Rio Tinto has approved an earmark of $2.5 billion to expand the capacity of its Rincon lithium project in Argentina to 60,000 tonnes per year. Rincon is the company’s first commercial-scale lithium operation; that capacity is comprised of the 3,000-tonne starter plant and 57,000-tonne expansion plant. Rincon’s mine life is expected to be 40 years, with construction of the expanded…
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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…
Read MoreVale 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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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…
Read MoreTwo senior police officers were arrested in Brazil on suspicion that they took bribes and provided security for illegal gold mining activity in the Amazon, reported Reuters. Brazilian authorities suspect the two officers were receiving money to overlook and even provide private security for trading of gold illegally extracted from Indigenous lands and conservation areas, according to a court decision…
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Peru’s Congress has passed an extension to a scheme allowing temporary permits to be given to small-scale informal miners, which allows them to continue working while seeking formalization, reported Reuters. Legislators moved forward a bill proposed earlier by the Energy and Mining Legislative Committee to extend for six months a registry called REINFO, which is set to expire on 31…
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Photo: Ceibo Ceibo and Glencore‘s Lomas Bayas Mining Company have entered into a partnership to deploy the former’s proprietary leaching technologies that enable a more effective extraction of copper from low-grade sulfides. Lomas Bayas has validated Ceibo’s technology and is moving toward scaling up to assess this as an alternative to extend the life of their mining operations. The partnership…
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Silvercorp Metals and JV partner Salazar Resources said the Provincial Court of Bolivar, in the province of Ecuador where the El Domo project is located, dismissed an appeal against the project’s environmental license. This affirms the rights of its Ecuadorian subsidiary, Curimining, to continue construction of the copper-gold project. Additionally, the Canadian-based miner announced the repayment of US$13.25 million previously…
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Ionic Rare Earths and Viridis Mining and Minerals joint venture Viridion has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the owner of Lab Fab, the first rare earth magnet laboratory in South America, to secure rare earth magnet production capacity. The new pact with SENAI FIEMG Innovation and Technology Centre of Minas Gerais is set to make Viridion the first…
Read MoreA U.S. executive for Freeport-McMoRan has reportedly called a delay in Chile to enact reforms that would fast-track mining permits to be a ‘serious’ issue. Mario Larenas, Freeport’s top executive for Chile, said at a Santiago seminar that the country is grappling with regulatory hurdles that miners also argue slow project development. Currently, the government of Chile president Gabriel Boric…
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