Новости за 16.09.2020

TSX-V- and Aim-listed Altus Strategies has signed purchase and sales, and net smelter return royalty (NSR), agreements with TSX-V-listed Stellar Africa Gold. This relates to Altus selling its 100% interest in Aeos Resources, which, through a Ivorian subsidiary named Aucrest, owns the Prikro and Zenoula gold projects, in Côte d'Ivoire.

Brazilian iron-ore giant Vale has detailed plans to increase its production capacity to 400-million tons a year – a substantial improvement on the capacity of its current operating assets. The miner currently has the capacity to produce 318-million tons a year. In 2018, before the Brumadinho dam disaster shrunk its output, Vale produced 385-million tons. In an investor and analyst site visit presentation, posted on Vale’s website, the major does not state by when it intends to create the capacity... Читать дальше...

The Mineral Council South Africa on September 16 launched its Beyond the Mine Gate Field Guide. The guide is aimed at empowering employees in the sector as agents of change, by promoting and supporting healthy and safe behaviour within communities.

With the Cobre Panama mine back at full production following an earlier Covid-19-related shutdown, Toronto-listed miner First Quantum does not expect any further disruptions related to the pandemic, with precautionary measures in practice at all its operations. The Cobre Panama mine, which was shut in early April by order of the Health Ministry of Panama, has not had any on-site Covid cases since May. Operations resumed in July and full production was achieved slightly ahead of expectation in mid-August. Читать дальше...

London-listed Central Asia Metals has deferred its dividend decision and is reviewing its zinc and lead production guidance, after a tailings storage facility leak earlier in the week at its Sasa facility, in Northern Macedonia. The company planned to reinstate its dividend, but has now delayed declaring an interim dividend because of Monday’s leak at Sasa’s TSF4, which resulted in the suspension of processing activities. The miner explained that it waiting to determine what the likely cost and timing would be to rectify the issue at TSF4.

BHP Group, a major industrial polluter, says it will benefit most from a global shift toward faster and more dramatic measures to address climate change, and aims to profit from doing so itself.The top miner, which plans to reduce emissions attached to its own operations, will drive the innovation needed to do so by expecting investments in climate change action to be profitable, said CEO Mike Henry. Moreover, an aggressive global shift to renewable energy and electric vehicles will boost demand for materials that the company produces, he said.

Russia is considering tripling the mineral extraction tax on metals and fertiliser producers as Moscow seeks ways to raise revenues, industry sources told Reuters on Wednesday, although the Kremlin said no decision had yet been taken. The tax rise under review, which would affect firms including Norilsk Nickel, Rusal, Phosgaro, NLMK, Severstal and Evraz , would be introduced from 2021, the sources said. Producers of gold, diamonds and coal are not included in the proposal being looked at by Russia's Finance Ministry... Читать дальше...

The platinum jewellery market is showing signs of resilience in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, supported by new research into consumer sentiment, says the World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC). In a newsletter by the council, published on September 16, it notes that jewellery is the second-largest demand segment for platinum, and accounted for 25% of platinum demand in 2019.

London-listed Petra Diamonds has recovered five Type IIb blue diamonds of high quality, in terms of both their colour and clarity, at its Cullinan mine, in South Africa. The diamonds are also significant in terms of their size, weighing 25.75 ct, 21.25 ct, 17.57 ct, 11.42 ct and 9.61 ct, and are assessed to be individual stones and not originally part of one larger diamond. In a statement on September 16, Petra said blue diamonds were so rare that “there are no official statistics on their recovery”.

Ecuador-focused Lundin Gold has received an exploration permit for the Emperador concession, which includes the drill ready Barbasco target, where the company plans to start a drill programme in the fourth quarter. The Barbasco target is 3.8 km in length and has a similar structural location and orientation within the Suarez Pull-Apart basin to the company’s existing Fruta del Norte gold mine. The 6 000 m drill programme at Barbasco is planned for mid to late fourth quarter.

This week: Platinum has potential to be three-times-bigger $35bn-a-year industry Data key to long-term optimization And, prize potentially large in platinum fuel cell and hydrogen growth

The Trump administration said on Tuesday it will remove 10% US tariffs on raw Canadian aluminum as long as imports of the metal stay below levels that are expected to "normalise" over the next four months. In response, Canada dropped a threat to impose billions of dollars of retaliatory sanctions, marking the end of a spat between the major trading partners. The US Trade Representative's office said the decision came after consultations with Ottawa determined that aluminum imports during the September-December... Читать дальше...

Freeport-McMoRan does not want to be distracted by any buyout offers and is focused on expanding its Grasberg copper-and-gold mine in Indonesia and boosting cash flow, CFO Kathleen Quirk said on Tuesday. Executives at rival miner Barrick Gold have openly talked in recent months about their interest in buying all or part of Freeport, especially Grasberg, the world's largest copper mine. No official offer has been made, and Freeport CEO Richard Adkerson has said he has no interest in any sale. Quirk's... Читать дальше...

Metals explorer Comet Resources has reached a streaming agreement for up to $20-million for the development of its Santa Teresa gold project, in Mexico. The company has inked binding documents with Raptor Capital International for the provision of a streaming facility to provide a minimum of $6-million and a maximum of $20-million in funding.