Новости за 24.01.2022

TSX-listed Ivanhoe Mines reports that the 3.8-million-tonne-a-year Phase 2 concentrator plant at its 39.6%-owned Kamoa-Kakula project in the Democratic Republic of Congo is expected to be 93% complete by January 31, with hot commissioning of the concentrator on track to start in April. Ivanhoe co-chairpersons Robert Friedland and Yufeng “Miles” Sun note that this schedule is at the front end of its previous guidance of being in the second quarter, as well as several months ahead of the original schedule.

There are a lot more people looking at platinum as a hard asset and potential hedge against inflation, World Platinum Investment Council director of research Trevor Raymond said on Monday. Responding to Mining Weekly’s questions on what has been driving the platinum up over the last two weeks, Raymond raised the hard asset and hedge view, along with an array of automotive industry developments likely contributing to the platinum price rising well above the $1 000/oz mark. (Also watch attached Creamer... Читать дальше...

Zinc producer Vedanta Zinc International (VZI) has appointed Xolani Qamata Black Mountain mine (BMM) GM, effective January 3. In this role at the Aggeneys, Northern Cape-based operation, he will report to VZI business head Laxman Shekhawat.

Critical minerals developer Fortune Minerals has selected a site for its proposed brownfields hydrometallurgical refinery for the Nico cobalt project in Northwest Territories.   The TSX-listed company on Monday announced that it had entered into an option agreement with JFSL Field Services, a subsidiary of an international engineering company, to purchase a former steel fabrication plant in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland near Edmonton.

Embattled gold miner Troy Resources has released details around a ‘series of transactions’ that if approved by shareholders, could see the company raise some A$7.2-million in cash and retire a further A$18.7-million of net debt. Troy on Monday said that one of the potential transactions could see AIMS converting essentially all of its gold loan, in two stages, into approximately 627-million shares, in so doing, becoming Troy’s largest shareholder.

Gold miner Barrick Gold revealed at a media briefing in Kinshasha, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on January 21, that underground drilling at the Kibali gold mine’s KCD orebody was defining a new high-grade lode above the base of the existing shaft infrastructure.  Barrick president and CEO Mark Bristow said this was an “exciting discovery”, which could add an entirely new orebody to the existing KCD series of orebodies.

In expanding its graphite production operations in Madagascar, specialist graphite and graphene company Tirupati Graphite reports that most of the new earthmoving equipment for the 18 000 t/y plant at Sahamamy has arrived on schedule, despite logistical challenges imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The earthmoving equipment includes hydraulic excavators, payloaders, bulldozers and area graders from manufacturers including Hitachi, Komatsu and BEML; while an outstanding four 30 t articulated dump... Читать дальше...

Indonesian President Joko Widodo launched construction of a $2.3-billion coal gasification plant on Monday, in a bid to slash the country's liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) imports while optimising its coal resources. The plant is designed to utilise 6-million tonnes of low rank coal to produce 1.4 t of dimethyl ether (DME) annually, which can reduce Indonesia's LPG import by 1-million tonnes per year, according to state coal miner Bukit Asam , which is building the plant in partnership with US firm Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

The San Rafael mine in northern Mexico operated by Canada's Americas Gold and Silver has reopened, Mexico's Economy Minister Tatiana Clouthier said on Friday. Mexico's main mining union had been in talks for months to end a dispute that had forced the mine's closure.

Most of the Australian coal used by steelmakers that was being held at Chinese ports in the wake of Beijing’s import ban has now been cleared, according to local research firm Fengkuang Coal Logistics, although there’s no sign that the halt on new shipments will be lifted. Customs data for the final quarter of last year show 6.2-million tons of Australian coking coal were finally allowed in, along with another 5.5-million tons of thermal coal from China’s erstwhile trading partner that was destined for power plants.

Diversified mining company Teck Resources and members of United Steelworkers Local 7619, representing 1 048 workers at the Highland Valley Copper operations in British Columbia, have reached a new collective agreement. The new five-year agreement replaces the one that expired on September 30.

JSE- and NYSE-listed Sibanye-Stillwater has decided to terminate its acquisition of the Santa Rita nickel and Serrote copper mines, both in Brazil, from Appian Capital for $1-billion and a 5% net smelter royalty over future production. Sibanye intended to acquire operating companies Atlantic Nickel, which operates the Santa Rita mine, and Mineracao Vale Verder (MVV), which is developing the Serrote mine.

Community groups in Peru agreed to provide trucking services to MMG’s Las Bambas copper mine in a deal hammered out after tensions led to protests and blockades near the site last month. Las Bambas will provide the Chumbivilcas communities with technical assistance, legal advice and business training, Carlos Castro, manager of corporate affairs at MMG’s Las Bambas, said in an interview. The goal in the medium and long term is to enable the community companies to grow and provide the services to other mining companies as well, he said.

A union representing workers at BHP's Escondida mine in Chile, the world's largest copper mine, said on Friday the firm had been erratic and irresponsible as Covid-19 infections have risen among the workforce. "We consider that the company has been erratic, dismissive and irresponsible in the responses it has given us, emphatically denying, on the afternoon of January 14, that there was an outbreak of Covid-19," the union said in a statement.

Iron-ore major Fortescue Metals has struck a £164-million deal to acquire UK-based technology and engineering services business Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE). WAE is an offshoot of the Williams F1 team and is renowned for its ground-breaking projects in high performance battery systems and electrification.

Despite a strong December quarter, diversified miner South32 on Monday warned shareholders that labour shortages and freight bottlenecks would impact global operations this year. “We achieved a number of strong production results across our portfolio and realised significantly higher commodity prices in the December 2021 half year, lifting operating margins across the group,” said CEO Graham Kerr.