Новости за 30.09.2019

The Baita Plai polymetallic operation, in Romania, could be in operation within three months from the drawdown of financing, owner Vast Resources reported on Monday, noting that the refinancing of the mine had reached an “advanced stage”. It has been a long road for Vast to bring Baita Plai –1.8-million-tonne copper/silver/zinc/lead/gold/tungsten/molybdenum ore body – into operation.

The World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) presidents’ meeting, after a special session on blockchain technology and supply source traceability, has decided to take steps to  further improve transparency in diamond transactions. The decision came after a debate on the conclusions of a panel discussion on traceability, provenance and blockchain technology.

Diversified miner Anglo American’s Unki platinum mine, in Zimbabwe, is the first to publicly commit to being independently audited against the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance’s (Irma’s) Standard for Responsible Mining. This is in line with the commitment in Anglo’s Sustainable Mining Plan to have all of its operations assessed against credible responsible mining standards by 2025.

De Beers Group Auctions has appointed Alastair Bickerstaff as its product development and sales head. The new role is an amalgamation of two instrumental elements of the business, namely product development and sales.

European lead/zinc explorer Europa Metals has raised £1-million in an oversubscribed fundraising to progress the workstreams required for a prefeasibility study of its Toral project in Castilla y León, northern Spain. The fundraising comprised the issue of four-million shares of no par value each at an issue price of 0.025p a share.

The work plan and schedule for the Sunrise battery materials complex in New South Wales will be revised, Melbourne-based Clean TeQ said on Monday, reporting that the front-end engineering and design (FEED) on the project was behind schedule. The mine developer said that it was assessing the FEED progress on the cobalt/nickel project and that an update would be provided in the coming weeks.

TSX-V-listed Noront Resources has secured a property in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, to build and operate a ferrochrome production facility to service its chromite deposits in the emerging metals camp known as the Ring of Fire. The company this month entered into a five-year option agreement to enter into a 99-year lease for a parcel of land next to primary steel producer Algoma Steel’s mill.

Australia's Heron Resources said on Monday it received an extension to waivers regarding a loan facility, giving the cash-strapped zinc explorer more time to come up with a funding plan. A cash crunch due to a seven-month delay in the completion of construction at the company's zinc and copper-bearing Woodlawn mine in New South Wales prompted Heron Resources to enter a standstill agreement with its lender in August.

Queensland is missing out on a multi-billion dollar addition to its resources and energy industry, owing to bans on uranium mining, Queensland Resources Council (QRC) CEO Ian Macfarlane told an inquiry on Monday. In a statement issued following public hearings at the House of Representatives inquiry into the “prerequisites for nuclear energy in Australia”, he said that Queensland uranium could be mined sustainability and economically.

Australia has scaled back its expectations for record export revenue from mining and energy in the 2019/20 financial year as trade tariffs chill global economic growth, the government said on Monday. Australia forecast mining sector revenue at $282-billion, down $3-billion from its June forecast, but still ahead of a record $279-billion in 2018/19.

Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto has cancelled plans for the sale or floatation of its Canadian iron ore business, following unsuccessful attempts to find buyers, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. Rio Tinto, which owns 59% stake in Iron Ore Co of Canada, was unable to settle on a suitable price with potential buyers, the report said.