Mining and Exploration

Dan Cartwright, president of Walter Energy’s Canadian operations, talks about developing reserves of a material that society can neither do without, nor replace.

Prospecting for natural resources is such a hit and miss affair that finding anything must come as a great relief. When new deposits of coal are found to consist of metallurgical rather than thermal grades, however, the champagne really starts to flow.

Westshore, with a capacity of 29 million tonnes per annum, is far and away the largest coal terminal in Canada handling more than the combined capacity of other ports on the North American west coast.

Zinc, one of Nyrstar's primary products, is vital to America's industrial regeneration, and one of the most reliable and highest grade sources comes from its underground mines in Tennessee.

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.