Kumba Iron Ore, an Anglo American subsidiary, said its Sishen and Kolomela iron ore mines in South Africa have been assessed against the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance’s (IRMA) comprehensive mining standard, achieving the IRMA 75 level of performance. The IRMA scoring system recognises four levels of performance: IRMA Transparency, in which a mine is third-party-assessed and publicly shares its…
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Sibanye Stillwater has confirmed the suspension of production from the Siphumelele shaft at its PGM operations in Rustenburg, South Africa. The company said 20 March that “damage to surface infrastructure” was sustained 29 February. Specifically, an ore collector bin attached to the shaft headgear sheared off and fell to ground, damaging a surface ore conveyor belt system. While no injuries…
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Canadian-based Eastern Platinum (Eastplats) has marked the soft start of the underground operations at Zandfontein, part of its flagship Crocodile River mine in the Bushveld complex in northeastern South Africa. CEO Wanjin Yang said crews are now beginning to ramp up underground mining efforts and bring run-of-mine material to the surface. In the second quarter, it is planning to begin…
Read MoreUnions in Guinea have suspended a nationwide strike that had put the brakes on the mining sector across the West African country, according to a Reuters report. The strike first began on 26 February and was primarily involving the application of a wage deal reached last November as well as lowering food prices and lifting internet restrictions. The news service…
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Rio Tinto’s board of directors has approved the “world’s biggest mining project” in West Africa, reported the Financial Times. The miner will invest $6.2 billion in the mine, rail and port project in Guinea. The Simandou project, which involves the construction of a 552,000-kilometer rail line, is being progressed in partnership with CIOH, a Chinalco-led consortium, Winning Consortium Simandou, Baowu…
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Rhovan, a Glencore Ferroalloys managed vanadium mining and processing facility in South Africa, has commenced construction of a 25-megawatt solar photovoltaic plant that is expected to supply approximately 30% of the operations’ annual energy demand.
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Niger’s junta has temporarily suspended the granting of new mining licences and ordered an audit of the sector, reported Reuters. The West African nation has the continent’s highest-grade uranium ores and is the world’s seventh-biggest producer of uranium, noted the news agency. France’s state-owned Orano operates the SOMAÏR open-pit uranium mine in northern-central Niger. Those operations have continued despite a…
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Barrick has confirmed it is accelerating progress for the Lumwana copper mine’s Super Pit project in Zambia, estimating first production in 2028. Barrick President and CEO Mark Bristow advised Zambian president Hakainde Hichilema of the fast-track during a meeting on 23 January. The project includes transforming Lumwana into one of the world’s major copper mines, with projected annual production of…
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Underground mining contractor Murray & Roberts Cementation and its client Palabora Mining (PMC) celebrated the last blast at the new ventilation shaft, which took its depth to a final 1,200 metres below surface on 9 January. The 8.5 metre diameter upcast vent shaft – which holed through to an already developed return air way at depth – is vital to…
Read MoreA tunnel collapse at an artisanal gold mine in Mali has taken the lives of more than 70 workers, per an AFP report. The incident occurred on 19 January but was confirmed by a local gold mining group leader on 24 January. Local media have said 73 bodies have been recovered from the operation in the southwestern town of Kangaba,…
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