Новости за 21.08.2020

Industry organisation, the Minerals Council South Africa, on August 21 launched the first National Day of Women in Mining, highlighting its focus on the implementation of initiatives designed to achieve stretch targets for the representation and advancement of women in the South African mining industry. Minerals Council CEO Roger Baxter told the media during a briefing that, at present, women make up 12% of the mining workforce, 17% of senior management and 18% of skilled and technical employees.

LSE- and Nasdaq-listed specialty alloy producer Afarak Group has managed to narrow its loss to €16.1-million for the six months ended June 30, compared with an interim loss of €29.2-million reported for the first six months of 2019. However, despite an improvement in financial performance, CEO Guy Konsbruck says the company is suffering from lower demand for its products and may need to raise further funds to meet its liquidity needs as long as Covid-19 persists.

Highlighting the success of copper, gold and zinc miner First Quantum Minerals (FQM) in actively recruiting locals from within the North-Western province in Zambia, its Kansanshi mine employed 72 locals in July. The mine is also investing in the training of the new employees.

JSE-listed Exxaro Resources has started with work on its Matla Mine 1 Relocation project. The 42-year-old Matla operation consists of three underground mines.

JSE-listed Sibanye-Stillwater and the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) have collaborated to produce face shields for frontline healthcare workers in communities around the miner's South African operations and in the Eastern Cape province. The face shields are being made by students and community volunteers on behalf of the Wits school of Mechanical, Industrial and Aeronautical Engineering, in a partnership with Sibanye and Wits’ DigiMine.

Fortescue Metals Group has held talks with Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani on potential mining sector opportunities in the nation, which has struggled to accelerate development of an estimated $1-trillion worth of minerals deposits. Ghani and the company’s chairman Andrew Forrest held an August 6 video conference over potential investment in iron ore and copper resources, and the billionaire miner is scheduled to visit Kabul in October for further talks, according to Qadeer Khan Mutfi, a spokesman... Читать дальше...

Last year, gold mines produced nearly 1 t of carbon dioxide (CO2) for every ounce of gold produced, says business intelligence company Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Market Intelligence research. To gather insight into greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions in the gold mining industry, the firm reviewed sustainability reports from more than 90 gold mines across the world to compare their CO2 emissions to a variety of production values. The firm notes that South Africa's gold mines are excluded from this... Читать дальше...

In its fight against Covid-19, coal miner Exxaro Resources’ Mpumalanga-based Belfast coal mine has spent R410 000 on prevention and screening measures since the virus began to spread in South Africa. The mine invested the money into procuring personal protective equipment in the form of soap, bleach, dispensers, hand sanitisers and sanitiser stands, as well as face masks and wall-mounted digital thermometers.

Chile-based Antofagasta is committed to mitigating and adapting to climate change, CEO Ivan Arriagada said this week, stating that the London-listed company was “well on track” to achieving its target of reducing its carbon dioxide emissions by 300 000 t by 2022. The copper miner is taking advantage of the price of renewable energy, which in Chile is cheaper than more polluting technologies, to decarbonise its electricity supply.

The Uranium Producers of America has denied news reports that imply that the Grand Canyon National Park will be opened up for uranium mining, labelling such articles as disinformation. The Obama administration in 2012 banned new uranium mining claims around the Grand Canyon National Park for the 20 years. Reports continue to do the rounds that the Trump administration, which has been active in promoting domestic uranium mining, is open to projects near the Grand Canyon. Democratic Presidential... Читать дальше...

Coal miner New Hope Group has reported a 15.8% drop in production for the quarter ended July, compared with the previous corresponding period, as production at its Queensland operation, including the New Acland mine, fell. Total saleable coal production in the three months to July reached 2.79-million, down from the 3.31-million tonnes in the same period last year, with total coal sales dropping from 3.33-million tonnes to 2.35-million tonnes in the same period.

Aim- and TSX-V-listed African mining royalty generator Altus Strategies has appointed Sandra Bates as general counsel. She is an international lawyer with over 20 years' experience, having advised listed and private companies in the natural resources sector on complex commercial negotiations and environmental, social and governance engagement.

