Новости за 24.08.2020

Toronto-listed miner Nevada Copper has restarted its milling operations at its underground project at Pumpkin Hollow, following temporary suspension of production owing to the coronavirus pandemic. “Our full workforce has been mobilized and we have transitioned our operations back into production smoothly, picking up where we left off in the first quarter,” said CEO Evan Spencer on Monday.

Private equity funds adviser Appian Capital Advisory has appointed Nelson Silva as the company’s senior safety and social performance adviser. In this role, he will assess and advise Appian and its portfolio companies on safety, environmental and community matters to ensure that Tier 1 standards are established and maintained across the business.

TSX-V-listed ALX Resources on Monday announced that it had entered into an option agreement with global mining major Rio Tinto over a nickel project in northern Saskatchewan, sending its shares up nearly 17% in early morning trade. The Falcon project, near the town of Stony Rapids, will be known as the Firebird nickel project, owing to a naming conflict with another Rio Tinto exploration project in Saskatchewan. Rio Tinto may acquire up to an 80% interest in Firebird by incurring a total of $12-million... Читать дальше...

Canadian junior Midland Exploration has executed a funding agreement with BHP for nickel exploration in Quebec. The strategic alliance between Midland and BHP’s Rio Algom will focus on identifying, testing and developing high-quality exploration targets in a large area of interest in the Nunavik territory. During the first phase of the Alliance, BHP will fund at 100% up to C$1.4-million a year for two years.

Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology will host a virtual event − the Innovation in Mining Virtual Event − next month, which will showcase a line-up of new equipment and solutions, as well as the latest technologies for digitalisation, automation and electrification for the mining industry. Taking place on September 29 and 30, the global event aims to provide a platform for miners who face the challenges that come with leading mining operations in the modern environment, to learn about and be introduced... Читать дальше...

London-listed Contango Holdings has signed a letter of intent (LoI) with CoalZim Marketing for a 2 000 t-a-month coal offtake agreement. This is the second offtake LoI secured by Contango in August, demonstrating the strong demand for the high-quality coal products produced at the company’s Lubu coalfield project, in Zimbabwe.

Aim- and AltX-listed Jubilee Metals Group has executed a processing agreement in terms of which it has been appointed as operator to re-commission and operate the existing run-of-mine (RoM) chrome beneficiation plant adjacent to its Inyoni Operations, in the Bushveld Complex of South Africa. The processing agreement is backed by a guaranteed supply of at least 40 000 t a month of platinum-group-metal- (PGM-) and chrome-containing RoM, which has the potential to be increased to 80 000 t a month.

Mid-tier Chinese coal miner Shanxi Coal International Energy Group is planning a significant investment in the competing business of making high-tech solar power cells. The State-owned firm will lead a joint venture to build a 3GW solar manufacturing plant for 3.19-billion yuan, according to a statement on Friday. It’s the first phase of a project that will grow to 10 GW-- the equivalent of the generating power of 10 nuclear power plants -- producing high-efficiency cells through so-called heterojunction technology. Читать дальше...

Izak van der Walt will step down as CFO of coal miner Wescoal on August 31 to pursue other interests. While the company works to recruit a new CFO, finance operations senior manager Jubilant Speckman will take up the position of interim CFO.

Investment firm Templar Capital, an independent creditor in the Optimum coal mine, has, in conjunction with the Optimum business rescue practitioners (BRPs) and other significant creditors, proposed a business rescue plan that is expected to be presented shortly to all of Optimum's creditors. Optimum was placed into business rescue in February 2018 and various attempts have been made over the past two and a half years by the BRPs to source sufficient post start financing to bring the mine back into... Читать дальше...

More than a thousand mine workers in Indonesia blocked access to the Grasberg gold and copper mine operated by the local unit of Freeport-McMoRan on Monday to protest a coronavirus lockdown policy that halted bus services to meet with families. Grasberg, the world's largest gold mine and second largest copper mine, is currently transitioning from its open pit operation to all-underground mining. The mine is expected to produce 110 000 t of copper ore per day in 2020. Riza Pratama, a spokesman for PT Freeport Indonesia... Читать дальше...

Vietnam is the new coal exporter’s darling, as imports surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing around 46% y-o-y. The country has imported circa 36-million tonnes so far this year, although Indonesia, Russia and China are the major suppliers. SA clearly has a major freight disadvantage and markets such as Africa, India and Pakistan are better suited. Demand elsewhere remains moribund whilst the only coal producing nation with any meaningful production shut-ins remains Colombia, aided by striking workers downing tools over pay disputes.

TSX- and AltX-listed Buffalo Coal Corporation has posted a net loss of R87-million for the six months ended June 30, compared with a net profit of R25.3-million reported for the six months ended June 30, 2019. This is a decrease of more than 200% year-on-year and translated to a headline loss a share of 0.21c, compared with headline earnings a share of 0.06c in the prior interim period.

Investment adviser to private equity funds investing in mining and mining-related companies Appian Capital Advisory has appointed Nelson Silva as the company’s senior safety and social performance adviser (SSSPA). Nelson will assess and advise Appian and its portfolio companies on safety, environmental and community matters to ensure that standards are established and maintained across the business.

Mining operations in Asia and the Americas were hardest hit by government regulations implemented to stymie the spread of Covid-19, and are the regions that will register the largest declines in mineral production growth this year. This is according to a new report by Fitch Solutions, which states that ore production in China, Indonesia, Peru and India have been the hardest hit, while Australia, Russia and Iran have seen limited disruptions owing to Covid-19. Tin and copper ore will face the greatest... Читать дальше...

The New South Wales Resources Regulator has confirmed the death of a worker at the Springvale underground coal mine, which is owned by unlisted Centennial Coal. The Resources Regulator said that a worker was found unconscious and unresponsive in a vehicle underground, adding that the medical personnel reporting to the site were unable to revive the worker.

The Trump administration is planning to block the controversial Pebble Mine in southwestern Alaska that’s recently drawn opposition from certain powerful Republicans, according to a person familiar with the matter. The project, which has known deposits of copper, gold and other metals, is located in an area that drains into Bristol Bay, home to the world’s most productive wild salmon fishery. Conservationists, local activists and fishing operations have fought the project for years, but blocking... Читать дальше...

ASX-listed Titan Minerals has struck a divestment agreement over its non-core Peruvian assets, as part of a strategic review to consolidate its operations. The Peruvian assets were acquired as part of Titan’s acquisition of Canada’s Core Gold.

Mining major Rio Tinto has stripped CEO Jean-Sebastian Jacques, iron-ore CEO Chris Salisbury, and group executive of corporate relations Simone Niven of performance-related bonuses for 2020, following the destruction of the Juukan Forge rock shelters in the Pilbara. Rio said in a statement on Monday that an internal review into the incident concluded that while the company had obtained legal authority to impact the rockshelters, it fell short of the standards and internal guidelines that Rio set for itself... Читать дальше...

In the nineteenth century California gold rush, the surest way to a fortune, according to Mark Twain, was to be in the “pick and shovel business.” If 2020 gold fever has an equivalent, it’s the exchange-traded fund (ETF) business.