Republic of Mining

Ottawa to invest $50 million to build Canada’s largest battery storage facility – by Naimul Karim (Financial Post – February 10, 2023)

February 10, 2023

250-megawatt project will provide enough power to meet the peak demand of a small city like Oshawa

The federal government says it will provide $50 million to fund the construction of Canada’s “largest battery storage” facility as it looks to boost the country’s sources of clean electricity.

The 250-megawatt Oneida Energy Storage in southern Ontario will draw and store electricity from the provincial grid — more than 80 per cent of which is emissions-free — when power demand is low and return the power to the system when the demand is high.

Frontier Lithium stock jumps as new drill results confirm extended size of Spark deposit – by Staff (Mining.com – February 9, 2023)

February 10, 2023

https://www.mining.com/

Frontier Lithium (TSXV: FL) saw a significant jump in share price on Thursday following the release of additional drill results from the Spark pegmatite, part of the company’s 100% owned PAK lithium project in Ontario.

The new results consist of the remaining seven drill holes from Phase XII drill program that began in May and ended in October. A total of 15,984 metres of drilling in 50 holes were completed during 2022.

India’s poor coal ‘thieves’ forced to scavenge for survival (Eco-Business/Reuters – February 8, 2023)

February 10, 2023

https://www.eco-business.com/

A tip-off led police officer Indradeo Rajwar into the Nimiya Tola forests of Hazaribagh, in eastern India, hot on the trail of two men on a motorcycle carrying stolen coal. As Rajwar closed in, the men dumped 1,200 kg (2,646 lb) of the dirty fossil fuel and escaped.

Rajwar’s report on the incident in Jharkhand state documents a story of theft that is common across India’s main coal-mining areas. “These forests are used as cover by people transporting stolen coal,” Rajwar said, adding that the perpetrators are mostly men aged between 18 and 35.

Russian Mining Company Partners With China to Develop Massive Titanium Deposit in Arctic – by Malte Humpert (High North News – February 6, 2023)

May 15, 2024February 10, 2023

https://www.highnorthnews.com/en/

Chinese investment and interest in Russia’s Arctic natural resources continues unabated. In addition to receiving regular shipments of LNG and crude oil, one of China’s major engineering and construction companies is partnering with Russian Titanium Resources to develop a massive mineral deposit in the Russian Arctic.

Russian Titanium Resources (Rustitan) and China Communications and Construction Company signed an agreement for the development of the Pizhemskoye mining project in the Komi Republic.

B.C. fines Teck Coal $16 million for contaminating Kootenay waterways – by Winston Szeto (CBC News British Columbia – February 8, 2023)

February 10, 2023

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

The company failed to treat effluent for selenium and nitrate, Ministry of Environment says

A Canadian mining company has been fined more than $16 million for polluting waterways in B.C.’s East Kootenay.

The B.C. Ministry of Environment has imposed three administrative penalties on Teck Coal Limited, a subsidiary of Teck Resources, citing the company’s failure to have water treatment facilities ready by a required date to limit emissions of nitrate and selenium from its Fording River operations in the Elk Valley.

Alaska mine production tops $4.5 billion – by Shane Lasley (North of 60 Mining News – February 6, 2023)

February 10, 2023

https://www.miningnewsnorth.com/

More gold, strong zinc prices helped push value higher; critical minerals could add a boost moving forward.

Alaska mines produced approximately $4.51 billion worth of nonfuel minerals last year, a 16% increase over the $3.89 billion in 2021, and an impressive 42.7% jump over the $3.16 billion of mined products during 2020, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Mineral Commodity Summaries 2023 report.

The rise in Alaska mine production value is largely due to increased zinc and gold production, along with strong zinc prices during 2022.

Tesla Deal for Lithium From Quebec Could Intensify Housing Shortage in Northern Mining Towns – by Kristian Gravenor (CoStar News – February 6, 2023)

February 10, 2023

https://www.costar.com/

Though surrounded by endless expanses of land, northern mining towns in Quebec are running out of permissible space to build much-needed housing and other property types required for growing cities.

It’s a problem expected to intensify as the region faces an influx of anticipated workers from a major new contract with U.S. manufacturer Tesla and an increase in mining for materials used to make batteries for electric vehicles. Tesla announced a deal last month to buy spodumene concentrate, a source of lithium and important raw material needed for electric vehicle batteries, from the Sayona Mine 560 kilometres northwest of Montreal.

Microsoft calls for ‘coalition’ to improve Congo’s informal cobalt mines (Reuters – February 8, 2023)

February 10, 2023

https://www.reuters.com/

CAPE TOWN, Feb 8 (Reuters) – Microsoft visited an artisanal cobalt mine in Democratic Republic of Congo in December as part of attempts to jump-start formalisation of the little-regulated and dangerous industry that experts say is key to meeting global demand for the battery material.

