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Michigan’s $50M support of copper mine project comes with caveat – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – April 3, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Highland Copper on the spot to raise financing for Upper Peninsula mine

The State of Michigan is prepared to give a Vancouver copper company a funding kickstart to support a proposed mine in western Upper Peninsula. The board of the Michigan Strategic Fund has approved a $50-million “performance-based grant” to Highland Copper Company. Final approval still needs to come from the state legislature.

The grant, which comes from a Strategic Site Readiness Program, is specifically intended for mine-related infrastructure development, meaning installing roads, communications and extending power to the site.

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First Quantum executives get pay increases despite company’s woes – by Niall McGee and David Milstead (Globe and Mail – March 29, 2024)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

The senior executive team at Canadian copper miner First Quantum Minerals Ltd. got substantial compensation bumps and favourable performance reviews in a year the company was forced to shut down its biggest mine, and its stock lost more than half its value.

Late last year, Vancouver-based First Quantum shuttered the Cobre Panama mine after Panama’s Supreme Court declared its mining contract was unconstitutional. The giant copper mine in Panama accounted for about half of First Quantum’s revenue.

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Canada’s next big problem could be copper theft. Here’s why – by Jamie Casemore (National Post – March 26, 2024)

https://nationalpost.com/

Bell Canada is sounding the alarm over copper theft especially in Ontario, New Brunswick and Quebec. Here’s what to know

A major Canadian telecommunications company is calling upon the government for enhanced security protocols to address the growing problem of copper theft.

Bell Canada recently announced that it had installed aerial alarms to fight against and protect communications infrastructure from being tampered with, as thieves, especially since 2022, have been breaking into telecommunications substations to steal copper cables.

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Barrick shuts down water supply after uranium found at copper mine in Zambia – by Geoffrey York (Globe and Mail – March 20, 2024)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Barrick Gold says it has found uranium in the drinking water of an open section of its Lumwana copper mine in Zambia, forcing it to halt the water supply and switch to other water sources for its workers in the section.

The Zambian mine has become increasingly important to Barrick’s future. The Toronto-based company has announced plans for a US$2-billion expansion at Lumwana to create one of the world’s biggest copper mines, with construction to begin late this year and production from the project expected by 2028.

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Alaska’s governor calls on Biden to update mine permit process – by Ernest Scheyder and Georgina McCartney (Finance Yahoo/Reuters – March 20, 2024)

https://finance.yahoo.com/

HOUSTON, March 20 (Reuters) – Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy called on President Joe Biden on Wednesday to update and streamline the U.S. mine permitting process in order to boost domestic production of critical minerals and reduce dependence on foreign nations.

The push echoes calls from the mining industry for clarity on how permits can be obtained for mines that produce copper, lithium and other energy transition minerals. Executives have long complained the U.S. process can be complex, expensive and opaque due in part to a federal mining law enacted in 1872.

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Abitibi Metals drills 3.5% copper in Quebec – by Colin McClelland (Mining.com – February 29, 2024)

https://www.mining.com/

Abitibi Metals (CSE: AMQ) says its first two drill holes at the B26 polymetallic deposit in northern Quebec bode well to earn most of the project from the provincial government and develop an open-pit mine.

Drill hole 1274-24-293 intersected 22.7 metres grading 3.5% copper, 0.7 gram gold per tonne, and 6.6 grams silver from 120 metres depth including 10.6 metres at 5.4% copper, 1.3 grams gold and 9.6 grams silver, Abitibi reported on Thursday. Drill hole 1274-24-294 cut 34 metres at 3% copper, 1.5 grams gold and 6 grams silver from 135 metres depth, it said.

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First Quantum seeks US$20 billion from Panama in free trade case – by Jacob Lorinc (Bloomberg News – February 20, 2024)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

First Quantum Minerals Ltd. is seeking US$20 billion from Panama in a free trade arbitration case after the Central American nation shut down the company’s flagship copper mine late last year.

The amount represents the “minimum value” sought by the Vancouver-based company in an arbitration process under a Canada-Panama free trade agreement, First Quantum Chief Executive Officer Tristan Pascall said Wednesday in an earnings call.

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First Quantum gets financial boost from Chinese company after Panama production pause – by Naimul Karim (Financial Post – February 22, 2024)

https://financialpost.com/

Receiving a US$500-million prepayment from a Chinese shareholder

A Canadian miner is receiving a US$500-million prepayment from a Chinese shareholder with hopes of strengthening its balance sheet after its key copper mine in Panama was forced to stop production late last year. In return, Toronto-based First Quantum Minerals Ltd. will annually supply Jiangxi Copper Corp. with 50,000 tonnes of copper for three years from its Kansanshi mine in Zambia. The Canadian miner will also have to pay interest on the prepayment, the company said.

