Новости за 18.03.2022

Diamond mining company Debmarine Namibia on March 18 officially inaugurated its latest diamond recovery vessel, christened on the day as the Benguela Gem (previously the AMV3), at the Port of Walvis Bay, Namibia. Debmarine Namibia is a joint venture marine diamond and prospecting company owned by the government of Namibia and De Beers. The Benguela Gem will form part of the fleet operated by this 50:50 partnership.

A South African court on Friday upheld a complaint by activists that poor air quality in the coal belt is a breach of constitutional rights, giving the environment minister a year to enforce a clean air plan. South Africa's coal belt, east of the capital Pretoria and main city Johannesburg is home to an estimated 3.6-million people, as well as a dozen Eskom coal-fired power stations and some Sasol petrochemicals plants.

Zinc miner Black Mountain Mining (BMM), a subsidiary of Vedanta Zinc International, has proposed the construction of a new zinc smelter and associated infrastructure at its Gamsberg zinc mine, near Aggeneys, in the Northern Cape. On March 18, BMM revealed that the new smelter would produce 300 000 t/y of special high-grade zinc metal by processing 680 000 t/y of zinc concentrate. As a by-product, 450 000 t/y of pure sulphuric acid would be produced for both export and consumption within South Africa.

The capital cost of expanding the Pueblo Viejo mine in Dominican Republic has risen to $1.4-billion, bullion major Barrick Gold reported on Friday. The company explained that the expansion, which would deliver a mine capable of producing more than 800 000 oz/y until at least 2040, had experienced logistical challenges, owing to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the global supply chain.

Activist investor Pentwater Capital Management, the largest minority shareholder of Canada's Turquoise Hill with a 10% stake, has rejected a $2.7-billion bid for the copper producer by Rio Tinto as too low. Anglo-Australian Rio Tinto on Monday proposed to buy out the 49% minority shareholders in Turquoise Hill for about $2.7-billion in cash, paving the way for direct ownership of a massive copper-gold mining project in Mongolia.  "It is highly improbable that Rio will be successful at its current... Читать дальше...

Nickel dropped by the maximum allowed for a third day in another glitchy opening for trading in London, as the price continues its retreat from an unprecedented short squeeze last week. Nickel dropped 12% to the daily limit of $36 915/t, although at least three trades went through at a price below the lower bound set by the exchange, according to Bloomberg data. Just after 8:00 a.m., three contracts traded at $36 865/t. It was the third straight day that electronic trading in LME nickel had suffered from apparent glitches... Читать дальше...

Aim-listed phosphate producer and developer Kropz has achieved its first production of phosphate rock concentrate from its Elandsfontein operation, in Gauteng, the company said on March 18. Plant commissioning at the Elandsfontein operation began in the fourth quarter of last year and has since achieved a concentrate grade of 31% phosphorus pentoxide, which is in line with management’s expectations.

Mining Weekly Editor Martin Creamer discusses Fortescue Metals Group’s Andrew Forrest's call for energy sovereignty; Seifsa  urging the metals sector to take advantage of the Steel Master Plan opportunities; and the comparison of mine-linked Solar PV power projects with the Koeberg nuclear power station.

The mining industry must work harder on implementing human rights programmes to prevent the exploitation of unhappy communities for narrow self-defeating motives, Minerals Council South Africa senior executive Tebello Chabana commented during a Human Rights Dialogue on March 17. He noted that South African communities have been “stranded by failing and failed local governments”, which has created a “hotbed for discontent that is easily stoked by unscrupulous third parties”.

The University of New South Wales (UNSW) has released three research papers showcasing that waste coffee grounds and hydrogen could be used in the fabrication of green steel. Under its Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) Center, the UNSW published the three papers on its Green Steel Polymer Injection Technology (PIT), noting that industrial trials with partner Molycop have shown various wastes can be used to more sustainably make steel in electric arc furnaces.

Uranium developer Boss Energy has completed the bookbuild for it’s a$120-million capital raise. The company earlier this week announced the two-tranche share placement, under which some 56-million shares would be placed at a price of A$1.15 each, to fund development costs of the Honeymoon uranium project, in South Australia.

ASX-listed Ardea Resources’ A$1.16-billion Kalgoorlie nickel project has been granted Major Project status by the federal government. The project will produce cobalt-nickel ore which will undergo a process to produce mixed hydroxide precipitate, which is used as raw material in the growing international battery market.

A union representing workers at BHP's sprawling Escondida copper mine in Chile, the world's largest copper mine, on Thursday threatened a work stoppage over what it claims are breaches in its collective contract. Escondida's Union 1 requested an urgent meeting with company executives to discuss its complaints over promotions, saying many conditions in the contract were not being upheld by the firm, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

Professional services firm WSP in Africa provides mining houses across the continent with access to a full spectrum of “world-class” engineering, environmental sustainability advisory and implementation services. The firm states that it has the experience and breadth of offering in place to assess, strategise, and provide programmes of work for mining houses when it comes to all their built and environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) requirements.

Specialist mining training provider Prisma Training Solutions has noted a marked increase in women being trained and employed in the mining sector. “At times, we have a class filled entirely with women, and some of our training components are being facilitated by women,” says Prisma MD Jacques Farmer.

Sweden-based sustainable power transition enabler Mine Storage co-founder and CEO Thomas Johansson notes that the company’s concept of using abandoned underground mines – or those under care and maintenance – as energy storage facilities has progressed to the prefeasibility phase. He explains that Mine Storage, as part of a consortium, secured funding from Sweden’s Energy Agency, in December, to create a blueprint for what will become a pilot. The first underground mine storage facility will be constructed in Sweden.

Mine ventilation, refrigeration and cooling engineering consultant BBE Group has successfully completed the installation of a ventilation and cooling system at the Caraíba mine in the Curaçá river valley, in Brazil. The deepening of a shaft to open up a new orebody in the mine had put the previous ventilation and cooling system under pressure, and it was incapable of meeting the mine’s safety requirements.

Underground equipment manufacturer MacLean Engineering announced last month that the first-ever MacLean GR5 underground road grader has been shipped to Africa and that additional units have been scheduled for factory production. The newest addition to MacLean’s Mine-Mate utility vehicles, which offer a “rugged, high-performance mobile solution” for maintaining haulage, is about to be introduced to Africa’s mining industry.

Commercial vehicle electrification technology company Proterra and equipment manufacturer Komatsu, in the last quarter of 2021 announced a new collaboration to electrify next-generation underground mining machines using Proterra’s battery technology. Under the collaboration, Proterra will supply its H Series battery system technology to Komatsu for the development of battery-electric load haul dump trucks, drills, and bolters for underground hard rock mining.

Having developed, and now busy testing its second-generation WebGen™ 200 in Australia and Canada, mining and infrastructure solutions provider Orica says its trials have shown improved safety and productivity across operations.   The WebGen™ 200, a wireless electronic blasting system with enhanced capabilities, security and versatility, meets the “extreme” mining requirements of surface and underground clients.