Republic of Mining

Coal-Loving Australia Rejects Green Hub on Environment Risks – by Heesu Lee (Bloomberg News – June 21, 2021)

June 21, 2021June 21, 2021

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) One of the world’s biggest fossil fuels exporters rejected a proposal to build a massive renewable energy hub over concern about its environmental impact.

The Asian Renewable Energy Hub, which planned 26-gigawatts of wind and solar generation to produce hydrogen and ammonia, would have disrupted tidal movements and impacted the habitats and lifecycle of native species, according to a statement from Australia Environment Minister Sussan Ley’s office.

While scrutiny of mining and energy projects has intensified after the destruction of indigenous sites in Western Australia by Rio Tinto Group, the rejection of the green hub sparked criticism that leaders in Canberra favor fossil fuel projects.

Why is gold down nearly $100 after Fed shakes up markets? – by Anna Golubova (Kitco News – June 17, 2021)

June 17, 2021

https://www.kitco.com/

(Kitco News) In just 24 hours, gold managed to lose nearly $100 after the Federal Reserve signaled higher inflation and updated its dot plot projections, showing a possibility of two rate hikes as soon as 2023.

The news triggered a surge in the U.S. dollar and a rise in the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield, which weighed heavily on gold. The precious metal’s plunge was intensified by technical selling as gold tumbled below the $1,800 and came close to testing critical support at $1,770-60.

The market zeroed in on the upward revision to the PCE inflation forecast for 2021, which was raised a full percentage point – from 2.4% in March to 3.4%. This comes after very strong inflation readings in April and May.

ENERGY TRANSITION: US battery strategy aims to eliminate nickel, cobalt – by Andrea Hotter (Metal Bulletin – June 17, 2021)

June 17, 2021

https://www.metalbulletin.com/

Full Report: https://bit.ly/3cPTRCP

The United States has published a strategy for lithium-ion battery manufacturing which calls for the elimination of cobalt and nickel from the cathode by the end of the current decade.

It intends to achieve this through research and development into new technologies, with the goal of establishing a domestic battery supply chain that meets the demands of the growing electric vehicle (EV) and electrical grid storage markets, the government said in the strategy document.

The blueprint has been developed by the Federal Consortium for Advanced Batteries, which is led by the government’s departments of Energy, Defense, Commerce and State, and includes many other organizations across the US government.

Indigenous training funds flow for Geraldton-area gold mine project – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – June 17, 2021)

June 17, 2021

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Queen’s Park delivers $3.6 million to prepare the construction, mining workforce for Greenstone Gold open-pit mine

Greenstone Gold Mines will have a homegrown skilled workforce at its disposal by the time the green light is given to start construction of an open-pit gold mine and processing plant, south of Geraldton.

Provincial Labour, Training and Skills Development Minister Monte McNaughton announced $3.6 million in training dollars for up to 150 Indigenous trainees to get involved in the massive $1-billion development project.

“A good job is a source of dignity and pride,” said McNaughton in a June 17 webcall. “By preparing people for careers in the trades, you give them a shot at a solid future with great pay.”

Russia’s Nornickel uses digital tokens to fight illegal mining and trafficking of minerals – by Vladimir Basov (Kitco News – June 16, 2021)

June 17, 2021

https://www.kitco.com/

(Kitco News) – Russian mining giant Nornickel, the world’s largest producer of palladium and high-grade nickel and a major producer of platinum and copper, said that use of smart contracts in the company’s trading operations, where digital tokens are backed by the metals produced by the company, could help to fight illegal mining and trafficking of minerals, among other measures.

Nornickel delivered its suggestions during a roundtable dedicated to the fight against crime in the field of mining and circulation of minerals and precious metals.

The event was initiated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the World Customs Organization and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The Russian side was represented by Nornickel.

China’s Campaign to Control Commodities Goes Into Overdrive (Yahoo Finance/Bloomberg – June 16, 2021)

June 17, 2021

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/

(Bloomberg) — China has stepped up its campaign to rein in commodity prices and reduce speculation in a bid to ease the threat to its pandemic rebound from soaring raw material costs.

State-owned enterprises were ordered to control risks and limit their exposure to overseas commodities markets by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The companies have been asked to report their futures positions for Sasac to review, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is confidential.

Yellowknife to release draft reconciliation plan – by Emily Blake (Cabin Radio – June 14, 2021)

June 17, 2021

https://cabinradio.ca/

Indigenous governments and members of the public will soon get to weigh in on the City of Yellowknife’s plans for reconciliation work.

At a meeting on Monday, councillors discussed whether to release the city’s proposed reconciliation framework and action plan for public engagement.

The framework is a high-level document – to be reviewed every three to five years – that will serve as the foundation for how the city will “build respectful relationships and create a more inclusive representation” of Indigenous people.

The action plan, meanwhile, will list concrete actions the city will take to achieve those goals. Councillors appeared supportive of the plans, which were shared with the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and the North Slave Métis Alliance in February. “I feel like we’re on the right path,” said Councillor Niels Konge.

Aluminum industry faces big decarbonization challenges — report – by Staff (Mining.com – June 16, 2021)

June 17, 2021

https://www.mining.com/

A new report by Wood Mackenzie analyzes the challenges and opportunities that the future presents for aluminum, as the buildout of low-carbon energy supply and transmission will consume vast quantities of primary aluminum and associated alumina and bauxite.

Although such a forecast seems to be rosy, the market analyst says that the metal’s role in the green economy may be dampened by the fact that the industry will have to secure low-carbon power, which itself requires the use of low-carbon aluminium, among other metals.

