Новости за 13.03.2020

The Eskom tariff increase for 2020/21 tabled before lawmakers this week provides no scope for any further hikes this year beyond those already sanctioned for April 1 by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) in previous price determinations and regulatory clearing account (RCA) rulings. The tariff will, thus, rise by 8.76% this year, marginally above the 8.1% sanctioned under the fourth multiyear price determination (MYPD4) hikes announced in early 2019, owing to the partial liquidation... Читать дальше...

ASX-listed Paladin Energy on Friday completed the sale of its 85% interest in Paladin Africa to Lotus Resources and Lily Resources. Paladin will hold the interest on trust pending receipt of the final in-country approvals. Paladin Africa wholly owns the Kayelekera uranium mine, in Malawi. This sale will enable Paladin to cut its cash expenditure by about $5-million a year.

The construction schedule of the Cauchari-Olaroz lithium project, in Argentina, will be reassessed to account for delays in the delivery of equipment for the chemical plant, Vancouver-based Lithium Americas reported on Friday. The company said that several pieces of equipment were being fabricated in China and that some suppliers had sub-vendors fabricating in China. As a result of the recent outbreak of the new coronavirus, Covid-19, which closed factories and business in China for an extended period... Читать дальше...

Foresight Energy filed for bankruptcy with plans to hand ownership to its creditors, becoming the latest coal company to fail as power generators switch to cleaner and cheaper fuels. The filing in US Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri is another sign that efforts to stem coal’s decline aren’t working. A wave of US miners have filed for Chapter 11 in recent years, including Murray Energy, which owns a controlling stake in Foresight. Its owner, Robert Murray, is an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump... Читать дальше...

MC Mining implemented optimisation initiatives at the Uitkomst Colliery during the six months to December 31, which yielded very positive results, with run-of-mine (RoM) coal production increasing by 11% year-on-year, acting CEO Brenda Berlin said, releasing the company’s reviewed interim financial results on Friday. “The initiatives also led to a more predictable production profile and, notwithstanding revenue being adversely affected by the 30% decline in API4 coal prices, Uitkomst was cash generative for the period.

Shares in South African petrochemicals group Sasol surged nearly 30% on Friday as a recovery in oil prices sparked buying of the stock, which was pummelled in the previous session. Brent crude prices rose over 3% on Friday after falling more than 7% the day before, a drop which helped send Sasol shares to a 21-year low.

Alta Zinc has suspended drilling activities at its Gorno project, in Italy, as the Coronavirus continues to spread. The company said on Friday that while the areas around the Gorno project had not been directly affected by the COVID-19 virus and had fallen outside of the restrictive zones mapped out by the Italian authorities, the Italian government has now decreed that all of Italy would be subject to restrictions in a bid to control the spread of the virus.

Not even the safe haven of gold has been spared from this week’s global market rout. Bullion is set for its biggest weekly loss since 2016, despite climbing to the highest in more than seven years earlier this week, as investors sell the metal to meet liquidity needs. Volatility continued in equities as markets try to gauge whether emergency fiscal and monetary packages will be enough to stave off a recession amid the coronavirus pandemic that’s hitting the world economy. The sell off in equities this week has triggered margin calls... Читать дальше...

Gold developer Emerald Resources has awarded a $230-million mining contract to fellow-listed MACA for its Okvau gold project, in Cambodia. The scope of work under the mining contract will include load, haul, drill and blast services, and would run for an initial seven year term with the option to extend.

The biggest labor union for US coal miners is warning that members are at “significant risk” from the rapidly spreading coronavirus. Mines are enclosed spaces where the highly contagious virus can easily spread, according to Phil Smith, a spokesman for the United Mine Workers of America. The trade group is developing guidelines that it plans to issue to members soon, he said by email Thursday.

Clean, uncontaminated fuel is key to optimal fuel system performance and engine longevity in the mining industry, says filtration designer and manufacturer Cummins Filtration mining sales manager Tinus Naude.

Angola has launched a limited public tender to contract three independent diamond evaluators, to evaluate the some 9.2-million carats of rough diamonds produced in the country each year. The contracts would fall under the Government’s services provision regime. The tender is open to both Angolan and foreign bidders, but their proposals must be submitted in Portuguese. To win, the bidders will have to have good references with regard to their use of international (presumably, best) practices for evaluating the precious stones. Читать дальше...

Explosion, fire and dust suppression system original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Explospot Systems MD Arend Späth warns that current prevention used in underground coal mines is not enough to mitigate all methane and gas explosions or related fires during mining operations. He adds that methane gas and coal dust explosion are still common in the international underground coal mining environment, with the latest example being a methane gas explosion at the Karvina mine in the Czech Republic in December 2018 which killed 13 miners.

Canadian diversified major Teck Resources on Thursday announced a carbon intensity target for 2030, as part of its new sustainability strategy and goals. The miner, which already committed to be carbon-neutral across its operations and activities by 2050, said it would reduce carbon intensity by 33% in the next decade. The major said it would procure half of its electricity demands in Chile from clean energy this year and 100% by 2030.