In this issue

Welcome to the latest issue of MINE Magazine.

This month, we go around the world to assess how decision-makers in a range of countries and continents are working with their mineral reserves. Starting with Guatemala, we look at how local opposition and legal obstacles have lead to a standoff in the country’s gold sector, with close to seven tonnes of potential gold deposits not being excavated for a plethora of reasons.

Elsewhere, we look at a new mineral policy in Saudi Arabia as the kingdom looks to diversify its commodity portfolio away from oil, and assess the effectiveness of some of the latest autonomous technologies in the Arctic, one of the harshest environments for any sector, including mining. 

Many of these examples are part of a growing spate of energy colonialism – the projection of power by the world’s wealthiest countries through investments in and control over mineral deposits in other parts of the world – and countries such as Guatemala will have to balance the financial profits of their minerals sectors with the risk of giving up resource autonomy to another country. 

We also consider the impacts of the ground-breaking Inflation Reduction Act on both US and international mining, and review some of the latest technological innovations from Sandvik, whose autonomous vehicles have long dominated the mining industry, and could prove something of a launching-off point for future cutting-edge invention. 

For all this, plus our usual range of news and views, read on.

JP Casey, editor