Новости за 08.12.2022

JSE-listed Thungela Resources has continued to deliver strong earnings and cash generation for the period from January 1 to November 30 and expects to achieve another strong set of financial results for the year ending December 31, the company notes in a CFO’s pre-close and trading statement for the full year. These results have been achieved against the backdrop of various challenges in South Africa, primarily a deterioration in Transnet Freight Rail's (TFR's) performance, a rise in illegal mining activity and increased power interruptions... Читать дальше...

Aim-listed Botswana Diamonds (BOD) believes there are big opportunities for diamond exploration and development in South Africa and the company is focusing on what it considers the best opportunities available to the company. The company on December 8 reported its results for the financial year ended June 30, 2022, highlighting its increased stake in the Maibwe joint venture, in Botswana, and that it has taken its Thorny River project, in South Africa, to mining application stage.

Over and above the carbon emission reduction that automatically results from declining coal assets, diversified mining and marketing company Glencore is working on reducing its Scope 1 and 2 emissions across its entire portfolio of assets in a manner that is largely value accretive or cost free. With most of Glencore’s Scope 3 emissions associated with its coal business, the London- and Johannesburg-listed company is able to lower the emissions of the rest of its portfolio by lower exposure to this bulk fossil fuel.

Mongolia’s prime minister met with protesters in sub-zero temperatures to try and calm public anger about an estimated $120 million worth worth of missing coal. Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai met with protesters Wednesday to ask the crowd to trust government to investigate and punish “coal thieves,” according to news agency Ikon.mn. People have been demonstrating since Sunday in the capital Ulaanbaatar to protest reports that 385,000 tons of coal was missing from stockpiles at the border with China.

The UK approved opening its first deep coal mine in more than 30 years, risking backlash from activists portraying the project as a backward step in meeting ambitious climate goals. The Woodhouse Colliery project in Whitehaven, northern England, can go ahead, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said in a statement on Wednesday. West Cumbria Mining plans to sell coal from the mine primarily to overseas buyers for making steel.

Copper rose on Thursday on hopes that an easing of coronavirus controls in top consumer China will increase demand, with Goldman Sachs predicting prices could reach a record high of $11 000 in a year. Benchmark copper CMCU3 on the London Metal Exchange (LME) was up 0.5% at $8 501.50 a tonne at 1122 GMT.

In a disappointing development, Minerals Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has announced the appointment of only six preferred bidders, with a combined capacity of 1 000 MW, following the evaluation of bids made during South Africa’s latest renewables procurement round. All six are solar photovoltaic (PV) projects, with none of the 23 wind projects submitted under Bid Window 6 (BW6) of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) advancing to preferred-bidder status.

The interplay between inflation and central bank intervention will be key in determining the outlook for gold in 2023, says World Gold Council (WGC) in its latest ‘Gold Outlook’ report. The council says that, with the global economy having been hit by various shocks over the past year, central banks have stepped up their aggressive fight against inflation.

TSX-V-listed Golden Tag Resources on Wednesday announced the acquisition of the former producing La Parrilla silver mine, in Mexico, from First Majestic Silver for $33.5-million. The La Parrilla mine was First Majestic’s first silver mine and produced 34.3-million ounces of silver-equivalent ounces under its ownership.

Vale is abandoning plans to get back to iron ore production levels prior to a 2019 waste disaster, offering supply-side support to the global market just as Chinese demand picks up. The Brazilian mining giant has been slowly ramping back up after losing its mantle as the world’s biggest producer of the steelmaking raw material in the wake of the tailings dam collapse. But on Wednesday, management delivered lower-than-expected production guidance for next year and trimmed its longer term outlook.

Colombia is preparing to launch a national mining company, the president of the government's National Mining Association (ANM) said on Wednesday, adding that coal mining royalties during the year had more than doubled. The government of President Gustavo Petro has pledged to reform the mining sector, ruling out more licenses for large-scale open-pit coal mines as it focuses on minerals that are important for the energy transition, such as copper.

Brazilian mining company Vale is in advanced talks with possible partners for its new base metals investment vehicle and looks to have a deal concluded during the first half of 2023, CFO Gustavo Pimenta said on Wednesday. Pimenta told investors during a meeting at the New York Stock Exchange that Brazil's Vale will sell only 10% of the new base metals unit to the chosen partner and will retain the remaining 90% so as to have control over the decisions for the venture.

Chile's SMA environmental regulator on Wednesday said it had filed two charges against Antofagasta Minerals' Centinela copper deposit due to its impact on a water source and local wildlife. One charge, described as "very serious," was for not reporting or taking necessary actions to control and mitigate impacts on Loa frogs. In a statement, the SMA said there has been "damage to the species".

The Western Australian government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (Jogmec), expanding cooperation to include new and renewable energies. New and renewable energies covered by the MoU include hydrogen, methanation, carbon capture and storage (CCS), carbon dioxide capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), ammonia, and decarbonisation and low emission technologies.

The federal government on Thursday announced the establishment of an independent Environment Protection Agency (EPA) as part of its reforms of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. Environment and Water Minister Tanya Plibersek has announced the government’s response to Professor Graeme Samuel’s 2019 review of the EPBC Act, which found that the Act was outdated and required ‘fundamental reform’.

Diamond miner Lucapa Diamond Company has announced significant recoveries from a bulk sample from its Lulo kimberlite operation, in Angola. The company said that some 20 diamonds had been recovered from the initial processing of around 20% of the kimberlite bulk sample, with five diamonds greater than 1 ct recovered, with the largest weighing 1.95 ct.

Diversified miner Glencore has pulled the plug on the $1.5-billion Valeria coal mine, in Queensland, blaming the uncertainty in global markets and the Queensland government’s decision to hike coal royalties without any consultation with the sector. Glencore said in a statement that the company will withdraw the Valeria project from the current approvals process and will place the project under review.