State-run Korea Mine Rehabilitation and Mineral Resources (KOMIR) is seeking 1 trillion won (US$747.1 million) from the government of Panama over expected losses from the shutdown of the Cobre Panama copper mine, reported The Korea Economic Daily. KOMIR had acquired a 10% stake in Minera Panama, a subsidiary of First Quantum Minerals, in 2009. Minera Panama is the operator of…
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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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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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