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Electric vehicles could be a game changer for high-grade nickel producers – by Tess Ingram (Australian Financial Review – July 25, 2017)

http://www.afr.com/business/

Strong interest in a new battery-grade nickel product Western Areas plans to produce reinforces suggestions the growing electric vehicles sector could deliver a “renaissance” for the flagging nickel market, Western Areas managing director Dan Lougher says.

Western Areas started work in the June quarter on its mill recovery enhancement project, which plans to produce a high-grade nickel concentrate product from its Forrestania nickel operations in Western Australia from the March quarter of 2018.

While the project will produce only about 1400 tonnes of the 45 to 50 per cent nickel concentrate, compared to Western Areas’ annual nickel production of about 25,000 tonnes, Mr Lougher said the Perth-based miner had already fielded interest in the product from multiple global battery market players.

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Hitting the gold mine: Ottawa NGO imports first legal gold from the Congo – by Elise von Scheel (CBC News Ottawa – July 24, 2017)

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

Almost all of the Congo’s gold is illegally traded on the black market

A little over a month ago, Joanne Lebert boarded a plane to make the long flight from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Toronto. She was helping transport a tiny package that could change the way gold from the Congo is traded internationally.

Lebert, executive director of Partnership Africa Canada, was carrying 238 grams of raw gold purchased from mines near the remote town of Mambasa. According to PAC, Lebert’s import was one of the first legal gold purchases from the African nation.

Partnership Africa Canada is an Ottawa-based NGO that is spearheading efforts to ethically import gold from the Congo to Canada. They sent their first shipment to a jewelry store in Toronto that makes fair trade pieces. An estimated $28 billion in unrefined gold lies deep beneath the soil in the eastern regions of the Congo, but 98 per cent of it leaves the country illegally, according to the International Peace Information Service.

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How Canada blew its chance for a multibillion-dollar industry – by Nelson Bennett(Business Vancouver – July 25, 2017)

https://www.biv.com/

B.C. natural gas producers who can’t move gas to the West Coast could be supplying LNG producers on the U.S. Gulf Coast

While companies like Petronas and Shell haven’t formally abandoned their plans to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants in B.C. yet, and Nexen – owned by China’s CNOOC Ltd. (NYSE:CEO) – recently restarted the review of its Aurora LNG project in Prince Rupert, the prospects for a West Coast LNG industry appear to be growing dimmer by the day, especially now that Canadian projects have been beaten to market by Cheniere Energy Inc. (NYSE: LNG) in the U.S.

If B.C. gas ends up being exported to foreign markets, it might not be from the West Coast, but from the Gulf Coast. Cheniere, which has a three-train LNG terminal in production on the Sabine Pass River in Louisiana, and four more trains under construction, has already inked a contract with at least one natural gas producer on the Alberta side of the Montney region and is said to be actively courting producers in B.C.

“We’re very happy to get as many molecules from Canada as we can logistically supply to our two facilities at Sabine and at Corpus [Christi],” Cheniere executive vice-president and chief commercial officer Anatol Feygin recently told Bloomberg.

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Spongy zinc battery may beat lithium-ion on safety, price, recycling – by James Dunn (North Bay Business Journal – July 24, 2017)

http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/

If nearly 500,000 deposits of $1,000 each on the new Tesla Model 3 indicate bridled demand, the electric cars have a sure future. Tesla plans to start delivery of the $35,000 vehicles on July 28, when it will release the first 30. Palo Alto-based Tesla aims to crank out about three cars a day in August, boost output to 1,500 in September and build to a rate of 20,000 a month by the end of 2017.

Tesla electric cars rely on lithium-ion batteries. The company is building a gargantuan battery factory in Nevada — some 5.8 million square feet — slated for completion in 2020. The enormous production capacity could drive down battery costs by about 30 percent, Tesla said, from batteries now produced by Panasonic in Japan.

But a Marin-based aerospace engineer sees problems with lithium-ion technology: potential for explosions as occurred in Samsung phones in 2016; high cost; and poor recyclability. He suggests zinc, the metal used to stop corrosion in galvanized steel, as an alternative.

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[Ontario] Research to keep miners cool at extreme depths – by Len Gillis (Timmins Daily Press – July 25, 2017)

http://www.timminspress.com/

New research is underway to help miners stay cooler while working at extreme depths underground. Such research could eventually benefit workers at the Kidd Mine in Timmins, which is the deepest base metal mine in the world.

