Новости за 17.11.2022

North America-focused Uranium Energy Corp (UEC) has been given approval to increase the capacity of its Hobson central processing plant to four-million pounds a year, which will make it the plant with the biggest licenced capacity in Texas and the second largest in the US. The Hobson plant anchors UEC’s hub-and-spoke in-situ recovery (ISR) production platform in south Texas and will process uranium loaded resin recovered from multiple satellite projects, including the Palangana and Burke Hollow ISR projects.

In the light of clean, cost-efficient, stable electricity supply being critical, Palabora Mining Company is partnering with Mzansi Energy to develop a 132 MWp solar photovoltaic plant and battery energy storage system capable of storing 310 MWh of electricity. Mining Weekly can report that the Marula Green Power plant is heading for two-stage implementation – construction followed by operation and maintenance development.

Russian aluminium producer Rusal has called for the London Metal Exchange (LME) to start regularly disclosing the origin of all metal stocks on warrant rather than singling out Russia as proposed, it said in a letter. The LME, the world's oldest and largest market for industrial metals, said last week it will not ban Russian metal from being traded and stored in its system as a significant portion of the market is still planning to buy the country's metal in 2023, but it has proposed identifying the metal instead.

Japan's Sumitomo Metal Mining  aims to increase its capacity to produce cathode battery materials and to broaden its range of products to meet rising demand from the electric vehicle (EV) sector, its president said on Thursday. The company, which supplies the nickel-cobalt-aluminium (NCA) cathode materials for the Panasonic lithium-ion batteries used in Tesla EVs, is building a plant in Niihama, western Japan, to boost its monthly cathode production by 2 000 tonnes by March 2026 from 5 000 tonnes now.

Coal is paying off for investors. Miners of the fossil fuel are raking in cash and paying out hefty dividends, with shares surging as the global energy crisis boosts coal prices to record highs. US coal producers are projected to offer an average return of about 6% to investors over the next year, more than any other industry. That’s led by Arch Resources, which is about to distribute a substantial $10.75-a-share payout.

ASX-listed Pacific Nickel is readying for first direct shipping ore (DSO) production from its Kolosori project, in the Solomon Islands, by mid-2023. The company noted that the recent granting of the mining lease now allows Pacific Nickel to progress key steps to achieve commercial shipment of nickel laterite DSO.

Vancouver-based Lucara Diamond Corp has extended the sales agreement with HB Trading for the high-value diamonds from the Karowe mine, in Botswana, for another ten years. Under the agreement, Lucara’s +10.8 ct production is sold at prices based on the estimated polished outcome of each diamond, determined through state-of-the-art scanning and planning technology, with a true up paid on actual achieved polished sales thereafter, less a fee and the cost of manufacturing.

A huge fully electric-powered 14-ton loading shovel has begun operating at Chile's century-old El Teniente copper mine, in what state miner Codelco said on Wednesday was a first for South America. Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, said the equipment the loader and hauler, developed by Swedish manufacturer Epiroc is the first 100% electric machinery of its kind to operate in the region.

The world’s No. 2 lithium producer, SQM, said it expects prices for the battery material to stay high into 2023, in remarks that may allay fears over a possible cooling-off of China’s two-year buying frenzy. After reporting that sales more than quadrupled in the third quarter from a year ago on the back of surging lithium prices, the Santiago-based company signaled continued optimism. Global lithium demand will expand 40% this year, it said in the results statement.

Privately owned Australian firm Wyloo Metals, which earlier this year bought Noront Resources for its high-grade nickel deposits in the Ring of Fire district of Ontario, is expanding in Canada, with its eye on nickel and copper in the Grenville region of Quebec. Wyloo this week announced the acquisition of Baie de Moisie – a 3 000-ha exploration property, 40 km north-east of Sept-Iles.

Green energy developer Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) has signed a major Framework Agreement with Egypt at COP27, to collaborate on studying and developing green hydrogen and renewable energy projects in Egypt. FFI said this week that the agreement was another milestone in the strong relationship between Fortescue and the Egyptian government and builds upon a Memorandum of Understanding signed earlier this year, and a recent meeting between President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and FFI founder and executive chairperson Dr Andrew Forrest.

Toronto-listed Star Diamond on Wednesday announced that president and CEO Ken MacNeill would retire as an executive and director of the company with effect from December 31. Chairperson Ewan Mason extended the board’s gratitude to MacNeill for his years’ of service and his perseverance in advancing the Fort à la Corne project, Saskatchewan, to the stage it is at.

Copper miner Oz Minerals has gone into a trading halt on Thursday, with the company flagging a potential change of control transaction. Oz Minerals in September rejected a surprise A$8.4-billion takeover bid from diversified miner BHP, which had offered to acquire all of the company’s shares at A$25 a share.