Congo accounts for three-quarters of the world’s mined cobalt supply. Industrial mines produce most of Congo’s cobalt, but “artisanal” miners, who dig by hand and often die when tunnels cave in, account for up to 30% of production, though that fluctuates depending on price.

Cree mother wonders how mining development in northern Quebec will affect food supply – by Stephane Blais (CBC Montreal/Canadian Press – February 7, 2023)

February 10, 2023

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/

Project would deprive the Cree of certain hunting grounds

Heather House studies full-time through McGill University’s distance education program, and when she is not immersed in books, she is raising her eight children with her husband in Chisasibi, the northernmost community in Quebec accessible by road.

Feeding a family of eight children, two parents, and two elders in such a remote community where grocery prices are among the highest in the country would be a major challenge if it were not for access to the land for hunting, fishing, trapping and berry picking.

The history and the future of mining in Australia – by Jon Taylor (Mining.com – February 7, 2023)

February 9, 2023

https://www.mining.com/

Mining in Australia is a vast industry famous worldwide due to its fascinating history, power in the export market, and as a trendsetter in ‘future-proofing’ the sector. Furthermore, the high number of Australian mines means that it provides a huge jobs market to citizens and the number of foreign workers who flock to work in the industry due to its global reputation.

In this article, we will explore the rise of mining in Australia, its current status as a pillar of the country’s economy, and how it intends to tackle the rising pressures of climate change. Let’s start by looking at the current state of play for the industry.

West Bloomfield jeweler explains why new lab formed diamonds are gaining popularity – by Gino Vicci (CBS News Detroit – February 5, 2023)

February 9, 2023

https://www.cbsnews.com/

The lab grown diamond industry has become more and more popular in recent years. “Laboratory grown diamonds are very popular,” said Joe Yatooma, owner of Dash Diamonds in West Bloomfield. Yatooma said the lab grown diamonds have become a real thing because they are now considered “real” diamonds.

“The reason why we embrace laboratory grown diamonds here at Dash Diamonds is because the Gemologist Institute of America now approves a laboratory grown diamond and grades it,” Yatooma said.

[Florida] The Phosphate Industry Needs Additional Regulations – by Glenn Compton (Bradenton Times – February 05, 2023)

February 9, 2023

https://thebradentontimes.com/

Glenn Compton is the Chairman of ManaSota 88, a non-profit organization that has spent over 30 years fighting to protect the environment of Manatee and Sarasota counties.

The Myakka River is an Outstanding Florida Water (OFW) and must not be further polluted. More than 22,000 acres of land have the potential to be mined for phosphate in the Myakka River Basin. Phosphate companies have an interest in at least 22,375 acres of land in the Myakka River Basin not yet approved for mining.

In 1985, the Legislature of Florida adopted the Myakka River Wild and Scenic Designation and Preservation Act (Section 258.501, Florida Statutes), which designated a 34-mile segment of the Myakka River within Sarasota County as a “Florida wild and scenic” river.

Peru unrest threatens copper supply – by Joe Parkin Daniels and Harry Dempsey (Financial Times – February 8, 2023)

February 9, 2023

https://www.ft.com/

Analysts expect disruption to world’s second-largest producer to boost prices of the metal

Widespread anti-government protests are disrupting copper output in Peru, the world’s second-biggest producer, triggering predictions of a further surge in prices for the metal which has already rocketed in recent months as China’s resource-hungry economy reopens.

Demonstrators demanding early elections and the resignation of President Dina Boluarte have thrown up roadblocks across the country and attacked mines, causing production slowdowns and closures in the Latin American nation’s copper operations, which account for about 10 per cent of global supply.

‘We need to restore the land’: as coal mines close, here’s a community blueprint to sustain the Hunter Valley – by Kimberley Crofts and Liam Phelan (The Conversation – February 7, 2023)

February 9, 2023

https://theconversation.com/

The decline of the coal industry means 17 mines in the New South Wales Hunter Valley will close over the next two decades. More than 130,000 hectares of mining land — nearly two-thirds of the valley floor between Broke and Muswellbrook — will become available for new uses.

Restoring and reusing this land could contribute billions of dollars to the Hunter economy, create thousands of full-time jobs and make the region a world leader in industries such as renewable energy and regenerative agriculture that improves soil and water quality and increases biodiversity and resilience. But to unlock these future opportunities, we must first clean up the legacy of the past.

General Motors Competes for Stake in Vale’s Base Metals Unit – by Dinesh Nair and Cristiane Lucchesi (Bloomberg News – February 8, 2023)

February 9, 2023

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — General Motors Co. is competing for a stake in Brazilian mining giant Vale SA’s base metals unit, people familiar with the matter said, underscoring automakers’ desire for easy access to the materials needed for electric vehicle batteries.

Detroit-based General Motors has advanced to the next round of bidding for a minority stake in the business, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing confidential information. Vale could raise more than $2 billion from a deal, according to the people.