Republic of Mining

You want to be buying silver at $18, says silver market analyst and author Peter Krauth – by Neils Christensen (Kitco News – October 20, 2022)

October 20, 2022

https://www.kitco.com/

(Kitco News) – There is a significant disconnect in the silver market between investment demand in paper and physical bullion, and this is an environment where profits are made, according to one market analyst.

Silver appears to be building a solid floor between $17 and $18 an ounce, and while markets could remain volatile through the short-term, current prices represent long-term value, said Peter Krauth, founder of the Silver Stock Investor newsletter and author of a recently released book, The Great Silver Bull.

Frontier announces $20M bought deal to fund PAK exploration – by Marilyn Scales (Canadian Mining Journal – October 20, 2022)

October 20, 2022

https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

Frontier Lithium (TSXV: FL; OTC: LITOF) is raising $20 million with which to continue exploration of the PAK lithium project in northwestern Ontario. The bought deal is underwritten by a syndicate led by RBC Capital Markets and Goldman Sachs.

The underwriters have agreed to purchase 9.1 million units of Frontier at a price of $2.20 per unit. Each unit consists of one common share and one-half of one purchase warrant. Each full warrant will entitle the holder to purchase a common share at a price of $2.75 within a period of 36 months following the closure of the bought deal. Closing is expected on Nov. 8, 2022.

Europe joins the ‘white gold’ rush for lithium and faces an energy transition challenge – by Cyrielle Cabot (France24.com – October 19, 2022)

October 20, 2022

https://www.france24.com/en/

Shortly before arriving at the Paris Motor Show on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron told the financial daily Les Echos that his administration wanted to make electric vehicles “accessible to everyone”.

Macron then proceeded to announce a series of measures to enable households to acquire electric vehicles. With the EU seeking to ban the sale of combustion engine vehicles from 2035, France is trying to gradually phase out fossil-fuel cars. While the move is seen as an essential step on the road to energy transition, it also poses a serious problem: it will require massive quantities of metals needed to manufacture batteries, especially lithium.

Probe Metals finds ‘remarkable consistency’ at Val-d’Or gold project’s Monique – by Staff (Mining.com – October 18, 2022)

October 20, 2022

https://www.mining.com/

Probe Metals (TSXV: PRB) says drilling at its Val-d’Or East project’s Monique deposit in Quebec has returned “significant” gold intercepts that are likely to expand the area of the strike and increase its resource update due by year’s end.

Highlights from the results of 45 new holes showed “continued strike and depth expansion with significant gold intercepts along the Monique gold zones,” Probe, a Toronto-based explorer, said in a press release on Tuesday.

Fortress North America – by Diane Francis (Diane Francis Blog – October 20, 2022)

October 20, 2022

https://dianefrancis.substack.com/

Germany’s decision to scrap nuclear plants by the end of 2022 made the country – Europe’s engine of growth – dependent on Russia for energy, facilitating Vladimir Putin’s energy blackmail and war against Ukraine. The nuclear ban, promulgated by Greenpeace, never made sense because nuclear technology is safe and emissions free.

But anti-nuke criticism was stoked by Moscow as was this month’s OPEC price hike designed to kick the West and developed world in the teeth as they cope with war, costly sanctions, and energy hyper-inflation. Finally, Berlin reversed course this week and announced its nuclear plants will reopen indefinitely, a policy shift also undertaken by oil-poor Japan.

For Albertans seeking end of Rockies coal mine ban, Danielle Smith brings ‘little window’ of hope – by Bob Weber (Canadian Press/National Post – October 19, 2022)

October 20, 2022

https://nationalpost.com/

The ban was triggered by a public outcry after thousands of hectares of summits and foothills were permitted for exploration that was previously encouraged by the UCP government

EDMONTON — Supporters of open-pit coal mining say there’s a chance new mines could be built in Alberta’s Rockies after comments from the province’s new premier.

“We’re hoping with this little window with Danielle (Smith) that we can crack that open,” said Eric Lowther, a southern Alberta resident and president of Citizens Supportive of Crowsnest Coal.

The New Faces of the North – by Diane Armstrong (Timmins Daily Press – October 19, 2022)

October 20, 2022

https://www.timminspress.com/

The story of Northern Ontario’s people has changed since the early days of the railway. At the turn of the last century, workers from many countries joined their friends when they learned of employment building the rails north – particularly from North Bay, the terminus for the Temiskaming & Northern Ontario Railway.

As the work reached Cobalt, many men decided to settle there, bring their families and work in the newly-discovered silver mines or to open businesses. Others ventured further north to Kirkland Lake and the Porcupine when gold was discovered further north. Soon clubs were established to serve the cultural needs of their people. With the culture, came the foods that reminded them of home.

‘Strikingly Tight’ Copper Market Belies Price Drop, Miner Says – by Yvonne Yue Li and James Attwood (Bloomberg News – October 20, 2022)

October 20, 2022

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — Copper prices don’t reflect a “strikingly tight” physical market, according to the world’s largest publicly-traded producer of the metal used in everything from computer chips to electric vehicles.