Research scientist Dr. Stephen Cheung of Brock University said the ultimate goal is to find ways to make miners feel cooler and more comfortable and therefore be able to contribute more to more production. “As you know the deeper you go, the hotter the mines are and the greater the energy costs to ventilate those mines so that the miners can actually be working underground,” said Cheung.

“The idea here really is rather than cooling the entire chamber, it is most likely much more cost effective and efficient to be cooling the individual miners. So that’s kind of the genesis or the idea for the whole project,” he added.

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Porcupine camp remains mineral rich – by Thomas Perry (Timmins Daily Press – June 13, 2016)

http://www.timminspress.com/

Please note this article is over a year old but still very relevant. – Stan Sudol

The Porcupine camp may be more than 100 years old, but that doesn’t mean geologists
have unlocked all its secrets.“There is also a new model in the camp,” van Hees said.

TIMMINS – The Porcupine camp has been producing gold for more than 100 years and there is no indication that is about to change anytime soon. Ed van Hees, Regional Resident Geologist for the Timmins District with the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, points out between Timmins and Kirkland Lake, there are currently 16 operating mines and 13 of those are gold deposits.

“In terms of gold deposits, there are now, I think, 12 deposits that have produced 10 million ounces and three of them are in Timmins — the Holllinger, McIntyre and Dome mines,” he said.

The boundaries of the Porcupine camp are open to interpretation, depending on who you are talking to, but from van Hees’ perspective it extends 30 or 40 kilometres beyond (Tahoe Resources/Lake Shore Gold’s) Timmins West mine and stretches through the Hollinger, Dome McIntyre and 20 to 30 kilometres to the east of the (Glencore Kidd operations) smelter.

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[Yukon Mining] Junior shakeup in the White Gold District – by Andrew Topf (Mining.com – July 23, 2017)

http://www.mining.com/

The White Gold District in the Canadian Yukon territory is continuing to see movement, this time among junior gold explorers hoping to grab a piece of the action.

Last week Taku Gold (TSXV:TAK) said it has picked up four White Gold properties from Golden Predator Mining (TSXV:GPY), including one from Golden Predator’s subsidiary, Golden Predator Exploration. The four properties are 40 Mile, Korat, Chopin and Lucky Joe.

According to Taku Gold the highlight of the all-share deal is the acquisition of the Lucky Joe prospect, since it butts up against Taku’s Rosebute project to the north. The company adds that it will be able to capitalize on Goldcorp (NYSE:GG, TSX:G) recently building a road to access the Coffee gold project the gold major acquired from Kaminak Gold:

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BHP defends plan to invest $6bn in Canadian potash project – by Matt Chambers (The Australian – July 24, 2017)

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/

BHP Billiton has defended its contentious plans for a fresh $US4.7 billion ($5.9bn) investment to bring the Jansen potash project in Canada’s Saskatchewan into production, saying low prices are expected to rise as oversupply eases. The mining giant added that the project would only go ahead if strict investment hurdles were overcome.

The defence, posted to its website earlier yesterday, comes after US fertiliser giant Mosaic cast doubt on the plan’s timing and economics and as US activist fund Elliott uses the plans to open up a new front in its campaign to restructure BHP.

BHP’s principal potash analyst, Paul Burnside, said the Jansen project, where BHP has already approved $US3.8bn to access the 1km deep ore body ahead of a development decision, could support attractive shareholder ­returns over decades. “We’re excited to have this option in our portfolio, and there are many ways we can realise value from it,” Mr Burnside said.

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Philippines’ Duterte warns miners: ‘I will tax you to death’ – by Enrico Dela Cruz (Reuters U.S. – July 24, 2017)

http://www.reuters.com/

MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said he wanted to stop exporting mineral resources and might close the mining sector completely and tax miners “to death” if damage to the environment persisted.

“The protection of the environment must be made a priority ahead of mining and all other activities that adversely affect one way or another,” Duterte said in his State of the Nation address, his second since assuming power in June last year. “This policy is non-negotiable.”

The Philippines is the world’s biggest supplier of nickel ore and also among the top producers of copper and gold. However, the sector contributes less than 1 percent to the country’s economy, based on data from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.

