Новости за 11.12.2020

Diversified miner Anglo American expects its production for 2021 to increase by 14% year-on-year and its unit costs to decrease by 3% year-on-year. In an investor update published on December 11, the miner said it had maintain a strong performance this year, despite Covid-19-related and other operational impacts.

The world’s biggest copper miners are enjoying a rare bonanza, helped along by fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. That comes as copper reaches seven-year highs, currencies in major producing nations tumble, and low oil prices keep a lid on costs. The unusual combination of falling costs and rising prices is also boosting the shares of copper miners, which show little inclination to increase supply into a tight market.

The Bank of Zambia will begin buying gold from Canadian miner First Quantum Minerals and the state mining firm as it resumes holding the precious metal as part of its foreign reserves, the central bank governor said on Friday. The southern African nation - a major copper producer - became Africa's first pandemic-era sovereign default last month after it failed to pay a coupon on one of its dollar-denominated bonds.

Aim-listed Kefi Gold and Copper has maintained an aggressive, yet risk-managed approach to maintain momentum with its projects in Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia. Chairperson Harry Anagnostaras-Adams says the company is set to start development of the Tulu Kapi gold project, in Ethiopia, early in the new year, once financing closes, with the production of 190 000 oz/y expected to start late in 2022.

JSE-listed gold miner Sibanye-Stillwater advises that all conditions precedent to its odd-lot and specific offers have been fulfilled and the company will soon proceed with its implementation. The company on November 2 announced its intention to make an odd-lot offer to shareholders holding fewer than 100 Sibanye shares, and a specific offer to those holding more than 100 shares but equal to or fewer than 400 shares.

At China’s biggest coal event in the mining hub of Shanxi, the industry’s top executives signed deals over three days for more coal than other nations typically use in a year. But the bustling deal-making signals deeper problems in a market vital to the smooth-running of the world’s second-biggest economy. A series of deadly mining accidents has hit output, while self-imposed import restrictions -- including on key supplier Australia -- limit shipments from overseas. The result is a supply crunch... Читать дальше...

Diversified miner Exxaro Resources’ Belfast Coal recently completed a R1.5-million training programme that benefitted over 60 unemployed young people from Emakhazeni local municipality. The programme mainly targeted young black women from host farming communities as part of the mine’s social licence to operate.

Eastern Platinum (Eastplats) has announced a rights offering to its shareholders to acquire common shares of the company at the close of business on December 18, on the basis of one right for each common share. Each right will entitle the holder to subscribe for one common share of the company upon payment of the subscription price of R3.77 a share.

Chile's State-owned Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, said on Thursday it had reached an early contract agreement with a union at its Radomiro Tomic mine. The 36-month agreement does not impact salaries, but does include final bonuses for the equivalent of about $4 800 per worker. "The agreement with the supervision of Radomiro Tomic also establishes variable incentives, which will be effective with the fulfillment of productivity and cost and contribution of resources to the State," the company said in a statement.

Potash developer Salt Lake Potash on Friday announced that it had received binding commitments from institutional shareholders and investors to raise up to A$52-million in a share placement. The company would place up to 130-million new shares, at a price of 40c each, to raise the funds.

Base metals miner Hot Chili has amended its lease mining and processing agreement with Chilean government agency Empresa Nacional de Mineria (Enami) over mining and processing operations at its Productora copper/gold project. Under an agreement struck earlier this year, Enami was granted leave to process around 120 000 t/y of ore through the Vallenar plant over a two-year period, with the option to extend the agreement by a further year.

The world’s commodities markets are staging a comeback as the global economy bounces back from the steepest downturn since the Great Depression. The Bloomberg Commodity Spot Index rose 1.3% on Thursday to its highest since 2014 with the world inching closer to a Covid-19 vaccine and the transition process to a new US president becoming clearer. That has Wall Street regaining its appetite for risk, delivering commodities their best run in years: Copper, long seen as a bellwether for the global economy... Читать дальше...

Metallurgical coal miner Contura Energy has closed its transaction with Iron Senergy Holding for the divestment of the Cumberland thermal coal mine and related assets in Greene county, Pennsylvania. The subsidiaries that hold the Cumberland and Emerald mines and the associated coal reserves, mining permits and operations, infrastructure, equipment and transloading facilities have transferred to Iron Senergy, effective December 10. "This mutually beneficial transaction with Iron Senergy extends... Читать дальше...

Even as copper pierces seven-year highs, First Quantum Minerals is pushing into the new year with plans that hinge on one unsexy goal: cutting debt. The top-ten copper producer is emerging from a rocky seven years that included disputes with the government in Zambia, where it has two mines, rising debt that peaked at close to $9-billion this year, and strains from building a $6.7-billion project in Panama. Now the plan is to get its Central American mine, Cobre Panama, running full out to benefit the whole company.

As part of an expansion programme at local platinum miner Booysendal Platinum’s Booysendal concession platinum project, multinational ropeway manufacturer Doppelmayr Transport Technology has been awarded a contract for the construction of a second RopeCon system. Once finished, this second RopeCon will connect with the first RopeCon system and enable transport from a mining area north of the concession.

Multinational platinum group metals (PGMs) miner Impala Platinum’s (Implats’) 2018 strategic review highlighted that restructuring lossmaking operations at its Rustenburg mining complex and positioning it on the lower half of the cost curve were strategically crucial. These strategic imperatives, among others, include the ramp-up of growth at shafts 16 and 20 to improve production. Despite setbacks from the Covid-19 pandemic, gains in productivity, safety and efficiency have resulted in an upward... Читать дальше...

As reported by Mining Weekly last month, platinum group metals (PGMs) miner Platinum Group Metals is focused on advancing the palladium dominant Waterberg project, located on the northern limb of the Bushveld Complex in South Africa. The project is planned as a fully mechanised, shallow, decline access palladium, platinum, gold and rhodium mine, and is projected to be one of the largest and lowest cost underground PGM mines globally.

Diversified miner Exxaro, one of South Africa’s leading coal and coking coal producers, tells Mining Weekly that three of its five coal investment projects started production in the second half of this year. The projects include the Grootegeluk 6 expansion project, the Leeuwpan life expansion project, and the Grootegeluk rapid load-out station projects, all of which met their initial startup deadlines this year.