Blesberg moving to contract mining: owner

African-focused miner Marula has confirmed it will transition to contract mining at the Blesberg lithium and tantalum mine in South Africa in February 2025. The move follows a months-long tender process; the selected firm will mobilise to the site in the first quarter of the new year. It will perform both larger-scale planned conventional open pit mining operations as well…

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Ramaco’s Brook mine deemed commercially, technically feasible

A newly released independent interim techno-economic report by Fluor has revealed that Ramaco Resources’ Brook mine in Wyoming – acquired as a coal operation but found to be prolific for rare earth elements – is both commercially and technically feasible. Full story.

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Vale restarts operations at Capanema

Photo: Léo Lopes Vale has begun commissioning its Capanema project, located 80 kilometers from Belo Horizonte in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Part of its Marianna complex, the project is set to strengthen the miner’s iron ore production by 15 million tons annually. “We are resuming operations at the Capanema mine with safer, more efficient and sustainable practices. Capanema will produce sinter…

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Vale closes Brazil transaction with Anglo American

Vale announced it has fulfilled all conditions precedent in its partnership with Anglo American, where the company has acquired a 15% equity interest in Minas-Rai mine complex owner Anglo American Minério de Ferro Brasil. Considering the closing of the transaction, Anglo American will now own the Serra da Serpentina assets previously owned by Vale in Brazil. Under the terms of…

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Rio Tinto offloads stake in Winu

Rio Tinto will sell a 30% stake in its Winu copper-gold project in Western Australia to Japan’s Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. for $399 million, reported Bloomberg. “This is a unique opportunity to derisk our investment,” said Katie Jackson, Rio’s chief executive of copper. “We look forward to working more broadly as strategic partners to find new ways to deliver value…

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Jennmar acquires Pyro-Chem suite from Wright-Mix

Jennmar has confirmed it has acquired a line of mine sealant products from the pyro-chem division of Wright-Mix Material Solutions (Wright-Mix). Jennchem, a Jennmar subsidiary, will add Pyro-Chem’s Pro Seal LX, Pro Seal TNT, Pyro-Chem TC, and Sealit Spray Mine Sealant to its product portfolio. The acquisition enables additional growth and customer service capabilities for Jennchem through expanding manufacturing capabilities…

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BYD, Vale join forces to study light fleet electrification

Vale and BYD have signed a letter of intent to explore the electrification of Vale’s light vehicle fleet. The study will evaluate the necessary infrastructure for recharging vehicles in Vale’s areas and test electric models like the BYD Dolphin and Shark pickup in operational areas. The initiative aims to reduce the use of fossil fuel-powered cars and contribute to the…

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Women in Mining releases 6th annual WIM100 winners

Women in Mining UK’s biennial list and publication of WIM100 “100 Global Inspirational Women in Mining” has been released for 2024. The 100 winners were selected from 570 individual nominations, and were the culmination of six months of evaluations and shortlisting. They are from 41 different countries in 2024, up from 40 in 2022 and 32 in 2020. When the…

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Sierra Metals’ Yauricocha hits full capacity

Canadian-based Sierra Metals has reported that its Yauricocha underground mine in Peru has reached a full capacity throughput rate of 3,600 tonnes per day since the beginning of the fourth quarter.  “Since receiving operating and environmental permits to develop and mine below the 1120 level at Yauricocha earlier in 2024, the team has done a terrific job developing this new…

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