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Platinum Group Metals

Extortion ‘mafia’ hits SA’s R947 billion mining sector – by Felix Njini and Antony Sguazzin (Bloomberg News/News 24.com – December 2022)

https://www.news24.com/

A threatening letter, a derailed train, blocked roads, burnt vehicles, workers locked up. That’s what some of the world’s biggest mining companies say they’re battling in South Africa: Extortion.

Covid-19 plunged Africa’s most-industrialised country — home to the biggest deposits of metals ranging from platinum to chrome and manganese — into the deepest economic contraction in more than a quarter century, and its aftermath has left it with soaring inflation, one of the world’s highest unemployment rates and a collapse of local government services.

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First Nation strikes benefits deal with Marathon mine builder – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – November 15, 2022)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Generation Mining anticipates construction start of open-pit project in early 2023

The developers of Marathon-area open-pit project have struck a community benefits agreement (CBA) with a neighbouring First Nation on the north shore of Lake Superior.

Toronto’s Generation Mining announced Nov. 14 that the membership of Biigtigong Nishnaabeg (formerly Pic River) has approved a community benefits agreement involving the construction and environmental safeguards of the proposed Marathon Palladium-Copper Project owned by Generation PGM.

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Russia Stake in Biggest Zimbabwe Platinum Project Deters Backers – by Felix Njini, Loni Prinsloo and Godfrey Marawanyika (Bloomberg News – June 3, 2022)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — Zimbabwe’s biggest platinum project, struggling to get off the ground for the past two years has a new challenge. A major stake held by a Russian tycoon is scaring off potential financiers for the $3 billion mine, people with knowledge of the matter said.

Initial development work on the Darwendale deposit began in early 2020, but operations at the project were soon halted because of a lack of capital and the site has been abandoned since early last year, according to a report by Zimbabwe’s Centre for Natural Resource Governance.

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Gangs Stealing Cables Miles Underground Torment South African Platinum Mines – by Felix Njini (Bloomberg News – May 8, 2022)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — South African miners are battling a growing threat miles underground in the world’s deepest platinum shafts: Gangs stealing copper cables and disrupting operations.

Enticed by high copper prices, thieves are sneaking in, descending deep underground and setting up camp among vast networks of tunnels to strip metal from power cables. The country’s platinum giants are struggling to contain the syndicates of trespassers known as “zama zamas” — a Zulu name that means “take a chance.”

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South Africa would do well to highlight its key iridium status to world that needs this very rare metal – by Martin Creamer (Mining Weekly.com – May 3, 2022)

https://www.miningweekly.com/

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – South Africa would do well to highlight its key iridium supply status to gain the full confidence of a world that requires this very rare platinum group metal (PGM) to advance the fast-moving hydrogen economy.

Iridium is a potent co-roleplayer with PGMs stalwart platinum when it comes to electrolysing hydrogen from water. Because of South Africa’s solar power potential, land availability and PGM endowments, SFA Oxford CEO Henk de Hoop expresses the view that the country should raise its flag to highlight the key role it can play in fostering global decarbonisation. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)

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Thunder Bay palladium company inks exploration agreement with three First Nation communities – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – April 18, 2022)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Potential mine development could provide benefit for northwestern Ontario Indigenous bands

A Thunder Bay palladium company has signed an exploration agreement with three First Nations.

Clean Air Metals, Fort William First Nation, Red Rock Indian Band and Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek announced last week that they’ve advanced their ongoing relationship with a signed exploration agreement. A year ago, all the parties signed an initial memorandum of understanding concerning the company’s Thunder Bay North project.

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Russian nickel, palladium, chromium exports a headache for Germany – by Arthur Sullivan (DW.com – April 11, 2022)

https://www.dw.com/en/

Russian gas and oil are by far the most significant exports Moscow sells to Germany. Yet other important raw materials are also under the spotlight because of the war in Ukraine.

Almost all the debate surrounding Germany’s economic ties with Russia since the invasion of Ukraine has focused on gas and oil. With good reason — Germany buys more Russian oil and gas than any other European country, making energy Russia’s most lucrative import to Germany by far.

However, many German companies rely on a steady supply of other Russian exports, particularly raw materials such as nickel, palladium, copper and chromium.

