Новости за 21.02.2020

An in-depth internal report examining the causes of Vale SA's deadly Brumadinho tailings dam disaster last year contained "no new facts, nor surprises," the company's general counsel said on Friday. Late on Thursday, Vale released the report, which said the company had information as far back as 2003 pointing to the fragility of the B1 dam in Minas Gerais, which burst in January 2019 and killed at least 270 people. But steps taken to deal with the problem and heighten the dam's security were limited and ineffective... Читать дальше...

The Indian government has framed a scheme to offer funds to the technical and consultancy arm of State miner Coal India Limited (CIL) to expand exploration activities so that more fully explored coal blocks could be put up for auction for bidding by private miners. Under the scheme, Central Mines Planning and Design Institute Limited (CMPDIL), the technical arm of CIL, would receive an estimated $175-million over the next two financial years, as the first tranche to enable it to expand exploration... Читать дальше...

Rio Tinto Group will add three more women to its board over the course of this year, bringing the total to four out of 12 directors. Hinda Gharbi, a vice president at Schlumberger, and JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Jennifer Nason will become independent non-executive directors on March 1, the company said. Ngaire Woods, professor of global economic governance at Oxford University, will join the board on September 1. The mining industry has long been dominated by men, something the biggest producers say they’re trying to change. Читать дальше...

Diversified major Rio Tinto said on Friday that its Mongolian unit, Oyu Tolgoi, had initiated a formal international arbitration process to seek a definitive resolution with regard to a dispute with that country’s tax authority. The Mongolia Tax Authority issued Rio Tinto with a tax assessment for about $155-million in January 2018, relating to an audit on taxes imposed and paid by Oyu Tolgoi between 2013 and 2015. Oyu Tolgoi only paid an amount of $4.8-million to settle what it accepted were unpaid taxes, fines and penalties. Читать дальше...

ASX-listed Lucapa Diamond Company says further analysis of diamonds recovered at its Lulo project, in Angola, has confirmed the presence of rare Type IIa gems and light fancy yellow diamonds. This follows after the company earlier this week announced the recovery of 45 diamonds weighing 30.3 ct from a stream bulk sample that was taken from the Canguige tributary draining into the Cacuilo river valley.

Canadian miner Teck Resources reported a 76% slump in fourth-quarter adjusted profit on Friday, hurt by lower prices for steelmaking coal and warned that the coronavirus epidemic would impact its earnings. Copper and other base metal prices have suffered from a long-drawn tariff war between the United States and China and fears of slowing global growth. The coronavirus outbreak is also expected to dampen demand in China, the world's biggest copper consumer.

Diversified mining company Teck Resources is continuing to target first production at the Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 (QB2) copper project, in Chile, by late next year, but the miner warned on Friday that there had been delays in the schedule, primarily owing to permitting and social unrest. The schedule delays will also affect costs, the Canadian major said of the $4.8-billion copper development project in which it owns 60%, with Sumitomo holding 30% and Chilean State miner Enami the balance.

Nasdaq- and TSX-listed Pan American Silver has had a strong 2019, during which it generated $282-million in operational cash flow, allowing for $60-million in debt to be retired, a shareholder payout of about $29-million, investment in new projects and an improved cash position. The miner bolstered its quarterly dividend by 43%, with the board having approved an increase in the cash dividend from $0.035 to $0.05 a share, for about $10.5-million in aggregate cash dividends, payable on March 12. During the fourth-quarter... Читать дальше...

NYSE-listed precious metals miner Coeur has temporarily suspended operating activities at its Silvertip zinc/lead/silver mine, in British Columbia, Canada, as the mine struggles to generate positive cash flow amid deteriorating zinc and lead markets. Silvertip, which represents about 6% of Coeur’s revenue, has been focused on stabilising mill performance and despite showing signs of improvement, prevailing market conditions remain headwinds for the operation. While mining and processing activities are paused... Читать дальше...

Nickel miner Panoramic Resources has inked a long-term underground mining contract with contractor Barminco at its Savannah nickel mine, in Western Australia. Barminco’s parent company Perenti on Friday said that under the near A$200-million contract, Barminco will undertake mine development, production and haulage over a three-year term, and would employ some 170 staff.

Lithium miner Orocbre has swung into a loss during the half year ended December, as lithium prices tumbled. The ASX- and TSX-listed company in Friday reported a net loss of $18.9-million for the interim period ending December, compared with a net profit of $24-million in the previous corresponding period.

Africa’s status as a continent of abundant resources crucial to global development has prompted foreign investors to increase their presence in Africa to capitalise on growth opportunities, says Project Management South Africa (PMSA) director Robert Best, adding that project leaders need to focus on a success-building mindset if they are to capitalise on these opportunities as well. This mindset fosters the development of proactive, forward-looking problem-solving, which is important  because “in a fast-changing world... Читать дальше...

Mines typically use various disconnected systems, which creates silos or pockets of disparate information, necessitating that an employee manually collate and analyse the information to reach a conclusion – a time-consuming process that could last for weeks. This has resulted in mining companies’ pursuing single systems or fully integrated systems to allow for the timeous flow of information using technology to analyse data for real-time decision-making, says mining software solutions provider CCS Mining and Industrial (CCSMI) MD Joe de Klerk.

The Namibian uranium sector is under pressure, but Namibian Uranium Institute (NUI) executive director Dr Gabi Schneider believes that it is improving. “The sector is negatively impacted on by the low uranium price, but as the world builds new nuclear power plants, and with the realisation that the targets of the Paris climate accord cannot be met without nuclear power generation, it is expected that the price will recover in the not too distant future,” she tells Mining Weekly.

Developing strategies is much easier than implementing them, which is why many strategies are never successfully implemented, says University of Pretoria (UP) Graduate School of Technology Management project management specialist Professor Herman Steyn. He adds that project portfolio management is an effective way of implementing company strategy through projects.

A key issue creating uncertainty among Namibia’s mining investors is the non-deductibility of royalties and export levies for non-diamond mining, which was announced during the Namibian 2019/20 Budget Speech by Namibian Finance Minister Calle Schlettwein, presented to Namibia’s Parliament in Windhoek, in March last year. At the time, Schlettwein also announced that export levies for dimension stone would be increased from 2% to 15%.

The Moatize coal mine in Mozambique’s Tete province, which is majority owned by Brazilian mining major Vale, achieved a total coal production for last year of 8.77-million tons (Mt), with production for the fourth quarter of that year (4Q19) amounting to 1.876-Mt. Total coal sales for 2019 were 8.783-Mt and for 4Q19, 2.042-Mt. These figures were included in the miner’s recently issued report, Vale’s Production and Sales in 4Q19 and 2019.

Superior, modern exploration techniques have resulted in a surge of interest in the Kalahari Copperbelt in recent years, with the uptick in the 2019 year-end copper price spurring exploration activity. The Kalahari Copperbelt, which is regarded as one of the world’s most promising underexplored copper provinces, stretches for about 1 000 km from central Namibia to the Shinamba Hills in northern Botswana, along the south-eastern margins of the Damaran-Katangan rift basin.

Mining consulting firm The MSA Group is hoping that the review of Namibia’s Minerals (Prospecting and Mining) Act will enhance the country’s “friendliness” toward mining investors. The MSA Group principal consultant Mike Robertson says the 1992 legislation has been under review since 2018. Although the aim was to implement the legislation last year, it has been delayed, owing to extensive consultation with the mining industry.