Archive for December, 2006

Chile: Gaby on track to reach capacity by Jun 2008

Sunday, December 31st, 2006

Chile's state copper company Codelco is on track to reach full production at its US$766mn Gaby copper mine as planned by June 2008, a company official told BNamericas. The first copper cathodes are likely to be produced in March 2008. Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, awarded the Gaby EPCM contract to ...

Strike ends at Centerra Gold mine in Kyrgyzstan

Saturday, December 30th, 2006

An illegal work stoppage at Centerra Gold's (TSX: CG) Kumtor mine in the central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan has ended, the company said Friday. Normal mine operations were expected to restart Friday, Centerra said, after it reached an labour agreement over mine workers' two-year contract. Centerra's 53 per cent owner uranium giant ...

Baosteel, BHP agree iron ore price

Saturday, December 30th, 2006

Baosteel Group, China's largest steelmaker, said Saturday it had agreed to pay 9.5 percent more for iron ore from Australian miner BHP Billiton. The deal follows a similar agreement with Brazilian miner Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, or CVRD, signed Thursday in Shanghai. The price rise, agreed late Friday, would take effect ...

DuPont raises prices on titanium dioxide grades for Middle East and Africa

Friday, December 29th, 2006

DuPont Titanium Technologies announced Thursday a $100-per-ton price increase for all DuPont titanium dioxide grades in the Middle East and Africa. The price increases go into effect on Jan. 1, 2007, or as permitted by contract. According to Dupont Titanium Technologies, the increase is supported by market dynamics and significant increases in ...

Bad flooding halts mining in Zambia’s Mopani Copper Mine

Friday, December 29th, 2006

Copper production has halted at the Mopani Copper Mines (MCM), due to heavy flooding at the two shafts at Mindolo, in Kitwe, Zambia. MCM is Zambia's second largest copper mining firm, with copper production estimated at about 200,000 tonnes of copper annually. Although the MCM management declined to shed any light ...

Proto Resources acquires Tasmanian nickel project and considers development options

Friday, December 29th, 2006

Proto Resources & Investments Limited (ASX: PRW) Friday announced the purchase of the Barnes Hill nickel project in Tasmania and will immediately commence studies of possible development options. Proto has acquired the advanced project outright from Discovery Metals Limited (formerly Discovery Nickel Limited), which is actively rationalising its Australian assets in ...

Jinchuan Nickel’s Philippine mine negotiations deadlock

Friday, December 29th, 2006

Jinchuan Nickel Group's proposed nickel mining project on Nonoc Island in the Philippines is on hold because its partner kept raising its terms on the back of a buoyant nickel market, a company official said Tuesday. The negotiations have been difficult in many aspects and progress depends on further communication between ...

African Copper: Mining licence granted for Dukwe project, final permitting hurdles cleared

Thursday, December 28th, 2006

African Copper Plc (TSX:ACU)(AIM:ACU)(BSE:AFRICAN COPPER) announced Friday that the Government of Botswana has granted a Mining Licence for its 100% owned Dukwe Project. The granting of this 25-year Mining Licence follows the approval of the Environmental Impact Assessment ("EIA") and the Environmental Management Plan ("EMP"), the granting of Water Abstraction Rights ...

World average stainless steel prices – Latest forecasts from MEPS

Thursday, December 28th, 2006

In the short term we forecast stainless steel prices moving even higher, due to further nickel price rises on the LME during December. This gain will impact on transaction values into the second quarter of 2007. March should be the highest month with cold rolled 304 transaction figures reaching almost $US4,900 per ...

North American Tungsten: Cantung numbers grow

Wednesday, December 27th, 2006

The updated NI 43-101 report for the Cantung tungsten mine near Watson Lake includes expanded resources, according to owner NORTH AMERICAN TUNGSTEN of Vancouver. Numbers were given for both open pit and underground mineralization. The indicated resources recoverable from underground are 1.27 million tonnes at 1.76% WO3. There are also ...