Новости за 30.06.2020

House Democrats unveiled an ambitious plan to combat climate change that won plaudits from mainstream environmentalists, but disappointed some progressives who have tried to push the party to the left on the issue. The more than 500-page report sets a target for the US to cut 88% of planet-warming emissions by 2050 by requiring utilities to use carbon-free power sources and automakers to sell only zero-emission, light-duty vehicles after 2035. It would also curb oil and gas development on public lands, among other goals. Читать дальше...

Gold futures rose above $1 800/oz for the first time in eight years as low interest rates and a resurgence in coronavirus cases drive demand for the metal as a haven. The metal is heading for its best quarter since early 2016, benefiting from economic stimulus from the Federal Reserve and other central banks, simmering US-China trade frictions and renewed concern over economic fallout from the coronavirus. Investors also continue to pile into gold-backed exchange-traded funds, with holdings at a record. Читать дальше...

South Africa’s energy transition from coal to cleaner energy carries an economic opportunity equivalent to the discovery of gold in the country more than a century ago, a new South African National Energy Association (Sanea) report argues. Published on June 30, the ‘South African Energy Risk Report 2020’ also argues that clean energy could be an active driver of the country’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, especially if policy and regulation is changed to be more supportive of new... Читать дальше...

Nonprofit environmental and community organisation Earthworks, together with an international group of 142 scientists, community groups and nongovernmental organisations from 24 countries, have published a set of 16 guidelines for the safer storage of mine waste. The guidelines, titled 'Safety First: Guidelines for Responsible Mine Tailings Management' aim to protect communities, workers and the environment from the risks posed by thousands of mine waste storage facilities, which Earthworks says... Читать дальше...

Diversified miner Glencore made payments of $7.7-billion to the governments of countries in which it operates in 2019. This includes $96.6-million paid to the South African government in taxes, royalties and other payments.

Power utility Eskom has welcomed the June 29 ruling of the North Gauteng High Court to review and set aside three regulatory clearing account determinations made by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa for the financial years 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17. In his judgment, Judge Jody Kollapen declared that Nersa failed to process Eskom’s R66.6-billion application for the three years within a reasonable time.

Dual-listed SolGold on Tuesday announced that it had formally commenced an offer to acquire the issued and outstanding shares of Ecuadorian mine partner Cornerstone Capital, inviting that company’s shareholders to be “part of an exciting plan”. SolGold presented an all-stock transaction of 11 of its shares for each Cornerstone share, which it said represented a premium of about 22% over Cornerstone’s closing price on the TSX-V on June 29 and a premium of 56% based on the volume-weighted average trading price over the last 12 months.

JSE-listed diversified miner Exxaro has achieved 730 lost-time-injury- (LTI-) free days at the plant and central engineering workshop work areas within the Matla coal mine. This is equivalent to two years of zero mineworker LTIs, it says.

Aim-listed Kefi Minerals has announced it will host its annual general meeting virtually on August 13. The meeting will discuss a name-change of the company to Kefi Gold and Copper, to reinforce the company’s mission in those metals, given the discoveries that the company has made in the last year.

West Africa-focused exploration company Oriole Resources has successfully raised £419 500 to support ongoing exploration at its projects in Cameroon, including moving the programme at Bibemi towards drill mobilisation later this year. It will also provide the company with general working capital, while management continues to deliver on its asset realisation programme.

TSX-V-listed Sigma Lithium has signed a term sheet for a $45-million senior secured project finance facility to be led by Societe Generale. The bank project finance facility will be used for the construction and development of the company’s Grota do Cirilo lithium project in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Sigma expects being construction-ready in the fourth quarter.

The Langer Heinrich uranium project, in Namibia, can be brought back online at a capital cost of $81-million, a mine restart plan has found. ASX-listed Paladin Energy on Tuesday noted that a $34-million investment would be required to mobilise the workforce, undertake maintenance and provide working capital requirements to restart production, while a further $7-million in discretionary capital will be required to improve process plant availability and reliability, and to lift production capacity by more than 10%.

Transnational nonprofit organisation Crisis Group says tensions continue to build in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC’s) mining heartland between industrial and artisanal miners. The organisation highlights in its latest report, titled 'Mineral Concessions: Avoiding Conflict in DRC’s Mining Heartland', the frustration between industrial and artisanal miners owing to competition, in the Haut-Katanga and Laulaba provinces.