Codelco plans to cut carbon emissions by 70% by 2030
Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, outlined plans for sustainable development in five areas of action, including cutting carbon emissions by 70 per cent by 2030, reducing inland water consumption by 60 per cent and recycling 65 per cent of industrial waste.
The state-owned mining company, which in 2017 planned to sell "green copper" to customers using more sustainable practices such as renewable energy, is leaning towards a broader approach.
Bluejay Mining is licensed for the Dundas Ilmenite project in Greenland
Bluejay Mining said on Monday that it had obtained a licence for its Dundas ilmenite project in Greenland, which would allow it to move towards the construction phase.
The license is initially valid for 30 years, and Bluejay could produce 440,000 tons of ilmenite annually over an initial 11-year mining period.
Securing key licenses will help Bluejay further its financing discussions with existing and new stakeholders.
The company said the Dundas project requires an investment of $245 million.
Energy Fuels will produce mixed carbonated rare earth by 2021
Energy Fuels has signed a three-year supply agreement with the Chemours Company.
The company buys at least 2,500 tons a year of natural monazite sand, one of the world's highest-grade rare-earth minerals.
Energy Fuels expects to process monazite at its Plant in White Mesa, Utah, starting in the first quarter of 2021 to recover the uranium and produce marketable rare earth carbonate mixtures.
With the success of the project Energy Fuels will be the first US company in several years to produce a commercially available mixed rare earth concentrate.
Sandfire will begin commercial production in the Copper belt of Botswana
Australia's Sandfire Resources said Monday it plans to begin commercial copper and silver mining in Botswana's Kalahari copper belt by 2022.
Carl Simic, Sandfire's chief executive, said the aim was to start production in 2022 and then start expanding capacity to 5.3m tonnes a year.
The mine will produce about 30, 000 tonnes of copper and 1.2 million ounces of silver a year for the first 10 years of operation.
The Kalahari copper deposit stretches nearly 1,000 kilometers from northeastern Botswana to western Namibia and is touted as one of the least explored copper and silver deposits in the world.
Cameco is suspending production at Its Cigar Lake uranium mine
Cameco announced on Monday that it will suspend production at Its Cigar Lake uranium mine in northern Saskatchewan for the next few weeks because of the increased risk of the COVID-19 outbreak.
On April 13, Cameco withdrew its production guidance for this year, and Cigar Lake had estimated it would produce the 9 million pound U3O8 in 2020.
As of September 30, Cigar Lake has produced 2.3 million pounds of uranium concentrate.
Anglo American will boost copper production
Anglo expects its annual copper output to grow by about 20 per cent by 2023 and 25 per cent by 2025, compared with production levels in 2018.
The increase will come from the start of production at its Quellaveco copper-and-molybdenum business in Peru in 2022, the company said.
Anglo American operates the mine in a joint venture with Mitsubishi of Japan as part of a diversified portfolio focused on commodities and base metals.
Rare earth producers plan to meet global environmental standards by 2021
Rare earth producers are under increasing pressure from industrial buyers over pollution and are developing a set of global environmental standards, the head of a rare earth industry association told Reuters.
Badrenas Verulli, president of the Global Rare earth Industry Association, said that because there is no unified framework for rare earths, producers must now follow a variety of standards and requirements.
Zambia's copper production will increase to 1 million tons in 2021
Zambia's copper output will rise to 1m tonnes in 2021, up 13.6 per cent from this year's forecast of 880,000 tonnes, thanks to rising demand for the metal from electric cars, rising prices and more small mines coming on line, the government said on Monday.
Musukwa, Zambia's minister of mines, said the country produced 644,000 tonnes of copper in the year to September, up 19.3 per cent from a year earlier.
Peru's mining exports rebounded strongly in October
Peru's mining exports recovered strongly in October, according to the Peruvian Association of Mines and Energy (SNMPE).
Copper exports rose 27 per cent year on year to $1.48bn.
Gold exports rose 11.3 per cent year on year to $825m.
Peru's mining industry has returned to 90 per cent of normal production levels and is expected to recover 100 per cent by the second quarter of 2020.
Mexico's mining output surged in October
Overall mining output in October was 8.9% higher than a year earlier, according to Inegi, a statistics agency.
That was the biggest increase in the past few years and was well above July's 6.3 per cent increase.
In metals and minerals, production of zinc and lead increased the most, up 22.4% and 19.8%, respectively, to 33,581 tons and 13,892 tons.
Copper production also rose 12.6 per cent to 39,471 tonnes.
Precious metals production also surged, with silver up 14.8 per cent to 297,281kg.
Gold rose 10.0% to 6,483kg.
For nonmetallic minerals, sulfur production increased 12.0 percent to 31,072 tons.
Fluorite production increased 11.3% to 112,017 tons;
Non-coking coal output rose 10.3% to 504,314 tons.
Gypsum production increased 5.1% to 48,014 tons.