The Panamanian government ordered First Quantum to shut down its lucrative copper mine in December following protests from environmentalists and a Supreme Court order that annulled a mining contract the company had signed with the country.

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First Quantum launches US$1B bought deal as Panama closure pushes miner to the brink (Canadian Press/Ottawa City News – February 21, 2024)

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TORONTO — First Quantum Minerals Ltd. said it will raise roughly US$1 billion through a bought deal offering and use the proceeds to repay debt and bolster its liquidity as it says its operations could be threatened by the closure of its Cobre Panamá mine.

The deal is being underwritten by a syndicate led by RBC Capital Markets, BMO Capital Markets and Goldman Sachs, where the underwriters have agreed to purchase 121,680,000 common shares of First Quantum at a price of C$11.10 each.

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Quebec opposition attacks the CAQ on copper smelting plant’s future (Canadian Press/CTV News Montreal – February 14, 2024)

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/

Opposition parties in Quebec City are urging the government to react to reports that Glencore is considering closing the Horne smelter if investments to meet air quality targets are too high.

Horne smelter issue in Rouyn-Noranda is once again taking a political turn after Radio-Canada revealed that Glencore’s board of directors was due to meet shortly to decide on the smelter’s future, despite the fact that the estimated cost of reducing arsenic emissions has risen by 50 per cent.

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Impossible for Panama’s next government to ignore mining, says First Quantum CEO – by Naimul Karim (Financial Post – February 13, 2024)

https://financialpost.com/

Canadian miner holds out hope May elections will bring change in fortune for its besieged Cobre Panama mine

The Panamanian government’s order to shut down Toronto-based First Quantum Minerals Ltd.‘s lucrative copper mine in December seemed like the final straw for the company, which has faced several issues in the Central American country in recent years.

Panama and First Quantum initially tussled over the terms of a new contract to run the mine. Although a deal was reached, thousands of protestors demonstrated against it on environmental grounds. The nation’s Supreme Court then intervened and annulled the deal, which led to the order to close the Cobre Panama mine, about 120 kilometres west of Panama City.

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Zambia set to negotiate bigger stakes in new mining projects – by Felix Njini and Veronica Brown (Reuters – February 6, 2024)

https://www.reuters.com/

CAPE TOWN, Feb 6 (Reuters) – Zambia is keen to negotiate larger holdings in new mining projects in order to raise its revenue and boost spending by investors on social projects, mines minister Paul Kabuswe said. The push by Lusaka through state-owned ZCCM-IH, would apply to future agreements, but does not include existing mines and should not unnerve investors, Kabuswe told Reuters.

Zambia is Africa’s second-largest copper producer after neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo and ZCCM has interests of 10% to 20% in mines including those owned by Barrick Gold, Vedanta Resources and First Quantum Minerals.

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Copper Giant Freeport-McMoRan Names Kathleen Quirk as CEO – by Kevin Orland (Bloomberg News – February 7, 2024)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — Freeport-McMoRan Inc., the world’s largest listed copper producer, has named veteran Kathleen Quirk to succeed Richard Adkerson as chief executive officer, a shift set to signal continuity at the top at a time of industry consolidation and heightened focus on metal supply.

The change is effective June 11, the company said. Adkerson, an industry heavyweight who has been at the helm for more than two decades, will remain chairman.

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Chile’s mining sector needs 34,000 new professionals by 2032 – report – by Staff (Mining.com – February 4, 2024)

https://www.mining.com/

The mining industry in Chile, the world’s top copper producer and second-largest lithium producer, will need more than 34,000 new workers by 2032, according to a study released this week.

The report by the CCM-Eleva Alliance, a joint initiative between the Mining Council and Fundacion Chile, analyzed workforce trends and challenges of 27 mining and supplier companies in the country, representing 96% of the sector.

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State of Michigan could invest in Canadian mining company’s copper project – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – February 5, 2024)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Highland Copper in the running for US$50-million development grant

A Canadian company with a copper mine project in northern Michigan is in the running for a substantial subsidy from the State of Michigan.

Highland Copper Company announced the Michigan Economic Development Corporation has proposed a US$50-million grant for its Copperwood mine project in the Upper Peninsula. The money would come from the Strategic Site Readiness Program. But it’s not a done deal. Final approval still has to come from the state’s Application Committee in both the Michigan legislature’s house of representatives and senate.

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