Новости за 11.03.2022

Billionaire Vladimir Potanin, Russia’s richest man and one of the few tycoons to escape sanctions, tore into every aspect of his country’s retaliation against international penalties enacted over President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The biggest shareholder in Norilsk Nickel warned that the tit-for-tat measures risked backfiring and cautioned against burning bridges with foreign companies that are exiting Russia under pressure.

India will take steps to ensure a steady supply of coking coal for domestic steel companies, which are struggling with cargo disruptions and rocketing prices in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "We are discussing amongst ourselves, and we will definitely chalk out some plan on how to deal with this situation," India's Steel Minister Ram Chandra Prasad Singh told Reuters in an interview. "We will do something to bring a sense of confidence among our (steel) producers that in this situation also, we can find some solution. Читать дальше...

Trade union the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is calling on precious metals miner Sibanye-Stillwater’s shareholders to remove Neal Froneman as the company’s CEO with immediate effect. The organisation says Froneman consistently refuses to meet with trade union leaders in South Africa.

Diversified miner South32 and its subsidiary Hotazel Manganese Mines has handed over a newly built primary school called Rearata to the Northern Cape Department of Basic Education. The R20-million school is part of South32’s social and labour plan (SLP) commitments and will enrich the Vergenoeg Village community by providing educational facilities. The school has 14 classrooms to accommodate 500 learners and a dedicated Grade R learning centre.

The Chinese tycoon whose big short bet on nickel helped trigger one of the most dramatic price spikes in history has told his banks and brokers that he doesn’t intend to reduce his position, according to people familiar with the matter. The move is a characteristic display of self-confidence from Xiang Guangda, the owner of Tsingshan Holding Group Co., and means that the nickel market could be set for more fireworks once it reopens.

Spot coal prices in China surged this week amid fears of a tightening global market, nearly doubling a government-set cap for long-term supply to power plants. The price of physical thermal coal at mines in the hub of Yulin rose to as high as 1 400 yuan ($221) a ton this week, Chinese consultant Fenwei Energy Information Services Co. said on a Friday webinar. The National Development and Reform Commission last month announced medium- and long-term contracts should trade in a 570 to 770 yuan range... Читать дальше...

Business organisation Business Leadership South Africa’s (BLSA’s) former CEO Michael Spicer has passed away, the organisation says, adding that he was instrumental to BLSA, where he was CEO from 2005 to 2011. Born in 1953, Spicer passed away on March 10.

The provisional liquidator of Zambia's Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), Milingo Lungu, has been suspended, the country's Official Receiver said in a statement on Thursday. Zambia's previous government, which owns 20% of KCM through State mining investment firm ZCCM-IH, handed control of KCM to Lungu in 2019, triggering a protracted dispute with Vedanta Resources, which owns the remaining 80%.

Vancouver-based Anacortes Mining is pleased with the outcomes of its preliminary economic assessment (PEA) for the Tres Cruces gold oxide project, in northern Peru, with the study yielding robust economics. The PFS calculated an aftertax net present value of $165.9-million and an internal rate of return of 33%, with a 2.1 year payback at a gold price of $1 700/oz.

Coal exploration, development and mining company MC Mining has appointed long-standing nonexecutive director Khomotso Mosehla interim chairperson, pending the outcome of a shareholder requisitioned meeting scheduled for April 11. This follows the decision by Bernard Pryor to step down as chairperson with effect from March 11.

Mining Weekly Editor Martin Creamer unpacks the need for mining to seize the many obvious lucrative opportunities that are available; Royal Bafokeng Platinum’s renewable energy study on an embedded 30MW solar plant that is close to completion; and Eskom's battery storage system.

About 12 new metallic mines in the Philippines should begin commercial operations this year, mostly nickel projects, adding to a "bright" outlook for a sector enjoying cash windfall from high prices, the local industry regulator said on Friday. The Mines and Geosciences Bureau also said in a report the Philippines' nickel output last year totalled 386 359 t, 17% higher than the previous year's production and the highest in six years.

Uranium spot prices surged to the highest level since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster on concern potential sanctions aimed at Russia are poised to roil an already tight market. The price for benchmark Ux U3O8 uranium rose 11% to $59.75/lb on Thursday, according to data compiled by UxC. That’s the highest since March 2011, when meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi facility shut Japan’s fleet of nuclear plants, sent a shock-wave across the atomic industry and dashed demand for uranium -- the fuel used in reactors.