Teck Resources is shaking up its top executive ranks after coming under fire from investors seeking change at Canada’s largest diversified miner. Harry “Red” Conger, a veteran miner who stepped down from Freeport-McMoRan this month, becomes Teck’s COO effective September 1, the Vancouver-based company said in a statement. Teck also named Jonathan Price, an executive from BHP Group, as CFO, effective October 1, to succeed Ron Millos, and appointed Rothschild & Co.’s Nicholas Hooper as senior vice president of corporate development... Читать дальше...

London-listed Gem Diamonds has recovered a high-quality 442 ct Type II diamond from its Letšeng mine, in Lesotho. CEO Clifford Elphick says the recovery of the 442 ct diamond “is further confirmation of the calibre of the Letšeng mine and its ability to consistently produce large, high-quality diamonds”. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this diamond will be used to fund a special community project, as agreed with the miner’s partner − the government of Lesotho.

‘Business unusual’ is expected to characterise much of the 2021 financial year, owing to the Covid-19 outbreak, says platinum group metals producer Impala Platinum (Implats).    The company expects to face increasing challenges in terms of its medical preparedness and operational resilience, especially as infection rates in South Africa are forecast to peak during August and September, with the screening and identification of Covid-19 cases further complicated by the prevalence of seasonal influenza.

Foundry and engineering company Thos Begbie expects to finalise production of the Phase B coolers for platinum producer Anglo American Platinum’s (Amplats’) Anglo Converter Plant (ACP) in Rustenburg, in the North West, by November this year. This will ensure the interchangeability with the components of the plant’s Phase A converter furnace.

Many geographic regions active in the platinum group metals (PGMs) sector are in the early stages of recovery, following the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, with platinum, palladium and rhodium expected to remain in deficit this year. However, a great deal of uncertainty remains, as there is limited visibility beyond the next few months, says Anglo American sales and market insights PGMs head David Jollie.

Platinum group metals (PGMs) strata present some of the most unforgiving digging conditions imaginable for earthmoving equipment attachments, says earthmoving mining equipment and attachments expert VR Steel GM Dr Justin Martens. “It drains the protective ‘life force’ of the digging tools at an unprecedented rate, often reducing equipment to worn and battered shells in a fraction of the time, compared with other mine environments.”

Kapabrake is a specialist manufacturer of high-quality woven brakelining for mining, marine and industrial applications, proudly developed in South Africa to meet the demands of Africa’s tough, rugged conditions. As an original equipment manufacturer, Kapabrake supplies woven brakelining for mining winder brakes, winch brakes, elevator brakes and scraper winch clutch bands.

The uptake of a tool to assist the mining sector in implementing the principles of water conservation and water demand management (WC/WDM), has been “overwhelmingly positive”, Minerals Council South Africa head of environment Stephinah Mudau tells Mining Weekly. The WC/WDM self-assessment reporting tool (WSART), developed through an initiative led by the Minerals Council, is designed to be used by the mining industry to assess WC/WDM implementation at mine sites.

Although the technology to treat and purify mine water to acceptable standards already exists, the main challenge for the mining industry and society is affordability, says water and environmental consulting firm GCS regional director and senior hydrogeologist Pieter Labuschagne. Currently, the operational cost and capital requirement for mine water treatment technology are generally very high. In addition, the waste products generated by conventional reverse osmosis require strict handling and deposition which... Читать дальше...

End-carriages are key subassemblies in overhead cranes, and customers are advised not to attempt their own end-carriage assembly using individually sourced wheel blocks, as wheel alignment is critical to ensuring the longevity of these ‘feet’ of overhead cranes, says crane and hoists specialist company Condra MD Marc Kleiner. End-carriages support the girders and hoists, and move them along the rails. Wheel wear as a result of misalignment of the wheels at each end of the end-carriage and/or distortion... Читать дальше...

Following the successful commissioning of a sewage treatment plant for coal mining company Canyon Coal’s Khanye colliery, in Gauteng, in early 2019, plans are under way to build similar plants at the company’s planned De Wittekrans and Palmietkuilen collieries. In a statement issued by the company last month, Canyon Coal executive chairperson Vuslat Bayoglu said that R1.6-billion would be invested in De Wittekrans, near Hendrina, Mpumalanga, which will be an opencast and underground mine with an estimated life-of-mine (LoM) of about 24 years... Читать дальше...