Новости за 24.01.2020

Copper saw its worst streak of losses since mid-2018 as more patients were infected by the deadly coronavirus in the US, spurring a sell-off in riskier assets while boosting gold’s haven appeal. US officials are monitoring more than 60 people as they attempt to catch new cases of coronavirus in travelers from China, the center of the outbreak. Mounting concerns that the spreading deadly disease could further crimp global growth sent equities and commodities declining.

The due date of ASX- and JSE-listed Orion Minerals’ loan facility with Tembo Capital has been extended to June 25, from January 25. Orion secured the $3.6-million convertible loan facility with Tembo Capital last year.

Greece plans to liquidate Larco, one of Europe's biggest nickel producers which is struggling under heavy debt, and then look for an investor for some of the company's assets, its energy minister said on Friday. The European Commission said in November it was taking Greece to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over its failure to recover 135.8-million euros of illegal state aid to Larco. The ECJ ruled in 2017 that Greece needed to recover the money, based on a Commission decision in 2014 related to capital injections and state guarantees.

Environmental organisation GRID-Arendal has launched the world’s first publicly-accessible global database of mine tailings storage facilities. The database, called the Global Tailings Portal (GTP), was built by Norway-based GRID-Arendal with support from the United Nations Environment Programme. It allows users to view detailed information on more than 1900 tailings dams, categorised by location, company, dam type, height, volume and risk, among other factors.

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) on Friday announced the lowest number of mining fatalities on record, at 51 for 2019. This was a 37% year-on-year improvement, compared with the 81 reported fatalities in 2018. Fatalities in the gold sector decreased by 53% to 19, while fatalities in the coal sector decreased by 22% year-on-year to seven.

Sentiment in the rough diamond market was “slightly more optimistic” towards the end of 2019 and has remained “relatively positive” as the market prepares for the first selling cycle of 2020, Canadian miner Mountain Province reports. The company, which is a 49% participant with De Beers in Gahcho Kué diamond mine located in Canada's Northwest Territories, states that the mine closures over the next 12 to 18 months will help establish a more balanced supply and demand equilibrium in the diamond market.

TSX-listed miner Premier Gold Mines has had a “trying” year at its Mercedes mine, in Sonora, Mexico, which fell short of its guided production last year, producing 59 901 oz of gold and 191 306 oz o silver. Excessive grade dilution led to lower-than-planned production, the mining company said on Thursday."2019 was a trying year for our Mercedes mine," stated president and CEO Ewan Downie. "However, we believe that we understand the challenges faced by the mine this past year and have a plan in... Читать дальше...

Eurasia Resources Group's (ERG) Africa unit said on Thursday it will suspend operations at Chambishi Metals in Zambia due to a shortage of copper and cobalt concentrates required to produce cathode. Zambia, Africa's second-largest copper producer, has introduced a 5% import tax on raw materials which has hobbled the flow of concentrates from mines in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

With its first commercial production around the corner, Lundin Gold is looking at options to grow – including acquisitions. The company’s only asset, Fruta del Norte in Ecuador, will reach commercial production in the second quarter, CEO Ron Hochstein said Thursday in an interview at Bloomberg’s Toronto office. The low-cost mine is expected to produce more than 300 000 oz of gold this year, and average 325 000 oz over its expected 14-year mine life. The company’s largest shareholder, Melbourne-based Newcrest Mining... Читать дальше...

Freeport-McMoRan reported a fall in fourth-quarter copper output and said it expected higher spending in 2020 as it transitions its giant Grasberg copper mine in Indonesia to underground mining, sending its shares down 9%. The US miner has spent billions of dollars in the switch from a depleting open pit mine and to develop a coexisting underground mine that would help achieve low cost, long life production and generate significant future cash flows.

Economists agree that climate change risks have, to date, been underestimated by industry in general, including mining, says consulting engineers and scientists SRK Consulting South Africa director and principal consultant Andrew van Zyl. Consequently, he expects that challenges associated with climate change will be of particular interest to SRK delegates, among other themes, at this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba.

The job description of in-house mining counsel is fast evolving – from being only a legal adviser and setting up compliance and risk indicators to being a generalist who assists in developing long-term company strategy, says diversified mining and exploration company Bauba Resources group legal counsel Aviona Mabaso. Mabaso will take part in a panel discussion on risk as part of the inaugural General Counsel Forum at the Investing in African Mining Indaba, from February 3 to 6, and is also a member on the event’s conference advisory board.