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Diamonds Bring New Life to War-Torn Central African Republic – by Fleury Koursany (Bloomberg News – July 24, 2017)

https://www.bloomberg.com/

Rough diamonds enabled Abdoul Raouf to marry three women and put his nine children through school. Now that his town in western Central African Republic can legally export the gems to world markets again, his neighbors are expecting similar fortunes.

“Diamonds are my life,” said Raouf, who trades the stones bought from artisanal miners in the town of Gamboula, near the border with Cameroon and a 10-hour drive to the capital, Bangui. “It’s because of diamonds that I can take care of my family.”

Gamboula is one of five areas in the west that can freely trade in diamonds again after the gradual easing of an export ban imposed three years ago. While fighting has flared in the southeast, forcing tens of thousands to flee, the western Mambere-Kadei prefecture has embraced a tentative peace, enabling residents to return to the diamond sites.

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[Australia Mining] “This is Adani” -by Domanii Cameron (Townsville Bulletin – July 22, 2017)

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/

INDIAN mining conglomerate Adani has launched a $1.4 million national advertising campaign in a bid to quash the myths that are plaguing the controversial Carmichael coal mine.

“This is Adani” kicked off today with the new branding to circulate across TV, radio, newspapers and digital sites. Adani Australia’s chief executive officer and Head of Country Jeyakumar Janakaraj said the campaign showed the “real Adani”.

“We will soon start the largest industrial project in Australia by an Indian company, an investment that will deliver 10,000 direct and indirect jobs, and an investment that will generate more than $40 billion in state and Federal taxes and royalties,” he said.

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Zinc Rally Set to Last as Producer Sees Best Price in Decade – by Swansy Afonso (Bloomberg News – July 20, 2017)

https://www.bloomberg.com/

The rally in zinc prices has the potential to jump this year to levels not seen in a decade as demand continues to outstrip supply amid mine output disruptions, according to Hindustan Zinc Ltd., Asia’s biggest producer by market value.

Prices may rise to about $3,000 a metric ton on the London Metal Exchange in the next couple of quarters, Sunil Duggal, chief executive officer of the Vedanta Ltd. unit, said in a phone interview from Udaipur in Rajasthan. The last time prices hit that level was in 2007, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Zinc, used to galvanize steel, has spearheaded an advance in base metals, gaining about 23 percent in the past year, as production cuts by Glencore Plc and other suppliers helped spur shortages. Higher prices and an increase in output saw Hindustan Zinc on Thursday report an 81 percent increase in net income to 18.8 billion rupees ($292 million) in the three months to June.

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Minnesota mining’s place in American history: Soudan state park showcases mining’s impact on country – by Lisa Kaczke Duluth News Tribune – July 22, 2017)

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/

SOUDAN — Imagine walking three-quarters of a mile through a mine tunnel in complete darkness to find iron ore, park interpreter James Juip tells the tour group. The lights click off to help people imagine that scenario and the 20 people stand in darkness at level 27 of the Soudan Underground Mine, unable to see each other or Juip at 2,341 feet below the surface of the Earth.

Standing on the last level to be mined before Minnesota’s first iron ore mine closed in 1962, Juip lights a candle in the darkness. Its flame only extends to a few faces near him, leaving the rest of the group still in the dark. He places the candle and sconce on his hard hat, similar to how miners would have placed a candle on their soft leather cap before electricity, freeing their hands to mine the ore.

“By the light of one candle, it would be the job of a crew of three men to find the iron that’s hidden here in the wall, drill it, blast it and get it out of here,” Juip told the tour group on July 13.

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Oil Giants Make a Play for Millennial Hires – by Polly Mosendz (Bloomberg News – July 17, 2017)

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/

Faced with a retiree tsunami, the industry tries to woo a generation that largely sees it in a negative light. “This ain’t your daddy’s oil,” the commercial proclaims, cutting to shots of spray paint being made and a wall covered in fanciful graffiti. “Oil strikes a pose. Oil taps potential. Oil pumps life.”

Oil, in short, is cool, the industry’s branding braintrust has declared. The 30-second spot rolled out this year is part of a broader American Petroleum Institute campaign to “raise awareness about the role natural gas and oil has in economic growth, job creation, environmental stewardship, and national security.”

Dubbed Power Past Impossible, the ads by the lobbying arm of America’s oil giants are all about millennials, the generation of roughly 21 to 35 year olds which out-sizes any other and makes up the largest chunk of the American workforce.

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