Новости за 16.03.2022

Highland Valley Copper (HVC) has been awarded the Copper Mark, diversified miner Teck Resources reported on Wednesday. HVC is the Copper Mark’s first recipient in Canada and also the first of Teck’s copper operations to achieve certification. Teck stated that it planned to achieve certification for each of its copper operations in future, including includes Carmen de Andacollo and QB2, which was expected to begin production in the second half of 2022.

Dual-listed Horizonte Minerals has closed agreements with two export credit agencies for senior project finance debt of $346.2-million to advance its Araguaia nickel project, in Brazil. The senior debt facility will include a commercial senior facility of $200-million, an export credit agency (ECA) facility of $74.56-million guaranteed by Denmark’s EKF and an ECA facility of $71.64-million guaranteed by Finland’s Finnevera.

South Africa’s historic metals sector employer organisation on Wednesday urged all the sector’s employer bodies to roll up their sleeves on May 19 and 20 and get their teeth into the Steel Master Plan, which is seen to have promising reindustrialisation elements. President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted the Steel Master Plan in last month’s State of the Nation Address.

Southern Copper plans to import copper concentrate potentially from as far away as Mexico for its refinery in Peru after protests halted operations at its Cuajone mine, a senior executive said. Raúl Jacob, the company's vice president of finance, said this would imply an increase in costs and a decrease in profits for this year. It comes as community protests hit copper mines in Peru, the world's no. 2 producer.

Global commodity trade flows will have to adapt to some, or all, of Russia and Ukraine’s supply being unavailable, whether owing to infrastructure damage, sanctions or ethical concerns, says global diversified miner Glencore. Unpacking the main risks to its business in its 2021 annual report, Glencore listed the Ukraine war and persistent Covid-19 impacts as the foremost events posing risks to its operations.

Gold-focused streamlining and royalty company Triple Flag is forecasting a significant increase in its production levels over the next five years, with output averaging at 110 000 gold-equivalent ounces (GEOs) a year. This compares with GEO production of 83 602 oz in 2021 and a guidance of 90 000 oz to 95 000 oz in 2022.

Midtier precious metals miner Endeavour Silver on Tuesday announced a $40-million bought-deal financing, the proceeds of which it would use to pay the cash component of its Pitarrilla project acquisition. Endeavour entered into an agreement with a syndicate of underwriters, led by BMO Capital Markets and PI Financial, pursuant to which they had agreed to buy 8.08-million shares at $4.95 each.

In an ongoing court case relating to the Ministry of Mines and Energy of Namibia refusing to grant copper explorer and developer Deep-South Resources a licence for its Haib copper project, the miner reports that, although the Ministry filed additional documents as part of the review record, these did not provide any evidence supporting the Ministry’s decision. This follows the legal counsel of the Ministry’s failure, earlier this month, to file its defence affidavit for the refusal to grant the prospecting licence – EPL 3140.

This week: South Africa must move very rapidly towards green energy, climate webinar hears; Royal Bafokeng Platinum’s 30 MW solar power study close to completion; and, Platinum surplus forecast to reduce significantly

US-based Energy Fuels believes the next upward cycle for vanadium may have begun and has started selling some of its 1.65-million-pound inventory, while it is also actively pursuing uranium sales contracts. The company, which also produces rare earth elements (REE), explains that in 2019 it built a significant inventory of vanadium to sell into the abrupt upside price volatility that vanadium markets experience, most recently in late 2018.

Russian aluminium giant Rusal is diverting bauxite cargoes from Guinea to its refinery in Ireland after the original destination in Ukraine shut down because of the Russian invasion, shipping data shows. The logistics rethink for the world's second-largest aluminium producer, which is not under sanctions, illustrates the kinds of supply chain disruptions now rippling through the interconnected global economy, driving up prices for some goods.

A Canadian-owned company has proposed doubling planned output of potash from a deposit in Brazil's Amazon to reduce the agricultural powerhouse's dependence on fertilizer imports disrupted by the Ukraine war. Brazil Potash said on Tuesday that its executives met with Brazilian Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina Dias in Ottawa and discussed increasing from 2.44-million tonnes to over 5-million tonnes per year the output from its Autazes project. That could cover almost half of Brazil's need for potash, a key fertilizer. Читать дальше...

ASX-listed Helix Resources will raise A$13-million through a share placement and share purchase plan to accelerate its copper hunt in New South Wales. The company on Wednesday said that it would raise some A$11-million in a two-tranche placement, priced at 1.2c a share.

Uranium hopeful Boss Energy has launched a A$125-million capital raising to fund the development of its Honeymoon uranium project, in South Australia. The capital raising comprises a two-tranche share placement to raise up to A$120-million and a share purchase plan (SPP) to raise an additional A$5-million.