“On a global basis, power accounted for close to 60% of greenhouse gas emissions relating to aluminum production in 2020,” the report reads, pointing out that the primary aluminum industry accounted for around 2.6% of global GHG emissions in 2020, of which 70% came from China.

History Of Phosphate Mining In Florida Fraught With Peril – by Steve Newborn (WUSF Public Media – June 16, 2021)

June 17, 2021

https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/

In our ongoing series on phosphate mines, WUSF reports on the long, tangled history of Florida’s phosphate mines and the environment.

At the construction entrance to the Piney Point phosphate plant – off Buckeye Road in northern Manatee County, just south of the Hillsborough County line – the smell of phosphate and gypsum hangs heavy in the air.

A bulldozer is busy pushing sand into a hole from which more than 200 million gallons of tainted water flowed into Tampa Bay. This isn’t the first time this has happened. Accidents like this fill the history books in Florida, including two here at this very site.

CEO vacuum at AngloGold turns it into world’s worst mining stock – by Adelaide Changole (Bloomberg News – June 17, 2021)

June 17, 2021

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

AngloGold Ashanti has had a bad year, with the company’s lack of a permanent chief executive officer and a suspension of its Ghana mine operations weighing on the stock. But with shares now cheap compared with peers, analysts see potential for upside.

Shares of the world’s third-largest gold producer have dropped 30% in the past year, making it the worst-performing stock in the 113-company Bloomberg World Mining Index. It also trails peers on South Africa’s FTSE/JSE Precious Metals and Mining Index, which has gained 20% in the same period.

Investor sentiment began to sour three days after the company’s shares rose to a record on July 27. That’s when AngloGold’s CEO Kelvin Dushnisky shocked stakeholders by announcing his resignation.

Liam Neeson’s ‘The Ice Road’ Netflix Movie: What We Know So Far – by Tigran Asatryan (What’s On Netflix.com – June 7, 2021)

June 17, 2021

https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/

Netflix has made another big purchase at the European Film Market along with Christian Bale’s The Pale Blue Eye and Colin Firth’s Operation Mincemeat. The third film the streamer acquired is The Ice Road, starring Liam Neeson.

The film that Netflix bought for $18M will be distributed by Netflix in the US (other regions’ availability not yet known) from June 2021. The Ice Road was written and directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, writer of Die Hard With a Vengeance, Jumanji and Armageddon.

Hensleigh also wrote and directed 2004 action movie The Punisher that starred Thomas Jane. The Ice Road is produced by Aperture Media (The Trial of Chicago 7, Atomic Blonde), Envision Media Arts (Mr. Church, Death of Me) and Code Entertainment (Kill the Irishman, Drowning Mona).

The U.S. has grand ambitions to conquer the global EV market — it can’t win without Canada – – by Ryan Castilloux (Financial Post – June 16, 2021)

June 17, 2021

https://financialpost.com/

Ryan Castilloux is managing director of Adamas Intelligence, which provides research on strategic materials and minerals.

A US$174-billion U.S. plan to spur domestic production and sales of U.S.-made electric vehicles while bolstering domestic supply chains, from raw materials to parts, dovetails with allies Canada and Australia’s ambitions to become leading suppliers of raw materials to parts.

The plan is part of the massive US$2-trillion spending plan unveiled by U.S. President Joe Biden in March, that aims at creating millions of “good jobs,” rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure, and positioning the U.S. to “out-compete China.”

From a raw materials perspective, there are four main facets of interest for the Canadian auto sector in the U.S.’s grand ambition to win the EV market.

De Beers Unit’s Gigantic Diamond Could Be Third-Biggest Ever – by Mbongeni Mguni (Bloomberg News – June 16, 2021)

June 17, 2021

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — Debswana Diamond Co., a unit of De Beers Plc, unearthed a 1,098 carat stone in Botswana on June 1, the largest since the company began operations five decades ago.

Preliminary analysis suggests the stone is the world’s third-largest gem-quality diamond ever after the Cullinan Diamond that was discovered in South Africa in 1905 and the Lesedi la Rona that was found in Botswana in 2015, according to Debswana acting Managing Director Lynette Armstrong.

Valuation by the Diamond Trading Co. Botswana is due in a few weeks and at this point, Debswana can’t say whether the rock will be sold by De Beers or through the Okavango Diamond Co., a state-owned trader that also holds the right to buy Debswana stones, Armstrong said.

Ottawa to review all new and expanded coal mine projects over water contamination concerns – by Emma Graney (Globe and Mail – June 17, 2021)

June 17, 2021

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Ottawa will review all proposals for new or expanded coal mines with the potential to contaminate waterways with an element called selenium, marking the second major coal policy shift from the federal government in a matter of days.

Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson told The Globe and Mail in an interview that while selenium has always been an issue in coal mining, there is growing concern about the harm it causes.

Selenium washes out of waste rock from coal mines and can be toxic to fish populations, causing deformities and ruining their ability to reproduce.

NEWS RELEASE: Mining Association of Canada Announces New Chair (June 16, 2021)

June 17, 2021

MAC’s Board of Directors elect David Clarry of Hudbay as Chair

OTTAWA, ON, June 16, 2021 /CNW/ – The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) is pleased to announce that David Clarry, Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility for Hudbay Minerals Inc., has been elected Chair of MAC for the next two-year term.

David comes to his new role with extensive experience in the mining sector, and significant familiarity with MAC having been a dedicated participant on multiple committees, including the Executive, International Social Responsibility, and Indigenous Relations committees, over the past several years.

“We are pleased to have David assume the leadership position at MAC,” said Pierre Gratton, President and CEO of MAC. “As a CSR leader in our sector, David is well versed on many of the issues affecting our industry today, including climate change, corporate responsibility, Indigenous collaboration and responsible business practices abroad.