Mining Weekly Online that until the question of electricity pricing in South Africa was sorted, economic growth would not be sustainable.

Gold will surge above $1 600 an ounce as the Federal Reserve embarks on a quartet of interest rate cuts to combat slowing US growth and the fallout from the trade war with China, according to BNP Paribas SA, which flagged prospects for a significant rise in prices in the coming months. Bullion will benefit as the Fed opts for four, 25 basis point cuts between this month and June 2020, Harry Tchilinguirian, head of commodity research, said in a note. As nominal yields fall with each reduction, “real... Читать дальше...

Dual-listed Orion Mining was hoping to conclude bank financing discussions for its Prieska copper/zinc project, in South Africa, by Christmas this year, allowing for a final investment decision in the new year. Speaking on the sidelines of Paydirt’s Africa Downunder conference, in Perth, Orion MD and CEO Errol Smart told Mining Weekly Online that the company was in discussions with a number of banks that have started due diligence on the Prieska project, with Orion also initiating discussions with... Читать дальше...

ASX-listed Consolidated Zinc has moved to take full ownership of its Plomosas zinc/lead/silver project, in Mexico, inking a binding term sheet with project partner Retec Guaru S.A de C.V. Under the terms of the agreement, Consolidated Zinc would acquire the remaining 10% interest in the project in return for a 1% net smelter royalty from zinc and lead concentrates produced at the mine.