Новости за 12.11.2019

Media company Hyve Group content head Tom Quinn on Tuesday told the media that the organising team of the 2020 iteration of the Investing in Africa Mining Indaba has seen an increased appetite for engagement within the African mining sector, particularly for discussions touching on sustainability. This drive toward conversations on sustainability, he added, “shows that mining companies want to sustain communities and provide employment”.

London-listed Botswana Diamonds (BOD) has recovered the first diamonds from its plant commissioning activities at the Marsfontein mining permit. The company’s 40%-owned associate Vutomi Mining was last month granted a mining permit for the diamond-bearing gravels and residual unprocessed stockpiles around the iconic mine, in South Africa.

Licence to operate and disruption are two of the biggest risks facing mining companies in Africa, a research report by EY, titled ‘Top risks and opportunities facing miners in Africa 2020’, has found. “Social responsibility and stakeholder needs are intensifying, as are the needs for digital transformation, innovation and managed risk,” says EY Africa team leader Wickus Botha.

Gold remains a mainstream choice for investors, with 46% of global retail investors choosing gold products, while consumers prefer gold jewellery above jewellery made from other metals, the World Gold Council has found. It surveyed about 18 000 people to determine the global attitude towards gold, with the feedback compiled in a new consumer research report.

TSX-V-listed Aftermath Silver has entered into a binding agreement to buy the Challacollo silver/gold project, in Chile, from fellow-listed Mandalay Resources and hopes to start drilling in the first quarter of next year. Challacollo is a low-sulphidation epithermal deposit, which hosts an historic mineral resource of 30-million silver indicated ounces and a 6.9-million silver inferred ounces, with gold credits.

The partners in the Hook Lake project, in Saskatchewan's Athabasca Basin, have approved an exploration budget of C$2-million for 2020, with exploration set to begin this winter. The Hook Lake project is a joint venture (JV) between Cameco (39.5%), Orano Canada (39.5%) and Purepoint (21%) in the Patterson uranium district, which hosts Fission Uranium's Triple R deposit and NexGen's Arrow deposit.

Anglo American dropped another hint that its days of mining the world’s most polluting fuel are limited. In a slew of presentations released for an investor visit to Anglo assets in Australia, thermal coal was noticeably absent from a list of units seen to have long-term potential. The company is on a trajectory away from thermal coal, and will do so responsibly, an Anglo spokesperson said.

CSE-listed exploration and development junior International Mining Corp (IMC) has entered into a nonbinding letter of intent to buy the mining and exploration permits of TSX- and Aim-listed Orosur Mining in Uruguay for $1-million in cash. IMC has 45 days to complete a due diligence, Orosur said in an announcement on Tuesday.

TSX-V- and JSE-listed Alphamin Resources’ Bisie mine, in the Democratic Republic of Congo produced 2 345 t of contained tin in the three months ended September 30 – a 269% increase compared with the quarter ended June 30. The higher output was attributed to improved plant recoveries and higher tin grades from underground.

Canadian miner Hudbay has reported a third-quarter net loss of $274.8-million, reflecting an after-tax impairment loss of $242.1-million on the carrying value of its stalled Rosemont copper project, in the US. The US District Court has blocked the company from constructing the copper mine in south-eastern Arizona, with the validity of mining claims that would allow for the disposal of waste on public lands adjacent to the operations at the heart of the matter.

Junior Big River Gold has flagged mica as a potential by-product at its Borborema gold project, in Brazil. The ASX-listed company is currently undertaking a definitive feasibility study (DFS) at Borborema, and as part of this process, has identified mica as a potentially significant commercial opportunity.

Copper/gold miner Oz Minerals has postponed first saleable concentrate production from its Carrapateena copper project, in South Australia, by one month. The ASX-listed miner on Tuesday said that first saleable concentrate production was now expected in December, with the revised timing blamed on incorrect vendor supplied items associated with the minerals processing plant.

As coal prices tumble and bankruptcies rise, two leading US miners are pushing ahead with plans to expand. Arch Coal and Consol Energy remain on track to open new mines to dig steelmaking, or metallurgical, coal from the West Virginia hills. It comes as the market is already glutted, with prices down about 30% in 12 months.