The establishment of motor and controls manufacturer WEG in a remote area of southern Brazil in 1961 prepared its South African subsidiary, Zest WEG Group, for its localisation journey. WEG has a history of benefiting from available local resources, developing local capacity and supply chains to support its business, and has perpetuated this business model through its global strategy, Zest WEG group logistics and operations director Juliano Vargas tells Mining Weekly.

Zest WEG, the South African subsidiary of Brazilian motor and controls manufacturer WEG, has engaged local entities as well as the Embassy of Brazil to hold a roundtable in South Africa on energy efficiency early this year to encourage industry to use and promote energy-efficient products. “We want the market to be flooded by energy efficient products by encouraging everyone to buy energy efficient products, even if they are manufactured by our competitors,” says Zest WEG group logistics and operations director Juliano Vargas.

When investing in digitalisation and automation, change management is one of the key challenges that needs to be addressed globally, and not only in the African mining industry, says global engineering company Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology Southern Africa automation business line manager Neil McCoy. “Operations must first create a digital vision and then define a strategy for digitisation. Once that is in place, work can begin in terms of considering relevant mining methods, equipment and digital tools to allow for cost-effective... Читать дальше...

Mining services provider Ukwazi business development director Spencer Eckstein compares the Investing in African Mining Indaba to farming, as many delegates and companies attending the event are “planting seeds” and hoping for a “fruitful harvest” in terms of new deals and business leads. Aside from the value gained from attending talks, panels and presentations, the event has shown that, after 25 years, its real value remains in the networking that takes place, whether formal or informal.

The South African–German Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (SAGCCI’s) Mine Health and Safety Project is heading into its third and final year this year. The project was initiated in 2018 as part of the SAGCCI’s Competence Centre for Mining and Mineral Resources Southern Africa, which was instituted in South Africa in 2013. The Competence Centre will be exhibiting at the Investing in African Mining Indaba this year alongside SAGCCI, which will also be hosting a German Day at the event.

The growing symbiosis between human and machine could deliver large-scale improvements to the mining sector, says mining technology platform Dwyka Mining Services CEO Jamie van Schoor. Van Schoor will be speaking at the Young Leaders in Mining Programme – part of the Investing in African Mining Indaba – taking place this year, in Cape Town.

The Export Credit Insurance Corporation of South Africa (ECIC) is developing an automated tool to improve its assessment of the financial and credit strength of corporations, says ECIC COO Mandisi Nkuhlu. The tool can be used to assess mining companies as well, especially for small to medium-sized mining enterprises that participate in small to medium transactions, where the expectation is that turnaround times are much quicker, he tells Mining Weekly.

Mine ventilation equipment manufacturer Terramin is experiencing an uptick in demand for its Terrablast in-stope water-atomising device. Terramin CEO Martin van Schoor – who will be attending the Investing in African Mining Indaba this year, in Cape Town – believes that the uptick can, in part, be attributed to intensified efforts by mining companies to improve dust suppression underground.

Using South African suppliers can be far more effective financially when engineering and manufacturing locally and is not simply a matter of complying with Mining Charter III, says industrial and mining vibrating screens manufacturer Kwatani CEO Kim Schoepflin. From a Mining Charter perspective, there is a big drive towards local content, but “it shouldn’t be a drive, it should occur naturally”, she tells Mining Weekly.

The wet processing solution designed and delivered by wet processing equipment manufacturer CDE, simultaneously won two awards in Australia and Ireland for exceptional achievement and resource productivity. In 2017, CDE commissioned two wet processing plants in South Australia to convert an estimated 17-million tonnes of historic low-grade iron-ore overburden waste into high-value product.

The development of an intelligent cyclone by minerals processing equipment supplier Multotec is at an advanced stage, Multotec South African Operations CEO Rikus Immink tells Mining Weekly. Through the instrumentation of its ceramic-lined cyclones, Multotec is aligning itself to the automation requirements of the mining industry.

Mining investment firm Menar MD Vuslat Bayoğlu hopes that this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba will “rise to the occasion” in addressing the challenges that are plaguing the South African mining industry. Some pressing challenges include the need to deal with regulatory uncertainty and finding a workable model to ensure stability in host communities, he says.

The African operations of global base-metals mining company Trevali Mining are big contributors to its overall portfolio and are important to the company’s future, says Trevali CEO and president Ricus Grimbeek, who will speak at this year’s Investing in African Mining Indaba, in Cape Town, from February 3 to 6. “Mining Indaba is the perfect time and place to raise awareness of our operations, our people and our future by showcasing Trevali as a major zinc producer in Africa and the world.”