The mining industry briefing
The latest news, trends, and data from the mining industry
News in Numbers
$1.5bn
Glencore subsidiary Carlisla Investments has signed an agreement with Zambian’s mining investment arm ZCCM to transfer its 90% interest in Mopani Copper Mines in a deal worth $1.5bn.
3.2
Brazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy has released a report into the potential of growing its domestic potassium capability, identifying 3.2 billion tonnes of ore in the northern part of the country.
18
Mineral exploration firm Japan Gold secured rights to 18 new prospecting areas in the Hokusatsu Region, the Southern Kyushu Epithermal Gold Province of Japan.
11%
Retail traders, collaborating once again through platforms such as Reddit's r/wallstreetbets, managed to drive up the price of silver by as much as 11%. Driven by the surge, the commodity reached its highest price since February 2013.
13
British Lithium has announced that a 13-tonne ore sample mined from its facility in the UK town of St Austell contains a “better than expected” grade of lithium.
Project updates
The Western Australia (WA) Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has recommended the environmental approval for the Doral Mineral Sands’ Yalyalup Mineral Sands Project.
Li4UK, a consortium established to explore the potential of lithium production in the UK, has announced the successful production of lithium carbonate from two sources. Lithium carbonate is a raw material used for battery cells.
Australian rare earths miner Lynas has signed a deal with the US government to construct a commercial light rare earths separation plant in the country.
The separation plant will be equipped to produce nearly 5,000 tonnes of rare earths products per year. This includes around 1,250 tonnes of neodymium and praseodymium.
British miner Pensana Rare Earths has submitted a planning application for its proposed rare earth oxide separation plant in Yorkshire, UK, which would be Europe’s only rare earths processing facility.
FURTHER READING
Governments from Mongolia to Mali seek to reopen mining deals
Some resource-rich developing countries are seeking to rewrite mining contracts and accelerate dividend payouts, which can take years to materialise under deals that experts said are tilted in companies' favor.
Any move to renegotiate agreements will trigger pushback by miners wary of threats to their profit margins, experts said, and previous attempts have caused protracted disputes.
Source: Mining Weekly