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The Drift: Sudbury’s outskirts remain mineral-rich ground for exploration outfits – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – Janaury 17, 2022)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Palladium company to release pre-feasibility study on open-pit River Valley mine project

Areas outside the Sudbury Basin are proving to be fertile ground for junior mining exploration companies probing for precious, base and so-called ‘green’ metals. Two projects are showing definite mining potential.

New Age Metals expects to release a pre-feasibility study this summer for a proposed open-pit mine at its River Valley project.

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Pitt welcomes Chalice’s major find at Julimar – by Esmarie Iannucci (MiningWeekly.com – November 11, 2021)

https://www.miningweekly.com/

PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Federal Minister for Resources and Water Keith Pitt has applauded work done by Geoscience Australia in discovering the largest nickel sulphide discovery in Australia in over two decades.

ASX-listed Chalice Mining this week announced a maiden indicated and inferred mineral resource estimate of 10-million ounces palladium/platinum/gold, 530 000 t of nickel, 330 000 t of copper, and 53 000 t of cobalt at its Gonneville deposit, which makes up part of its larger Julimar project, in Western Australia.

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Ivanhoe Mines secures $300m in stream financing for Platreef – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – December 8, 2021)

https://www.mining.com/

Ivanhoe Mines (TSX: IVN)(OTCQX: IVPAF) said on Wednesday it had secure $300 million in stream financing for its platinum group and gold Platreef mine in the South African province of Limpopo.

The Canadian miner said its subsidiary, Ivanplats, closed a $200 million gold stream financing agreement with Orion Mine Finance and Nomad Royalty Company, as well as a $100 million palladium and platinum streaming facility for Platreef.

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Mining the Northwest: Thunder Bay platinum-palladium mine project has ‘tremendous upside’ – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – December 3, 2021)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Clean Air Metals express confidence that future mine at Thunder Bay North could have Norilsk-like potential

The proponents of a potentially large platinum and palladium mine near Thunder Bay believe they’ve only scratched the surface of its vast metal potential.

This week, Clean Air Metals released a preliminary economic assessment (PEA) of its Thunder Bay North Project, forecasting a 10-year mine operating life. But company officials insist that’s only the “minimum” as their property has the resources in the ground to last much longer.

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Platinum group metals hunter sees 10-year mine life at Thunder Bay-area project – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – December 1, 2021)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Clean Air Metals releases preliminary economic assessment of its Thunder Bay North Project

A Thunder Bay-based junior mining company is placing a 10-year underground mine life on its high-grade platinum, palladium, copper and nickel project, located north of the city.

In a Dec. 1 news release, Clean Air Metals issued a preliminary economic assessment (PEA) of its Thunder Bay North Project, located between the city and Impala’s Lac des Iles Mine.

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Royal Dealmaker Sinks Creation of Largest Platinum-Group Miner – by Felix Njini and Loni Prinsloo (Bloomberg News – November 10, 2021)

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca

Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd.’s decade-long quest to buy a smaller rival that owns assets key to prolonging the life of its own mines in South Africa came to a shuddering halt on Tuesday.

Chief Executive Officer Nico Muller thought he finally had a deal to acquire 100% of Royal Bafokeng Platinum Ltd., after gaining the backing of the company’s management and board. Implats, as the miner is known, was preparing to make an offer this week after announcing it was in talks on Oct. 27, according to people familiar with the matter.

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The life and death of a very special gold rush – by Ellsworth Dickson (Resource World – (September 2021)

https://resourceworld.com/

In the early days, Canada’s most western province, British Columbia, was built on gold. While there were the famous gold rushes of the Fraser River in 1858 and Barkerville in 1862, there is one gold rush that stands apart from the rest – the Granite Creek gold rush near Princeton, southwest B.C.

What make Granite Creek different is that besides gold, there are also platinum nuggets – one of only two places in the world – the other being the Amur River in Russia.

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North Shore palladium mine developer picks engineer for processing plant – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – October 14, 2021)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Generation Mining, the developers of a proposed palladium near Marathon, has selected Wood PLC to handle the project’s engineering work. The global consulting and engineering company was awarded the contract to do the processing plant engineering and the equipment procurement for the Marathon palladium-copper project in northwestern Ontario.

In an Oct. 13 news release, Gen Mining said the goal over the next few months is get 75 per cent of the engineering work completed by the time construction starts. Early ground preparation work is tentatively anticipated sometime in the second half of next year.

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