Nickel – Page 85 – Republic of Mining

[Quebec Mining] Inuit engagement critical to Nunavik’s expanded mine project: KRG (Nunatsiaq News – April 28, 2017)

May 1, 2017

http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/

Glencore hopes to extend Raglan’s life to 2040 and beyond

The mining sector might be key to the health of Nunavik’s economy, but Makivik Corp. says Glencore’s Raglan mine has yet to deliver its full potential of benefits to the region.

The Kativik Regional Government has other concerns; the KRG says it wants better communication and access to documentation from the region’s environmental and social impacts review body, which evaluates development projects in the regions.

Nunavik’s regional organizations made their comments in written briefs submitted to recent hearings into the Sivumut project, plans to expand Glencore’s Raglan nickel mine operations past 2020. The Kativik Environmental Quality Commission hosted public hearings on the proposed project in Salluit and Kangiqsujuaq between April 3 and April 6.

UPDATE 1-Russia’s Nornickel says could miss 2017 output forecast by 3 pct (Reuters U.S. – April 27, 2017)

April 28, 2017

http://www.reuters.com/

Russia’s Norilsk Nickel (Nornickel) could miss its 2017 production forecast for nickel and platinum group metals (PGMs) by up to 3 percent after first-quarter output fell, it said on Thursday.

Nornickel, one of the world’s largest nickel and palladium producers, added its management was looking at ways to mitigate this risk and confirmed its previous 2017 production guidance.

This year Nornickel, part-owned by Russian tycoon Vladimir Potanin and aluminium giant Rusal, plans to produce from Russian feedstock 206,000-211,000 tonnes of nickel, 377,000-387,000 tonnes of copper, 2.6-2.7 million troy ounces of palladium and 581,000-645,000 ounces of platinum.

Going deep in Sudbury: Onaping Depth project holds promise for Glencore – by Lindsay Kelly (Northern Ontario Business – April 18, 2017)

April 18, 2017

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

When Shayne Wisniewski envisions what the future of underground mining will look like in Sudbury, he sees depth and he sees innovation. As general manager of mining projects for Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations (Glencore), Wisniewski is responsible for evaluating the company’s Onaping Depth project, which will extend to a depth of more than 2,500 metres, considered an ultra-deep mine.

Located about a 45-minute drive from the city of Sudbury, in the vicinity of the company’s Craig and Onaping Mines, the nickel-copper-PGE deposit was first discovered in 1994, when the company was looking for the down dip extension for Onaping and Craig, Wisniewski said.

Glencore undertook a drill program in the area in 2014 and discovered a fair-size indicated and inferred resource in two zones: a contact zone and a footwall southeast zone.

The return of Big Nick: Sudbury superhero’s second issue to launch at Graphic-Con (CBC News Sudbury – April 12, 2017)

April 13, 2017

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/

Click here to donate to their kickstarter initiative: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/666555592/big-nick-2?ref=nav_search

A superhero that started out as a “thank you” to the city of Sudbury has turned into Expired Comics’ most requested character. Big Nick 2 is set to launch this June at Sudbury’s Graphic-Con, and the hero’s co-creators are surprised at how much attention he’s received.

“At this point, Big Nick has gone on to sell across Canada and the U.S,” said Kevin Montpellier, co-owner of Expire Comics. “He resonates with a lot of people. There’s a liking for the character that even we didn’t anticipate.” “It’s not huge numbers, but we never expected to see a Sudbury character in an international market,” Montpellier said.

The Kola Mining and Metallurgy Combine: Northwest Russia polluter posts impressive cuts in harmful emissions – by Anna Kireeva (Bellona.org – April 12, 2017)

April 13, 2017

http://bellona.org/

In a surprising development, the Kola Mining and Metallurgy Company –which for decades has stubbornly fouled air over Northwest Russia and Scandinavia – last year reduced its emissions of harmful sulfur dioxide by more than 20 percent.

The KMMC, a daughter company of the giant Norilsk Nickel, reported last week that its sulfur dioxide emissions for 2016 totaled 119,700 tons, which is 35,000 tons less than the previous year.

The new emissions figures seem to reverse a rise in the toxic heavy metal pollution that began in 2011. That year, the KMMC posted figures as high as 134,000 tons a year. They rose in subsequent years, plateauing at a towering 154,900 tons in 2015.

