Global metals miner Zijin confirmed it produced more than one million tonnes of mined copper 2023, and now has the distinction of being the first Chinese miner to do so. In total, the company said its production was 1.01Mt, or 54% of the total output of China, 1.87Mt, in 2022. In addition to copper, Zijin also said it had a…
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Chile’s state-owned Codelco has reached an agreement on a new contract with the union representing supervisors at its Chuquicamata copper mine, reported Reuters. “Codelco appreciates and values the dialogue and shared vision of the reality experienced by the company and, in particular, Chuquicamata,” said the miner, who did not specify the financial details of the contract. The agreement, noted Codelco,…
Read MoreCanadian miner First Quantum has confirmed two fatalities, both contractors, at its Kansanshi and Sentinel operations in Zambia. The first was a worker from a Reliant Drilling at the operator’s Kansanshi open-pit copper mine in the North Western province on 23 November. The incident involved a fall of ground at the underground dewatering decline. In a separate incident on Friday,…
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Canadian miner First Quantum Minerals has suspended commercial production at its flagship Cobre Panama copper mine in Panama after the country’s Supreme Court ruled its contract as unconstitutional, reported Reuters. President Laurentino Cortizo said in a televised address that “the orderly and safe closure of the mine” would begin as soon as the ruling was formerly published in the official…
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Panama President Laurentino Cortizo declared a total ban on all new mining projects, effective October 27, reported Reuters. Cortizo said the new restriction will apply to both future mining projects as well as those currently seeking permits. The abrupt halt comes as the government defends a controversial extension of First Quantum’s Cobre Panama contract. The deal guarantees the country an…
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Freeport-McMoRan’s Bagdad operation in Arizona will become the first copper mine in the United States to implement a fully autonomous haulage system (AHS). The miner will convert its fleet of 33 Cat 793 haul trucks using Cat MineStar Command for hauling. Full story.
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Trigon Metals said it achieved commercial production as of October 11 at its Kombat copper mine in Namibia. The milestone marks a major step forward in Trigon’s journey toward becoming a leading mid-tier copper producer. The miner said commercial production status was achieved swiftly in accordance with its targets. The mill started producing concentrate on August 3 then Triggon proceeded…
Read MoreExtending an already long-standing relationship with its customer, FLSmith said it recently delivered a trio of its Top Service Design (TSUV) gyratory crushers to a South American copper mine. The new order allows FLSmidth to overhaul existing equipment with newer crusher technologies to boost efficiency for the leading copper miner, the name of which the supplier did not disclose. The…
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First Quantum Minerals’ Minera Panama and the workers union Utramipa reached an agreement to avoid a planned strike at its Cobre Panama copper mine, reported Reuters. The news agency said Utramipa had threatened to stop work alleging an impasse in negotiation with the directors of Minera Panama over profit sharing and wage increases. Minera Panama confirmed in a September 9…
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Global engineering, procurement and construction giant Bechtel has chosen Latin American equipment remarketing expert Elebbre to manage a major auction of its equipment from a Chile mine expansion and desalination plant construction, all underpinned by the latest auction technology from Krank. The task of managing the sale of equipment such as dump trucks, boom trucks and cranes for one of…
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