Republic of Mining

In Bolivia, China Signs Deal For World’s Largest Lithium Reserves – by Joseph Bouchard (The Diplomat – February 10, 2023)

February 14, 2023

Members of the Bolivian opposition have questioned whether the deal, which was signed last month between the state firm YLB and three Chinese companies, will benefit the country.

In late January, Bolivia’s Luis Arce government signed a $1 billion agreement with the Chinese firms CATL, BRUNP, and CMOC (CBC) and the Bolivian state company Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB) to explore lithium deposits in the South American nation.

The CBC are Chinese firms with past involvement in lithium extraction, battery recycling, and metal mining, respectively.

Vancouver’s B2Gold to buy Sabina with eye on Nunavut deposits – by Naimul Karim (Financial Post – February 13, 2023)

February 14, 2023

https://financialpost.com/

Deal gives miner control of mineral-rich Back River gold project

Vancouver-based gold miner B2Gold Corp. has inked a $1.1 billion deal to acquire Sabina Gold & Silver Corp., a miner that’s developing a project in Nunavut, as the global gold sector continues to consolidate.

Although B2Gold has its headquarters in Vancouver and is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, it doesn’t currently produce any gold in Canada. It mines in Mali, the Philippines and Namibia and is exploring projects in Uzbekistan, Finland and Colombia.

Shebandowan gold belt could host ‘big mine’ potential – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – February 9, 2023)

February 10, 2023

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Overlooked region of northwestern Ontario may yield some super-sized prospects, say explorers

The Shebandowan area, west of Thunder Bay, is shaping up to be an emerging gold camp. Senior executives from three exploration companies working in the area — Goldshore Resources, Thunder Gold and Kesselrun Resources — participated in a Feb. 8 online panel discussions hosted by 6ix.com on why this northwestern Ontario greenstone belt deserves more attention.

Greenstone belts, mostly made up of volcanic rocks, can host significant deposits of gold, nickel, copper, zinc and iron. Two of the companies, Thunder Gold and Kesselrun, are at the exploration stage while Goldshore has a more defined resource in place and is straddling the line between exploration and mine development.

Nisga’a and Tahltan First Nations partner on gold mining project with Seabridge Gold – by Alex Antrobus (Terrance Standard – February 9, 2023)

February 10, 2023

https://www.terracestandard.com/

The Nisga’a and Tahltan First Nations have announced the Treaty Creek Limited Partnership, which aims to optimize their participation and economic benefits from the KSM mining project.

The KSM mining site, owned and operated by Seabridge Gold, is situated within the Golden Triangle — an area of northern B.C. that has historically been a resource-rich area. This particular mining operation seeks to extract gold, copper, silver, and molybdenum.

Barrick’s ties to Canada dwindle as other miners secure access to country’s rich gold belt – by Gabriel Friedman (Financial Post – February 10, 2023)

February 10, 2023

https://financialpost.com/

Toronto-based Barrick Gold Corp. has long been one of the largest, most recognizable names in Canada’s sizeable mining industry, but its ties to the country are narrowing, especially now that its longtime rival, Colorado’s Newmont Corp., is closing in on a US$17-billion purchase of Australia’s Newcrest Mining Ltd.

All three companies are global in scale — the first, second and fourth largest gold miners in the world — but when it comes to Canada, home to some of the richest gold belts globally, only Barrick lacks a significant presence.

Caution urged as mining companies eye critical minerals below Quebec boreal forest – by Stéphane Blais (Toronto Star/Canadian Press – February 8, 2023)

February 10, 2023

https://www.thestar.com/

MONTREAL – About one million square kilometres of Quebec is covered by boreal forest, roughly 70 per cent of the entire province. In the north, where ecosystems are less likely to have been altered by human activity, those forests have been accumulating and sequestering immense quantities of carbon for centuries.

“In the boreal environment, the forest decomposes very slowly, even more slowly than in the tropics,“ said Xavier Cavard, who holds a research chair in forest carbon management at the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue.

Mining law has barely changed since 1872. Can Congress agree on a fix? – by Blanca Begert (Grist.org – February 9, 2023)

February 10, 2023

https://grist.org/

This year has already brought some unusual setbacks for mining companies, thanks to the Biden administration. On January 26, the administration dealt a possibly fatal blow to Twin Metal Minnesota’s decades-long effort to reopen a nickel and copper mine near the Boundary Waters, the most visited wilderness area in the country.

A few days later, the Environmental Protection Agency vetoed the proposed Pebble Mine, invoking the Clean Water Act to halt a gold and copper mine near one of the world’s largest spawning grounds for salmon in Alaska.

Analysis | Why Congo and Rwanda Are at Each Other’s Throats – by Michael J. Kavanagh (Bloomberg News – February 2, 2023)

February 10, 2023

https://www.bloomberg.com/

Violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo is escalating and fears are mounting of a wider conflict in what has long been one of Africa’s most volatile regions. President Felix Tshisekedi accuses his counterpart in neighboring Rwanda, Paul Kagame, of supporting a rebel group known as M23.

Kagame denies the allegation and counters that Tshisekedi’s inability to control events in his own country poses a security risk to Rwanda. The acrimony reached new heights in late January, when Rwanda’s army shot and damaged a Congolese fighter jet that it says violated its airspace.

Canadian manufacturers urge Freeland to align EV incentives with those in the U.S. – by Bill Curry (Globe and Mail – February 10, 2023)

February 10, 2023

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Canada’s automakers are urging Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to use her upcoming federal budget to better align electric vehicle incentives with recently announced policies in the United States.

In a letter to Ms. Freeland obtained by The Globe and Mail, the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association says the 2023 budget “is a watershed moment for Canada’s automotive industry and the hundreds of thousands of Canadians it employs.”

Yukon asks public to weigh in on Gold Rush-era mining laws – by Meribeth Deen (CBC News North – February 9, 2023)

February 10, 2023

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

Yukon’s Quartz Mining Act and Placer Mining Act date back to the days of the Klondike Gold Rush, and haven’t been updated much since. Peter Johnston, Grand Chief of the Yukon Council of First Nations, says these outdated laws have led to chaos.

“We do not need to get into a history lesson to understand the negative impacts that we’ve felt here in the territory over 125 years when it comes to not only open access, but also having limited legislation that’s guiding proponents in a proper, safe, and environmentally conscious way,” he said.

A Mine That Threatened Alaskan Salmon May Be No More – by Teresa Nowakowski (Smithsonian Magazine – February 7, 2023)

February 10, 2023

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/

A proposed mine project in Alaska may have been dealt its final blow. Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) effectively vetoed the project, citing its potential harm to salmon fisheries in the state’s Bristol Bay watershed.

Called Pebble Mine, the proposed development included a mile-wide open-pit mine, a power plant, a gas pipeline, access roads and a port to take advantage of gold and copper deposits thought to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

The Biggest Source of Cobalt Outside Africa is Now Indonesia – by Annie Lee and Mark Burton (Bloomberg News – February 7, 2023)

February 10, 2023

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — Indonesia has become the world’s second-largest cobalt producer, bolstering its bid to be a big player in the electric-vehicle supply chain.

Production of the battery material in the Southeast Asian country surged past others including Russia and Australia to grab the No. 2 spot last year, according to US government data.

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

February 10, 2023

https://financialpost.com/

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.