Новости за 03.04.2020

Copper miners in Chile are considering cutting production amid strict measures to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, an association of companies in the sector has told Reuters. A report by the National Mining Society (Sonami), which represents all miners of the red metal across Chile, the world's largest producer, said the realities of coronavirus were forcing the companies it represented to weigh tough decisions.

JSE- and TSX-V-listed Alphamin Resources produced 2 119 t of contained tin in the quarter ended March 31. This was at the mid-point of its guidance range and compares with the 2 235 t of contained tin produced in the quarter ended December 31, 2019.

Amid a surge of bad news for businesses and societies globally, explosives manufacturer BME is nonetheless excited about the exploration landscape for mining in Canada. The company launched its BME Mining Canada last year, which is a joint venture with Consbec – the largest civils drill and blast contractor in Canada.

Russia's Rusal has approved a new long-term aluminium supply contract with Glencore worth up to $16.3-billion, it said in a Hong-Kong regulatory statement on Friday. Swiss trader and metals producer Glencore has long been one of the main clients of Hong Kong-listed Rusal, the world's largest aluminium producer outside China. Glencore owns a stake in Rusal parent En+ Group. The new contract is for 2020-2024 and can be extended for 2025, Rusal said.

JSE-listed diversified miner African Rainbow Minerals (ARM) advises shareholders that its joint venture subsidiary, Assmang, has been granted permission from Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe to operate its iron-ore load-out stations. The Khumani and Beeshoek mines are therefore allowed to continue loading iron-ore from the mines’ respective stockpiles.

Canada’s metals and mining industry saw a rise of 19.4% in overall deal activity during February, when compared with the last 12-month average, according to analytics and consulting company GlobalData’s deals database. A total of 43 deals worth $430.7-million were announced in February, compared with the 12-month average of 36 deals.

Vancouver-headquartered Palladium One Mining has received approval from the Finnish Mining Authority for a 20 000-ha reservation, Kostonjarvi (KS), which is adjacent to its flagship Läntinen Koillismaa (LK) project in central Finland. The KS reservation covers a large buried gravity and magnetic anomaly that is interpreted to represent a buried feeder dyke to the Koillismaa complex, which hosts the palladium dominant, LK platinum-group-elements/nickel/copper project.

Nevada Gold Mines (NGM), in collaboration with the state of Nevada and its stakeholders, is working to identify immediate needs and provide financial and logistical support to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on its local communities. NGM is a joint venture (JV) between Barrick Gold (61.5%) and Newmont (38.5%) and is operated by Barrick.

Brazil's National Mining Agency (ANM) said on Thursday that it would halt operations at 47 mining dams that failed to certify their stability, including at least 25 belonging to the world's largest iron-ore producer Vale. The safety of Vale's facilities have been under heavy scrutiny after one of its dam collapsed last year, releasing a torrent of mining waste that killed about 270 people. It was the second Vale dam to collapse in four years. Last October, 54 Brazilian dams failed to certify their... Читать дальше...

The Lake Way potash project, in Western Australia, is on track for commissioning in December this year, with owner Salt Lake Potash reporting that civil earthworks for the process plant and non-process infrastructure has been completed. The completed work includes pad preparation for construction of the process plant, power plant, warehouse, workshop, administration and site village, as well as construction of the raw water pond, runoff settlement ponds and site access roads.

During the 21-day lockdown period, mining operations in South Africa will scale down significantly, and the effect on deep-level mines will probably be the most significant, says specialist legal provider Bowmans tax executive Adéle de Jager. The majority of mines have been placed into care and maintenance for the duration of the lockdown period to ensure their workings do not deteriorate significantly.

State-owned electricity utility Eskom has not shifted its April 9 deadline for returning Medupi Unit 3 to service, despite work restrictions imposed at the Lephalale site, in Limpopo, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The unit was shut for 75 days on January 26 to address defects that emerged, mostly in relation to the boiler, after the unit entered into commercial operation in June last year.

Investors have been piling into shares of the world’s largest iron-ore producer, touting it as one of the biggest opportunities to emerge from the carnage in Brazilian markets. Vale sank to a three-year low in March amid the coronavirus outbreak that has disrupted production chains across the globe and sent growth estimates plunging. The stock has recovered about 30% in the past week, but is still trading at levels last seen in 2019 after a dam disaster that killed 270 people.

Diversified major BHP’s coal alliance with Mitsubishi (BMA) on Friday announced that it would only use charter flights to transport fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) employees and contractors, restricting non-residential workers from visiting townships near its mine site, and increasing health screenings. The move comes after the Queensland government earlier this week announced that only critical interstate FIFO miner workers would be allowed into the state, with Queensland closing its borders to all but the most critical workers.

Surface gold mining company DRDGold is considering re-starting operations at its Far West Gold Recoveries surface retreatment operation at Carletonville, south-west of Johannesburg, in consultation with government and organised labour. DRDGold CEO Niël Pretorius states on the company’s website that following the shutdown of operations on March 26 in response to South Africa’s national lockdown, DRDGold has considered various options to recommence limited operations to sustain infrastructure and soften... Читать дальше...

TSX-listed Blue Sky Uranium last month announced that the company had started a 4 500 m reverse circulation drilling exploration programme at its wholly-owned Amarillo Grande uranium/vanadium project (AGP) in Rio Negro province, Argentina. The programme will include a total of about 100 holes in two high-priority exploration target areas, Ivana Central and Ivana North, located 10 km and 20 km north, respectively, of the company’s Ivana deposit.

The Namibian Uranium Association (NUA) states that the global uranium community has taken note of the responsible way in which uranium in Namibia is explored for and extracted, says Namibian Uranium Institute (NUI) executive director Dr Gabi Schneider. She states that this responsible method was brought about by the formation of the NUA. The NUA is a unique organisation in which all major players in the Namibian uranium industry are represented and work together to ensure sustainable development... Читать дальше...

With the global commitment to work towards net zero emissions being reaffirmed, the realisation that the world must transition to using the lowest carbon sources is gaining traction, World Nuclear Association senior communication manager Dr Jonathan Cobb tells Mining Weekly. He points out that expert bodies, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the International Energy Agency, have concluded that the most effective way of achieving this is through a substantial increase in nuclear generation worldwide. Читать дальше...

The deep-level mining sector in South Africa has “advanced significantly” from a health and safety perspective, says law firm ENSafrica mine and occupational health and safety executive Willem le Roux.

Mining industry employers’ organisation Minerals Council South Africa believes that there is still a viable future for deep-level operations in South Africa.

The volatility caused by global events, such as the outbreak of Covid-19, otherwise referred to as coronavirus, and stock market turmoil have definitely impacted on the planning and execution of mining operations and related supply chains, says mine ventilation equipment manufacturer Terramin founder and CEO Martin van Schoor.

Mines face the “unique predicament” of an urgent need to reap the value of well-connected mines, despite their operations perhaps being the “hardest in the world” to reliably connect, says US industrial automation and information technology (IT) provider Rockwell Automation. The multinational has regional offices across the globe, including offices in Ghana and Nigeria.

Maximising available resources and optimising plant efficiency while minimising environmental impact is just one of the challenges that wet processing equipment manufacturer CDE continues to address.

South African Capital Equipment Export Council (SACEEC) member companies are increasingly looking outside of the South African market for opportunities, owing to the country’s current economic climate, says SACEEC director and CEO Eric Bruggeman. “South Africa’s market is dead. The local companies that are doing well are those that are exporting to markets outside of the country, as there are no large local projects being undertaken.”