Mining and Exploration

When the world’s second largest diversified mining company Vale acquired the iconic Canadian nickel miner Inco five years ago it was the beginning of the largest investment in Canadian mining in the country’s history, as Cory McPhee explains to Gay Sutton.

This Canadian engineering company is making its mark in the mining industry with a contribution to energy saving and the environment. Alan Swaby talks to co-CEOs Marc Boudreau and Denis Pitre and to the corporate services/sales & marketing manager Pat Dubreuil.

Aficionados of Doctor Who will be familiar with the Tardis concept – a deceptively small exterior encompassing a surprisingly large interior. In engineering terms, the Canadian company BESTECH is not dissimilar.

Colossus Minerals has announced the acquisition of the Cutia Property in Brazil from Cooperativa Mista do Garimpeiro de Cutia. 

The property is located approximately thirteen kilometres to the southeast of its 75 percent owned Serra Pelada gold-platinum-palladium project. The Serra Pelada Project is a Colossus-COOMIGASP joint venture located in the State of Pará, Brazil.

Perth-based Image Resources is poised to move from an exploration company to minerals producer. George Sakalidis talks to Gay Sutton about the prospects that could transform the company into a major global force in zircon and titanium production.

Osisko Mining Corporation has released a preview of Canadian Malartic operational results for the quarter ended 31 December, 2011.

Fourth quarter operating highlights include gold production of 79,718 ounces, total gold production of 200,137 ounces for first partial year 2011, and an increase in grade mined in the fourth quarter averaging 0.96 g/t Au.

The company also said recoveries continue to be higher than feasibility modeling at 88.3 percent for the fourth quarter. Crusher construction is 60 percent complete as of 31 December, and on schedule.

South Africa's Exxaro Resources has confirmed its bid of up to A$338 million for Australia’s African Iron.

Buying African Iron would give Exxaro ownership of the Mayoko and Ngoubou-Ngoubou projects, located in the Republic of Congo in central West Africa.

A recently released study has revealed that Arizona’s copper mining industry contributed approximately $12.1 billion to the state’s economy and an estimated 73,100 jobs to Arizona residents in 2010.

According to the study prepared for the Arizona Mining Association (AMA), the $12.1 billion economic impact represented a 31 percent increase over 2009. Contributing to the overall performance of the copper mining industry was a rise in copper prices, partially offset by a slight decrease in production.

Oil and gas exploration in the North Sea is continuing apace with the award of a new licence in the UK 26th Licensing Round to a Northern Petroleum subsidiary.

The new licence is located offshore adjacent to Northern's Isle of Wight onshore licence, PEDL 240, which was awarded in May 2008. The part blocks—98/13 and 98/14—cover the offshore extension from PEDL 240 of a prospect that was mapped prior to 2008.

Two mineral exploration licences have been granted to the Gold & Minerals JV (G&M) by Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Ministry for Mineral Resources, for a period of five years.

KEFI Minerals, an AIM-quoted gold and copper exploration company, is the operating partner of G&M, holding a 40 per cent interest. To date the company has a total of three granted exploration licences and a total of 15 exploration licence applications in the Middle Eastern country.

UK-based Subsea 7 has won a contract worth $185 million from Elf Exploration UK on the West Franklin Field in the Central Graben area of the North Sea.

The scope of the subsea, umbilicals, risers and flowlines (SURF) contract includes engineering, procurement, fabrication, installation and commissioning of the Sealine Package associated with the West Franklin Phase 2 Development.