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Saddened by Kidd mine news? McEwen Mining sees new gold production over the horizon – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – December 5, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Toronto gold company drilling off Grey Fox deposit with bump in resources expected in early 2025

While Glencore’s Kidd base metals mine is slated for closure in two years time, the legendary Timmins camp is far from finished when it comes gold mining longevity. McEwen Mining is excited by a new prospect in its gold mining stable at the Fox Complex, east of the city, that contains a new and emerging deposit dubbed Grey Fox.

In releasing a raft of high-grade assay results this week, the Toronto gold company framed the ongoing exploration program at Grey Fox as opening up “new possibilities for resource and production growth” in what is already a very prolific mining area for McEwen.

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Vale to trim management staff in Sudbury and around the world – by Jim Moodie (Sudbury Star – December 6, 2024)

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

Union says its members won’t be affected by the cuts

Vale Base Metals will be shedding some staff in Sudbury but as of now the downsizing seems isolated to management and will not impact the rank and file.

“We have been informed there is an internal, managerial reorganization, that is obviously resulting in job losses, as has been reported already,” said USW 6500 vice-president Ray Hammond. “But we have not been informed of who or how many people that affects.”

Hammond said the union has been given no indication that any of its workers are slated to lose their jobs. “We have not been informed of it affecting our membership in any way,” he said. “They’re still hiring, for us, and we still have new members going through training as we speak.”

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Gold consolidating outsized 2024 gains into December – by David Erfle (Kitco News – December 6, 2024)

https://www.kitco.com/

At present, gold is caught in a medium-term corrective cycle, while long-term price charts and macro fundamentals still firmly favor the safe-haven metal going higher once a now 6-week correction has run its course.

As mentioned in this column heading into the U.S. presidential election, gold had been long overdue for a 5-10% correction. The 54% 12-month surge in bullion into the end of October had yet to experience as much as a 5% correction heading into a chaotic U.S. election, with the overwhelming result having led to some healthy profit taking from an extreme overbought situation.

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SSR to be 3rd-biggest US gold miner with Cripple Creek & Victor acquisition – by Staff (Mining.com – December 6, 2024)

https://www.mining.com/

SSR Mining (NASDAQ, TSX: SSRM; ASX: SSR) announced on Friday it has acquired the Cripple Creek & Victor (CC&V) gold mine in Colorado from Newmont (NYSE: NEM, TSX: NGT). With this acquisition, SSR is expected to become the third-largest gold miner in the United States. The transaction includes a $100 million upfront cash payment and up to $175 million in milestone-based payments, for a total of $275 million.

Of the milestone payments, $87.5 million will be paid upon the approval of an amended permit for the CC&V Cresson mine filed by Newmont earlier this year to extend its life by adding leach pad capacity and making operational adjustments.

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Mining Giants Rio Tinto, Usha & Taesko Address Copper Crunch – by Stella Nolan EV Magazine – December 05, 2024)

https://evmagazine.com/

Mining giants Rio Tinto, Usha and Taseko are tackling copper shortages as surging EV and clean energy demand risks a 200,000-ton deficit by 2025

The global pivot to renewable energy and EVs drives an unprecedented demand for copper. The essential metal, critical for everything from EV batteries to wind turbines, is facing a supply crunch that could impede progress toward clean energy goals.

Swiss bank UBS estimates that the copper supply deficit will exceed 200,000 tons by 2025. The International Energy Forum adds that, to meet the growing demand, more than a billion tons of new copper mining capacity will be needed annually until 2050.

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Taiwanese firm halts plan to build $1B battery plant in B.C. with federal support (CBC News British Columbia – December 04, 2024)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/

E-One Moli says it is focusing on Taiwanese production before expansion abroad

A $1-billion lithium-ion battery cell production plant that was planned for Maple Ridge, B.C., has been shelved. The parent company, Taiwan Cement Corp., announced the construction of the Canadian plant with much fanfare last year, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier David Eby attending and promising a combined $284.5 million in government funding.

Taiwan Cement Corp. company chairman Nelson Chang is quoted in a statement saying that the plant construction has stopped in order to focus on Taiwanese production, in step with other battery makers suspending similar projects across North America.

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Rio’s Abandoned Panguna Copper Mine Still a Threat, Report Says – by Paul-Alain Hunt (Bloomberg News – December 05, 2024)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — Rio Tinto Group contributed to widespread damage due to waste left at an abandoned copper mine in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, and risks to local communities are ongoing, a report has found.

Panguna, which was operated by Rio subsidiary Bougainville Copper, was once one of the world’s largest copper mines. It was shut in 1989 after local protests over the disbursement of revenue from the mine degenerated into a civil war that killed as many as 20,000 people.

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Science North celebrates premiere of Planting Hope: A Regreening Story – by Staff (Sudbury Star – November 30, 2024)

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

The film brings to life Sudbury’s journey from a desolate landscape scarred by pollution to the vibrant, thriving region it is today

Science North has premiered its latest production, Planting Hope: A Regreening Story, a powerful documentary that celebrates the transformation and resilience of Greater Sudbury. The premiere at Dynamic Earth captivated audiences with the remarkable tale of one of the largest and most successful environmental reclamation projects in the world.

