Новости за 26.08.2022

Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, cut its production outlook for 2022, blaming lower recovery levels at some of its mines and ore grades at the Chuquicamata site in Chile, as it also deals with fatal accidents halting some construction works. The Chilean state-owned miner said it now expects output to reach between 1.49-million and 1.51-million tonnes this year, down from a previous forecast of 1.61-million tonnes.

The renewable energy plans of the Booysendal platinum group metals (PGM) mine of Northam Platinum been detailed quite extensively in the company’s 95-page sustainability report that will be available shortly online, Northam Platinum CEO Paul Dunne said on Friday, when the Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed company reported a solid set of financial results for the 12 months to June 30. The largest of the three solar installations at the moment is the 11 MW solar installation, which is under construction at Northam’s Zondereinde PGM mine... Читать дальше...

TSX-V-listed Aton Resources has completed 6 620 m of reverse circulation drilling at the Hamama West gold/silver project, in the Abu Marawat Concession, in Eqypt. Some assay results for the first 35 holes include 2.90 g/t, 68.9 g/t and 3.71 g/t gold over a 37 m interval from surface, and 2.87 g/t, 54.3 g/t and 3.51 g/t over a 22 m interval from 1 m depth.

Although precluded from divulging any specific financial information during a pre-close briefing held on August 26, JSE-listed midtier construction materials, industrial minerals and bulk commodities mining company Afrimat CEO Andries van Heerden said the group’s financial situation was “very strong” despite a dramatic drop in iron-ore prices over the six month period ending August 31. “I can tell you I'm sleeping well at night. It is it is a different scenario to where we were last year when we... Читать дальше...

Zimbabwe-focused Galileo Resources has discovered several potential nickel targets from airborne geophysical surveys over two exploration licences it has in Zimbabwe. The same survey also identified potential gold targets over the two licences, which together comprise the Bulawayo project.

China needs to strengthen its domestic resources of battery metals including nickel, lithium and cobalt as its reliance on external supply poses a risk for its electric vehicle industry, a metals industry official said on Friday. China depends on overseas sources for 93% of its nickel, 98% of its cobalt and 65% of its lithium, said Hu Changping, Deputy Secretary General of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association.

With China’s plan to have only low-carbon energy sources by 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, its demand for platinum group metals (PGMs) is likely to continue growing. The country also has plans to grow its hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) fleet, with initiatives aimed at developing the entire hydrogen value chain, including refuelling infrastructure, rather than just offering subsidies on sales.

TSX-V- and JSE-listed Buffalo Coal has appointed Tushar Agrawal chairperson and nonexecutive director of the company, effective immediately. Agrawal is the ultimate beneficial owner of Buffao’s largest shareholder, Belvedere Resources.

Gold prices dipped on Friday, with investors largely focusing on the Jackson Hole symposium for insights into the US Federal Reserve's monetary policy stance to curb inflation. Spot gold fell 0.3% to $1 752.50 per ounce by 07:47 GMT, but was up 0.3% so far for the week. US gold futures was 0.4% lower at $1 764.60.

Mantos Blancos and Mantoverde, both in Chile, are the latest mines to join the Copper Mark – an assurance framework to promote responsible practices. Within one year, Mantos Blancos and Mantoverde, both owned by Toronto-listed Capstone Copper, will be assessed and independently verified against 32 responsible production criteria, including environmental management, greenhouse gas emissions, human rights, community health, safety and development, and governance.

Vancouver-headquartered Nevada Copper on Thursday announced a new restart plan for the Pumpkin Hollow underground copper mine, in Yerington, Nevada, having agreed nonbinding terms with key financing partners for up to $93-million. The restart plan should derisk the path to full-scale production by focusing on debottlenecking and completion of critical capital projects, in addition to the build-up of significant stope ore inventory, the company stated.

Mining Weekly Editor Martin Creamer discusses DRDGold monitoring its tailing dumps using satellite imagery and drone surveillance; Merafe's plans for 744 MW of energy; and a new Southern African green hydrogen atlas that is set to be launched before the end of the year.

The soaring profits unveiled by Australian miners this week were a beacon of light amid the gloom dominating economic headlines. Yet the coming months look more challenging, particularly for companies without exposure to clean energy. Miners that dig up materials vital to decarbonisation led the way in the first half, with Pilbara Minerals and Allkem reporting record earnings as prices for lithium soared.

