Mining and Exploration

Ron Tremblay, president and chief executive officer, discusses the progress of the Cordero Project in Mexico and the exciting future ahead for this high value asset.

Although gold and silver mining in Mexico pre-dates the conquest of the Spanish, it was the arrival of Hernando Cortez in 1521 that sparked the lucrative exploitation of these precious metals. Today Mexico remains one of the world’s largest producers of these minerals and is recognised as a major destination for companies targeting exploration opportunities.

From its headquarters in Quebec, Canada, one company is revolutionising the way in which alumina and other high value materials are recovered from the earth. President, chief executive officer and director, Richard Boudreault explains.

The family’s offer to buy back its assets from the company for an estimated $1.4 billion has sent its shares rocketing by nearly 40 percent.

Listed on the London Stock Exchange, Bumi is a leading thermal coal group with interest in the largest coal producing assets in Indonesia. Reaction to the Bakrie family proposal has been overwhelmingly positive with analysts claiming it to be good news for Bumi’s shareholders.

East Asia Minerals (EAS) is proving it is possible to overcome obstacles to mine gold from challenging locations using sound management, local knowledge and a lot of determination.

Having established a reputation for solving tough industrial drying problems, particularly in the minerals industry, South African engineering company Drytech is now taking that expertise globally.

Following the re-opening of the plant, which was shut down in July, the company has revealed that three yellow stones weighing 27, 17 and 15 carats respectively, and three white stones weighing 12.4, 9.2 and 9.1 carats have been recovered during the last quarter.

Charles Wells, general manager of sustainability, talks about the company’s approach to sustainability and the initiatives it has in place to leave behind a positive social, environmental and economic legacy when it moves on.

High pressure grinding rolls offer financial and environmental benefits to mine owners over more conventional crushing and grinding technology—and in Australia, one supplier is leading the market.

Take-up on alternative technologies within the operational side of the mining industry can sometimes take a while to gather momentum; but when the financial and environmental benefits are made clear, the case for adoption becomes hard to resist.

Swakop Uranium is about to develop Namibia’s largest uranium deposit. CEO Norman Green talks about the challenges of the project and how the company is protecting the sensitive desert environment.

Following the recommendation of Xstrata’s board of directors to its shareholders to back the merger terms offered by the commodities trader, a vote will now be held on whether to accept the offer of 3.05 Glencore shares for every Xstrata share.

Should said offer by accepted, the merger is expected to bring together the respective strengths of the two companies, thus creating a unique natural resources company boasting a virtually unparalleled level of experience, industry know-how and expertise.