Through powerful imagery and inspiring stories, the documentary reveals how collaborative efforts, innovative regreening techniques and a shared commitment to the land have revitalized Greater Sudbury.

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China has ‘weaponized’ global critical mineral supply chain, US miners group says – by Henry Lazenby (Northern Miner – December 4, 2024)

https://www.northernminer.com/

China’s ban on U.S.-bound critical mineral exports is “mineral extortion,” Washington D.C.-based National Mining Association (NMA) president Rich Nolan said on Wednesday. The export ban announced a day earlier targets gallium, germanium, antimony and graphite. These minerals are needed for semiconductors, 5G phone tech, defence systems and electric vehicle batteries. Antimony is found in bullets. Nolan described the export ban as a calculated bid for geopolitical leverage.

“China has weaponized the world’s mineral supply chains,” he said in an emailed statement. “We must confront Chinese mineral extortion and recognize that U.S. mining policy is the foundation of our nation’s economic, energy and national security.”

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The Kimberley Process Has Failed at Its One Job. Let It Do Something Else. – by Rob Bates (JCK Online.com – December 5, 2024)

JCK Online

In mid-November, the Kimberley Process (KP) lifted its embargo against the Central African Republic (CAR); there’s a good backgrounder here. In this special guest editorial, Brad Brooks-Rubin — who has worked for the U.S. government, industry associations, and a nongovernmental organization (NGO) — gives his view on what this means for the certification scheme’s future.

Recently I walked into a jewelry store and asked about blood diamonds. The salesperson, leaning on their training, talked to me about the Kimberley Process certification scheme. Per the standard industry talking points, I was told that 99% of diamonds are conflict-free and that the KP helps support local development in diamond-mining countries.

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Canada Moves to Protect Arctic From Threats by Russia and China – by Ian Austen (New York Times – December 6, 2024)

https://www.nytimes.com/

Ottawa says its focus on the Arctic comes after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “has shaken the foundations” of international cooperation in the northern region.

Citing growing interest by China and Russia in the Arctic as global warming makes the region more accessible, Canada on Friday said it would focus on building stronger alliances with other nations in the region, particularly the United States.

“For many years, Canada has aimed to manage the Arctic and northern regions cooperatively with other states as a zone of low tension,” according to a statement by the Canadian government.

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Navajo communities seek ‘just transition’ for people affected by coal mine closures – by Arlyssa D. Becenti (Arizona Republic – December 6, 2024)

https://www.azcentral.com/

Nearly 20 years after Peabody Mining closed its Black Mesa Mine and five years after the Kayenta Mine and Navajo Generating Station closed on the Navajo Nation, residents are working toward recovery of what’s left of the land after more than 50 years of coal extraction.

The work includes a land use plan that has been 20 years in the making and a proposal for a community center that will also be instrumental as a climate resilience center. While the coal company initiated reclamation efforts, the post-mining landscape has always appeared different depending on whether it’s seen by someone who resides within the community or someone from the outside.

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Mali issues arrest warrant for Barrick CEO, reports say – by Geoffrey York and Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – December 6, 2024)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Authorities in Mali have issued an arrest warrant for Barrick Gold Corp. chief executive officer Mark Bristow in a fresh escalation of a tax dispute in the West African country, Malian journalists have reported.

Copies of the arrest warrant, posted by one of the journalists on social media Thursday, show that Mr. Bristow is being charged with money laundering and violating Mali’s financial regulations during the period from 2019 to 2023.

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Rattled by China, West scrambles to rejig critical minerals supply chains – by Amy Lv, Divya Rajagopal and Ernest Scheyder (Reuters – December 6, 2024)

https://www.reuters.com/

BEIJING/TORONTO/LONDON (Reuters) – China’s trade restrictions on strategic minerals are starting to hit Western companies where it hurts.

Blaming Beijing’s curbs on antimony exports announced in August, German chemicals and consumer goods heavyweight Henkel told customers last month it had declared force majeure and suspended deliveries of four types of adhesives and lubricants widely used by automakers, according to a Nov. 8 letter to clients reviewed by Reuters.

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North Carolina floods threaten mines key to global electronics industry – by Eva Dou (Washington Post – October 1, 2024)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/

The high-purity quartz sand that’s mined in the town of Spruce Pine, N.C., is critical for making everything from semiconductors to solar panels.

Flooding in North Carolina has imperiled the operations of mines that produce the world’s purest quartz sand — an irreplaceable ingredient for manufacturing components at the heart of smartphones and other electronic devices.

The town of Spruce Pine, where these unique mines are located, remains in a dire situation, with power, water and cell service largely disconnected early Tuesday. While the floodwaters brought on by Helene have receded, local residents said many roads remained impassable. Some people were still trying desperately to confirm loved ones were safe.

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