The new US Inflation Reduction Act offers great opportunities for Sibanye Stillwater's diversification into battery materials and it may look to add more such assets, CEO Neal Froneman said on Thursday. Enacted this month, it includes climate and clean energy policies and rules on electric vehicle (EV) battery materials such as cobalt, lithium, nickel and graphite.

Anglo American Chile's chief executive, Aaron Puna, has resigned from his position and will be temporarily replaced by the head of the firm's Los Bronces mine, Patricio Hidalgo, the company said in a statement on Thursday. Puna will continue to work "with the management team of Chile and Base Metals in a transition period," the company added.

Peru on Thursday lowered the country's economic growth forecast to 3.3% this year, the finance minister said, and officially abandoned a plan to hike taxes on the mining industry amid falling metal prices, high inflation and slowing growth. The new forecast is significantly higher than the Refinitiv average of 2.6% but is lower than the 3.6% the ministry had last forecast in May.

Queensland Resources Minister Scott Stewart has approved the mining lease for the New Acland Stage 2 operation, saying it was done after “careful consideration”. Coal miner New Hope Corporation welcomed the issue of the mining lease, noting that the only outstanding primary approval for the New Acland Stage 3 operation to proceed, was the grant of the associated water license by the Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing and Water.

Copper miner Oz Minerals on Friday outlined its pathway to doubling production, while also revealing the financial results for a tough first half of 2021. Oz Minerals reported that net revenue for the first half had dropped by 77.5%, compared with the first half of 2021, to A$908.6-million, while net profits after tax in the same period dropped by 159.4% to A$109.2-million.

The current expectations around environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG)  performance include protection of the environment, social responsibility investments and corporate governance standards such as holistic accountability as highlighted in the latest King IV standards; in essence, overall good corporate citizenship promoting the holistic view that sustainability extends beyond just the micro business environment. Local certification body JC Auditors MD Oliver Naidoo says ESG has evolved... Читать дальше...

Foundry and engineering company Thos Begbie is on track to conclude the rebuild of the new furnace of multinational precious metals mining company Sibanye-Stillwater’s platinum group metals (PGMs) smelter this month. The first matte tap is set to be conducted also by the end of this month. This is the first rebuild project of its scale for Thos Begbie.

The recent solid financial performance by chemicals manufacturer Omnia Group’s explosives subsidiary BME, is underpinned by its environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) commitment, says MD Ralf Hennecke. Omnia’s mining division – where BME is the main asset – delivered a 29% increase in net revenue to R6.7-billion. The results benefitted from higher ammonia prices and increased sales volumes through the mobilisation of large customer contracts. BME continues its growth drive through deliberate management actions... Читать дальше...

Openpit mining company Afrimat’s Nkomati Anthracite mine in Mpumalanga in late July officially opened the Mawewe Community Hall in Madadeni, in partnership with the Tribal Authority, Nkomazi Local Municipality and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy. Nkomati Anthracite committed over R2 500 000.00 to fund the construction of a brick-and-mortar community hall as part of its local economic development (LED) projects, after a long overdue commitment by the previous owners of the mine.

South Africa is strategically poised to benefit from the growth trajectory of the platinum group metals (PGMs) sector, as it holds about 80% of the world’s PGM resources. The country demonstrates a unique competitive advantage, as a result of the increasing demand for platinum in hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles, despite various challenges affecting the sector, says specialist mining services provider Ukwazi business development director Spencer Eckstein.

Working alongside key stakeholders and employing good governance structures, such as sound environmental, governance and social (ESG) practices, is an effective way of improving investor sentiment about the African mining industry, says coal and heavy minerals mining company Exxaro stakeholder affairs executive head Mzila Mthenjane. Africa remains an attractive jurisdiction, despite the continent’s hosting four of the world’s least attractive mining destinations, he adds.

Matters of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) are central to mining as they are core to the notion of sustainability, something that the industry, and coal producer Canyon Coal, have been striving toward for years, says Canyon Coal environmental compliance officer Arjen Nell. He notes that the ESG comprehensively deals with the vast majority of long-term, sustainability-related issues and provides a framework that works to ensure that mining companies can balance the needs of the... Читать дальше...