Chile's environmental regulator said on Thursday it had fined Escondida mine, controlled by company BHP, $8.2-million for damage caused by water extraction in the Salar de Atacama salt flat. Chile's SMA environmental watchdog had filed charges against the world's largest copper mine in mid-2020, saying it had been exceeding the maximum level allowed for water extraction since 2005, going over the 2019 limit threefold.

Creditors of Brazilian miner Samarco Mineracao have suspended their assembly to reconvene on April 1 after the company presented a new restructuring plan on Thursday. Samarco, a joint venture between Vale and BHP Group, changed its restructuring plan to offer a new alternative to pay creditors, hybrid bonds that will distribute part of Samarco's cash flow.

US coal producers said on Thursday they only have limited ability to boost exports and offset lost Russian volumes due to chronic industry underinvestment amid the clean energy transition. "The ability for the supply side to respond is tough," Jim Grech, CEO of Peabody Energy, said at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston.

ASX-listed Nickel Mines has shelved plans for an A$18-million share purchase plan (SPP), despite applications far exceeding its target. The company in February announced the SPP as part of a larger A$225-million funding plan to finance the acquisition of an initial 30% stake in the Oracle nickel project, in Indonesia.

Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley has reportedly requested privately-held Perdaman to temporarily cease works on it’s A$4.5-billion Karratha urea project, in Western Australia, while the government considers concerns raised by Traditional Owners around potential damage to World Heritage-nominated Aboriginal rock art. The Burrup Peninsula, which is known as Murujuga by Indigenous Australians, contains what is widely considered the world’s oldest and largest art gallery, comprising more than one-million pieces of rock art... Читать дальше...

Australian Petroleum Production & Exploration Association (APPEA) said this week that there has been strong interest in acreage releases for new carbon capture and storage (CCS) opportunities off Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Appea welcomed the opportunity for member companies to bid for five areas in Commonwealth waters to explore greenhouse gas storage opportunities.

A restart study for the Nifty copper project, in Western Australia, has estimated that it would require a capital injection of some A$149-million, and could produce some 25 000 t/y of copper cathode. The restart is focused around the first phase of heap leach retreat and oxide open pit, and it is envisaged that the life will extend to the sulphide stage of the open pit with a considerably larger resource available.

Resources firms Woodside, Santos, Fortescue and South32 were only a few of the companies that have signed up to the new Corporate Emissions Reduction Transparency (CERT) report pilot. The 25 signatories to CERT account for almost 26% of Australia’s Scope 1 annual greenhouse gas emissions reported to the Clean Energy Regulator and operate across the construction, energy, finance, manufacturing, mining, research, retail and transport sectors.

The growing trend of automation has led to stainless steel and valves supplier EMV Africa introducing its own actuation range. The company is preparing for the eventuality that many processes involving valves will become fully automated.

Local mechanical seals, pumps and complementary pump products supplier Mechanical Rotating Solutions (MRS) commends the Belzona 1321 two-part ceramic-filled epoxy coating for its ability to provide erosion- and corrosion-resistance in metal surfaces. Recently, MRS was called to repair a badly damaged swing check valve and used Belzona 1321 to refurbish the valve and address cavitation that occurred around the valve seat.

Reverse osmosis (RO) is a separation technique that is suitable for a wide range of applications, especially when salt and/or dissolved solids need to be removed from a solution. It is one of the most common types of water treatment.   South African boiler manufacturer and water treatment components supplier Allmech water treatment consultant Anelia Hough explains that there are several factors to be considered when selecting an RO system. Factors include the customer’s capacity requirement ...

The increase in demand for low-voltage, failsafe electric actuators prompted actuator supplier DEMCA Actuation Solutions’ collaboration with Germany-based actuator manufacturer PS Automation GmbH, to bring the latter’s smart actuator range to South Africa. DEMCA Actuation Solutions sales and technical manager Warren Mc Aslan explains that the demand for low-voltage actuators is a result of electricity instability and a trend towards reducing electricity consumption, as well as integrating renewable-energy sources such as solar power.