Macroeconomic headwinds have pushed copper futures down almost 30% from a peak in March, despite brisk demand and shrinking inventories that are nearing historical lows.

Communities in Africa twice as likely to have HIV when mines open nearby – by Edith Magak (Aidsmap.com – October 18, 2022)

October 20, 2022

https://www.aidsmap.com/

When industrial mines open in sub-Saharan Africa, the local population becomes twice as likely to be HIV positive than before the mines opened. Mining operations also increase the likelihood of multiple sex partners by 70%, high-risk sex partners by 30%, and condomless sex by 70%.

Additionally, mining communities have 20% less knowledge about HIV than non-mining areas. Researchers from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute recently published these findings in the journal AIDS.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey’s Joining BRICS Can Be a Game Changer – by ISMAIL NUMAN TELCI (Politics Today – September 2, 2022)

October 20, 2022

Anasayfa

Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt want to strengthen their ties with BRICS members, and this interest is not one-sided.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine not only led to a war between the two countries, but also brought about a discursive and value-laden struggle between western and eastern countries. The most recent developments indicate that the East-West axis in international relations entail costs on both sides.

Political, military, and economic changes in the Middle East, the Caucasus, and the Balkans immensely affect the choices of regional actors’ foreign policies who have to choose between the policy options set before them by Russia, China, or the Western powers with the U.S. taking the lead among the latter.

Climate changed: Mining industry digs into alternative methods as risks rise – by Ian Bickis (Canadian Press/Thompson Citizen – October 20, 2022)

October 20, 2022

https://www.thompsoncitizen.net/

In the North, some mines risk leaking acid if the permafrost melts, while across Canada heavier rainfall will add strain to tailings dams and a lack of it could throw operations.

While no strangers to extreme weather, the growing risks from climate change are forcing the mining industry to take a hard look at their methods, and how to prepare for the worst. Many of the most prudent actions to minimize risk are, however, also more costly, meaning that while some have taken them on, not everyone has followed suit.

Uranium Snapshot: Seven juniors searching for the energy metal – by Norm Tollinsky (Northern Miner – October 20, 2022)

October 20, 2022

https://www.northernminer.com/

As the world looks for low-carbon energy solutions, more nations are coming to the conclusion that nuclear power needs to be part of the mix. Here are seven junior companies looking for the next uranium deposits to power the nuclear renaissance.

BASIN URANIUM

In early September, Basin Uranium (CSE: NCLR, US-OTC: BURCF) announced the intersection of significant uranium mineralization in first-phase drilling at its flagship Mann Lake uranium project in Saskatchewan’s Athabasca Basin.

There’s been only one company IPO this year on the TSX, and that’s a problem – by J. ARI PANDES and BRYCE C. TINGLE (Globe and Mail – October 17, 2022)

October 20, 2022

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

J. Ari Pandes is an associate professor of finance at the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business. Bryce C. Tingle, KC, is the N. Murray Edwards Chair in Business Law at the University of Calgary’s faculty of law.

In 2021, 33 operating companies each had an initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Pundits proclaimed, “The IPO market is back!” What a difference a year makes. To date in 2022, only one operating company has joined the TSX, and it was really a secondary sale related to a spinoff.

The stark drop in the number of IPOs this year is no surprise to us. This reflects not just wider economic conditions of higher interest rates and talk of a looming recession.

Doubts downstream: Residents of Libby, Mont., have heard selenium from Canadian coal mines isn’t a threat. But trust in industry is hard to come by after hundreds here died from minerals contaminated with asbestos. – by Joel Dryden and Rob Easton (CBC News – October 19, 2022)

October 20, 2022

https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/

Walking the streets of Libby, Mont., on a hazy September day, it’s not uncommon to hear the cough of a local resident. The picturesque, blue-collar town about an hour southwest of the Canada-U.S. Border in Montana’s north was once bustling with jobs thanks to nearby vermiculite mines. The work helped line locals’ wallets with steady pay. And lined their lungs with toxic asbestos dust.

Years of remediation have helped make the town of about 2,700 safe again following what government officials called the worst case of industrial poisoning of a community in American history. But residents are still struggling to rebuild after hundreds died, and approximately 2,400 have been diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases.

LMEWEEK-Spotlight on LME nickel debacle and the fate of Russian metal – by Pratima Desai (Reuters – October 19, 2022)

October 20, 2022

https://www.reuters.com/

LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) – Possible sanctions on Russian metal, lawsuits, a battle to recover trust and a slump in nickel trading after the March fiasco are just some of the headwinds facing the London Metal Exchange (LME) as the industry prepares to meet in the British capital.

Market fundamentals and industry developments typically dominate talks between producers, traders, miners and end users, crowned by cocktails and dinner in London’s Mayfair district.