Mining and Exploration

It was in 2009 that two senior geologists with the Greenlandic exploration company NunaMinerals decided that there was no question that Greenland was on the verge of transforming from a fisheries-based economy to a major player in key minerals. An exploration company, they reasoned, that really understood the regional geology as well as the most advanced technologies available would be urgently needed.

Friday 21 June 2013 marked a very special day in the calendar of the people of Greenland, being as it was the country’s National Day, a day used to celebrate the country’s cultural value and national identity. The date is also significant in that it marks the fourth anniversary of the signing of the Act that ushered in Greenland’s self-governance.

Everyone agrees that diamonds are special. De Beers is unlike other mineral extraction businesses in that, while it is involved in the familiar geological and feasibility work followed by mining and beneficiation, it follows that up with the production and marketing of a luxury end product. It deals in both rough diamonds and finished gemstones, but while diamond may be chemically simple, De Beers recognises 12,000 different categories of rough diamond alone – and that is before they are polished, cut, and set.

BASF, the world’s leading chemical company launched its new laboratory for mining on June 23 in Johannesburg. The new lab is based at MINTEK, the South African mineral research organization.MINTEK is one of the world’s leading technology organizations specializing in mineral processing and extractive metallurgy.

BASF, the world’s leading chemical company launched its new laboratory for mining on June 23 in Johannesburg. The new lab is based at MINTEK, the South African mineral research organization.MINTEK is one of the world’s leading technology organizations specializing in mineral processing and extractive metallurgy.

The niche Pesco has occupied so successfully is in the provision to its clients of specialised machinery, sourced from around the world, that they need in their operations. As a measure of its success we need only look at the sales graph: since it was founded in 1998 turnover has progressively risen from zero to more than $55 million in 2012.

“Gold is a most conservative and passive investment, but the same cannot be said of gold mining in emerging markets. To succeed here a company must be flexible and on the move. Its management must be adept and have a keen eye for untapped value.”

This past Friday 14 June, Mr Motlanthe presided over a special mining task team consisting of labour, government and mining company representatives. Together the team have put together a ten page draft agreement to reposition South Africa’s mining industry in order to make it more attractive to investors and enable the sector to contribute further to social and economic development.

Ever since it was first established in March of 1971 by Frank Pyott and Roger Boone, PBE’s (Pyott-Boone Electronics as it was previously known) mission has been to design and build reliable, high tech equipment to improve mine safety and productivity.

It is not hard to see why Resource Generation, a company listed on both the Australian and Johannesburg stock exchanges, was attracted to the Waterberg region of South Africa and in particular to the Boikarabelo coal mine which it has been developing since 2008. The area, in the north-east of South Africa close to the border with Botswana, is very accessible, and the quality of coal in the resource unrivalled.