Новости за 20.12.2022

Turbulent global energy markets are threatening to depress bids in a key auction on the largest US grid, potentially squeezing aging coal plants. Shortages of natural gas and coal have pushed up wholesale power prices on the grid stretching from New Jersey to Illinois to their highest in more than five years. That’s created a windfall for many power plants, giving them breathing room to offer low bids in the auction for contracts to be on standby to provide backup capacity, according to analysts. Читать дальше...

Lithium Americas Corp said on Tuesday it would buy all the shares of Arena Minerals it does not already own in a deal that values Arena at $227-million, giving the Canadian miner additional access to the Pastos Grandes basin in Argentina. Prices of lithium have more than doubled this year, after an explosive rally in 2021, even after increased supply of the metal used in making batteries crucial to renewable energy transition continues to chase demand.

Triple-listed Kore Potash has advised that the Congolese Minister of Mines has responded positively to the company’s plans for its 97%-owned Kola project, in Congo-Brazzaville, following a meeting between the Minister and Kola representatives. This comes after the Minister initially expressed discontent with aspects of the administration of the company’s subsidiaries in the country and his perception of slow progress on Kore and Summit Consortium’s part towards financing of the project.

Ivanhoe Mines confirmed a business relationship with a Presidential aide who was arrested in a corruption case in Democratic Republic of Congo, where the firm controls one of the world’s biggest copper deposits. Ivanhoe struck a deal last year with Vidiye Tshimanga, a top aide to Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi, the firm said in a statement on December 14. He was arrested in September after a series of secretly taped videos appeared to show him offering political protection for an unnamed mining deal in exchange for a stake in the venture.

Iron-ore major Fortescue has joined a consortium with Primetals Technologies, Mitsubishi Corporation and globally leading steel and technology group voestalpine to design and engineer an industrial-scale prototype plant with a new process for net-zero-emission ironmaking at the voestalpine site in Linz, Austria. The collaboration will also investigate the implementation and operation of the plant.

Uranium miner Ur-Energy has expanded the quantity of product to be delivered under a sales agreement concluded in August to 600 000 lb/y of triuranium octoxide, plus or minus a small optional flex, starting in 2024. The original agreement was for 400 000 lb/y of triuranium octoxide.

Canadian mineral exploration and development company Vizsla Silver Corp has entered into a binding strategic investment agreement with Prismo Metals. Under the terms of the definitive agreement, the Vizsla will make a strategic investment of C$2-million in Prismo, in exchange for four-million Prismo shares and a right of first refusal to buy the Palos Verdes project, in Mexico.

TSX- and NYSE-listed Teck Resources will sell the assets and liabilities of the Quintette steelmaking coal mine, in north-eastern British Columbia, to a subsidiary of Conuma Resources for $120-million in cash. The consideration will be paid in stages over the next 36 months and the transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2023.

Lithium developer Alpha Lithium reports it has found record-grade lithium concentrations and significant flowrates from the latest production well – WBALT15, which was recently drilled within the Tolillar Salar, in Argentina. Test results from WBALT15 – which, like the majority of wells drilled by Alpha, was drilled and cased as a production well – returned lithium concentrations up to 360 mg/ℓ.

TSX-listed streaming and royalty company Triple Flag Precious Metals Corporation has acquired a 2.5% net smelter returns (NSR) royalty on Clean Air Metals’ Thunder Bay North project, in Northern Ontario, effective December 15. A total C$15-million will be funded in two tranches, with the first C$10-million tranche having been funded on December 15 and the second tranche of C$5-million to be paid within the next three months, to allow for due diligence and a decision by Rio Tinto Exploration Canada... Читать дальше...

Cuba-focused gold developer Antilles Gold is claiming A$45-million in damages against the Dominican Republic government in arbitration proceedings. The claims result from what the company called the ‘failure of government’ to meet contractual obligations related to a gold tailings processing project which was completed in at the end of 2019.

Brazilian miner Samarco Mineracao expects production of iron-ore pellets to hit eight-million to nine-million tonnes in 2023, a company executive said on Monday, an increase of up to 11% over this year. Production in 2022 is set to reach 8.1-million tonnes, up 5.2% from 2021.

First Quantum Minerals must make a plan to halt work at its copper mine in Panama then go ahead with the scheme within two days of approval, the Central American country said after it and the Canadian company had failed to agree on boosting taxes from the project. The company has ten days to present the plan for the Cobre Panama mine, which the government has said accounts for 3.5% of gross domestic product, according to a resolution of the Commerce and Industry Ministry published in Panama's official gazette.

The federal government has called for consultation to include emissions reduction in the National Energy Objectives, which govern the way electricity and gas markets and regulations work across the states and territories. This consultation is the next step in implementing the landmark decision of federal, state and territory Energy Ministers at their recent meeting in August 2022.

Major BHP and takeover target Oz Minerals have extended an exclusivity period between the two companies until December 27. BHP in November entered into a confidentiality and exclusivity deed with Oz Minerals in relation to its revised non-binding indicative proposal to acquire 100% of the copper miner by way of a scheme of arrangement for a cash price of A$28.25 per Oz Minerals share.