NEWS RELEASE: Noront Resources Appoints New Directors

April 10, 2017

TORONTO, ON–(Marketwired – April 10, 2017) – Noront Resources Ltd. (“Noront”) (TSX VENTURE: NOT) today announced The Honourable Greg Rickford, former Canadian Minister of Natural Resources, Jean Paul (JP) Gladu, President and CEO of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) and Bo Liu, Senior Manager, Global Resource Development, Baosteel Resources International will join the company’s Board of Directors.

In addition to serving as Minister of Natural Resources, Greg Rickford was the Member of Parliament for Kenora, Ontario for seven years. During this time, he also served as Minister of State for Science & Technology, Minister of State for Federal Economic Development Northern Ontario Region (FedNor) and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs. A practicing lawyer and advisor, Mr. Rickford specializes in natural resources, Indigenous & health matters, and has lived and worked in Indigenous communities in northwestern Ontario and across Canada.

“I am honoured to join the Noront team as they seek to create economic opportunities for northern Ontario through responsible resource development.

Environmental lawsuits pile up as PolyMet mine crawls forward – by Dan Kraker (Minnesota Public Radio News – March 31, 2017)

March 31, 2017

http://www.mprnews.org/

There will be plenty of work in Minnesota in the coming months and years for environmental attorneys. Four lawsuits have already been filed that could potentially delay the PolyMet copper-nickel mining project proposed for northeastern Minnesota. And several more are expected if the state eventually grants the mine the permits it needs to begin construction.

The suits are a key tool for environmental groups trying to block the controversial project. Some of the plaintiffs, including the Sierra Club and Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, are well-funded organizations and no strangers to litigation.

Others are small, grassroots groups, like the Save Lake Superior Association and Save our Sky Blue Waters, which along with the Duluth chapter of the Izaak Walton League filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the U.S. Forest Service’s recent approval of a land exchange with PolyMet.

Vale makes final offer to office staff (update) – by Staff (Sudbury Star – March 30, 2017)

March 30, 2017

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

More than 200 office and clerical staff at Vale could hit the picket line Friday night after the company put forth its “final offer of settlement” to USW Local 2020-05 on Wednesday.

Stuart Harshaw, vice-president of Vale’s Ontario operations, informed staff in a letter that the union’s bargaining committee would present the settlement proposal at a meeting Wednesday evening and voting would take place that night and Thursday morning.

The collective agreement between Local 2020-05 and Vale is set to expire at midnight on Friday. The final offer of settlement typically means the union’s leadership is not recommending its members accept the company’s offer. That occurs only when the two sides reach a tentative agreement. In his letter to employees, Harshaw said it’s now up to members to decide.

RNC, private equity firm Waterton Global form nickel-focused partnership – by Henry Lazenby (MiningWeekly.com – March 22, 2017)

March 23, 2017

http://www.miningweekly.com/

VANCOUVER (miningweekly.com) – Canadian miner Royal Nickel Corp (RNC) has joined forces with private equity firm Waterton Global Resource Management (WGRM) to buy, develop and operate nickel assets.

The companies on Wednesday announced that they had inked a joint venture (JV) accord that will result in Waterton buying a 50% stake in RNC’s Dumont nickel project, in Quebec, for C$30-million in cash. The transaction values Dumont – billed as one of the world’s largest undeveloped nickel deposits – at about C$60-million.

RNC and Waterton have also agreed to inject $17.5-million each into the newly established limited partnership that will own Dumont, support its advancement to development, as well as to acquire other high-quality nickel assets globally. The JV entity’s objective is to establish a pure-play nickel company with multiple projects operating in stable jurisdictions.

Does Norilsk Nickel deserve to be Russia’s environmental gold standard? – by Charles Digges (Bellona.org – March 22, 2017)

March 23, 2017

http://bellona.org/

Norilsk Nickel, the giant Northern Siberian nickel producer and historically one of the country’s biggest polluters, won a prestigious environmental nod from the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs for closing down one of its most infamously befouling facilities

According to the Russian business daily Vedomosti, the environmental award from the industrialists’ union is one of the organization’s key annual events. Russia’s environmental minister, Sergei Donskoi, who presented the prize, called Norilsk Nickel “the absolute leader in environmental change occurring in the industrial policy in Russia.”

NEWS RELEASE: RNC Minerals Announces Joint Venture With Waterton To Acquire, Develop And Operate Nickel Assets

March 22, 2017

http://www.rncminerals.com/

TORONTO, March 22, 2017 /CNW/ – RNC Minerals (TSX: RNX) (“RNC” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a joint venture arrangement (the “JV Arrangement”) with Waterton Precious Metals Fund II Cayman, LP and Waterton Mining Parallel Fund Onshore Master, LP (collectively, “Waterton”). Pursuant to the terms of the JV Arrangement, Waterton has agreed to acquire 50% of RNC’s interest in the Dumont Nickel Project for US$22.5 million (C$30 million) in cash, implying a value of C$60 million for 100% of the asset.

RNC and Waterton will also inject US$17.5 million (for a total of US$35 million) into a newly established limited partnership (the “JV Entity”) that will own Dumont, support its advancement to development, and acquire high quality nickel assets globally.

The JV Arrangement provides for a unique structure within the resource sector and sets forth a partnership between an innovative mining private equity firm and a leading nickel executive team to create and unlock value within the nickel industry. The JV Entity’s objective is to establish a pure play nickel company with multiple projects operating in stable jurisdictions.

COPPER-NICKEL GOES ON TRIAL – by Leah Ryan and Jerry Burnes (Mesabi Daily News – March 16, 2017)

March 17, 2017

http://www.virginiamn.com/

DULUTH — With the federal government weighing a 20-year moratorium on mining activity in the Superior National Forest, Minnesotans took to the microphone for their side of the issue, essentially turning Thursday’s U.S. Forest Service hearing into copper-nickel’s most public trial.

Hundreds of people crowded into Symphony Hall at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center wearing their side on their sleeve. Mining’s supporters donned “We Support Mining” blue baseball hats and buttons, countered by T-shirts and stickers saying “We love the BWCA.” Thursday’s hearing was the culmination of the often tense, always at odds debate over copper-nickel mining at the edge the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness near Ely.

“There is a big crowd, and that tells me a lot of people find this important,” said Connie Cummins, supervisors of Superior National Forest, addressing the crowd before the hearing.

Letter outlines reasons for Stobie’s closure – by Harold Carmichael (Sudbury Star – March 11, 2017)

March 13, 2017

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

This is a copy of the letter sent by Vale’s Stuart Harshaw to Stobie Mine employees, which The Sudbury Star has obtained, about the mine’s closure.

“Hello everyone: I am writing to inform you that after more than 120 years and more ore produced than any other mine in the history of Sudbury, operations at Stobie Mine will be suspended later this year with the mine placed on care and maintenance.

As you know, our Base Metals business has been challenged for many years now due to the prolonged downturn in metals prices and ongoing challenges in the market. This has driven us to look closely at every aspect of our business globally to try to remain cash flow positive.

End of the line for Sudbury’s Stobie Mine – by Harold Carmichael (Sudbury Star – March 11, 2017)

March 13, 2017

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Harshaw also said Vale still believe in its Sudbury operations.”Vale is
committed to our future in Sudbury,” he said. “Over the past decade, we
have invested $4.7 billion to modernize and upgrade our operations.

Vale plans to shut down its long-running Stobie Mine by the end of the year, affecting some 230 employees. “This is a necessary decision but a sad one,” Stuart Harshaw, Vice-President of Ontario Operations, Vale Canada Limited said on Friday. “Stobie has a rich history and has been integral to our success for more than a century.

“However, after more than 100 years of operation, the mine is approaching the end of its natural life. The low grades at Stobie are no longer economical to mine in today’s challenging price environment.”

Harshaw also said Vale still believe in its Sudbury operations.

NEWS RELEASE: Vale suspends operations at venerable Stobie Mine

March 10, 2017

SUDBURY, March 10, 2017 – Vale announced today that after more than 120 years and more ore produced than any other mine in the history of Sudbury, Stobie Mine will be placed on care and maintenance later this year.

“This is a necessary decision but a sad one,” said Stuart Harshaw, Vice-President, Ontario Operations. “Stobie has a rich history and has been integral to our success for more than a century. However, after more than 100 years of operation, the mine is approaching the end of its natural life. The low grades at Stobie are no longer economical to mine in today’s challenging price environment.”

Stobie began as an open pit operation in 1890. Underground operations started in 1914. With more than 375,000,000 tonnes produced over the years, more ore has been mined out of the Frood-Stobie complex than any other mine in the Sudbury Basin. The suspension of operations at Stobie will result in a reduction of approximately 4-6 kilotonnes of nickel and 5-8 kilotonnes of copper production annually.