Chile's Strike-Hit Escondida Declares Force Majeure

 

The world's biggest copper mine, Chile's Escondida, halted concentrate sales on Wednesday as a six-day strike showed no sign of ebbing, stoking fears about global supplies of the metal.

 

The surprise stoppage at Escondida was the latest in a wave of protests at mines from Asia to Africa as workers demand more from a bonanza in copper prices.

 

The mine operator said in a statement it declared force majeure — a clause that frees it of liability on delays in shipments — on most of its output. It said the length of the force majeure hinged on the strike.

 

The strike has sparked stoppage threats across mines in Chile, the world's top copper producer, but contagion fears eased on Wednesday after President Sebastian Pinera met with  union members at state giant Codelco.

 

Escondida unions threatened to take over the deposit if owner BHP Billiton uses strikebreakers to resume operations at a mine that extracts about 7 percent of the world's copper.

 

"If the company tries to do that, the strike will turn into a takeover," said union leader Roberto Arriagada after filing a suit against the company for alleged illegal labor practices.

 

Chances of a prolonged stoppage grew as BHP has also dug in, dismissing any talks while workers continue with a strike it deems illegal and threatening to fire them.

 

The force majeure applies to sales of copper concentrate, the crushed, unrefined mineral. Concentrate represents about 72 percent of Escondida's annual output. The mine did not say what was the status of its copper cathode sales.

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Workers have demanded an $11,000 bonus linked to company earnings to compensate for a fall in production level compensation. The bonus is discretionary and not part of the collective agreement.

 

Despite the strike, copper prices actually fell on Wednesday as investors remained fearful of the health of the global economy after weak U.S. economic data. Copper prices in  London fell 0.44 percent to $9,777 a tonne.

 

The last time Escondida workers downed tools in 2006, the strike had more influence on copper prices as the global  economy was growing strongly and China was stepping up copper purchases.

 

The latest strike also comes just days after a walkout by workers at Codelco — the first in nearly 20 years — and six months following a month-long strike at Collahuasi, the world's No. 3 copper mine.

 

Collahuasi union workers have threatened stoppages of their own for benefits. They have agreed to continue talks with the  operator of the mine, jointly owned by Xstrata  and Anglo American , but have warned they could strike.

 

Tensions appeared to ease at Chile's Codelco, the world's No. 1 copper producer, after Pinera met with union leaders and reaffirmed his government would not privatize the state enterprise as workers fear.

 

"We are more at ease now," Julio Jalil, one of the leaders of Codelco's labor federation, told Reuters after the meeting. "But this is not over yet, he has to deliver on the promises he made to us."

 

Codelco unions are fighting to regain their influence in  the company after CEO Diego Hernandez, former head of BHP base metals unit, started a deep restructuring of the state giant to better compete with leaner private rivals.

 

Earlier this week, Codelco also defused an immediate stoppage threat after agreeing to hold talks with thousands of contract workers demanding more benefits.

 

Any prolonged strike at Escondida could draw in workers from other private mines in a solidarity stoppage.

 

The Escondida strike marks a rare precedent among private mines in Chile where strict labor laws allow employers to fire workers who strike outside collective contract negotiations.

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Escondida settled a 44-month contract with workers in 2009, so the latest stoppage is a signal unions have a shorter fuse and have been encouraged by a raft of protests by miners, environmentalists and students against the government of increasingly unpopular Pinera.

KBR Secures EPC Contract for US Project

 

Molycorp's subsidiary has awarded an engineering, procurement and construction contract to KBR to construct a new chlor-alkali plant at its $781m Project Phoenix in California, US.

 

The contract is part of the expansion and modernisation of Molycorp's rare earth facility.

 

The chlor-alkali plant will allow Molycorp to recycle virtually all of the water used in the chemical separation of individual rare earth elements at Mountain Pass.

 

The plant will also allow the company to recycle the chemical reagents needed in rare earth oxide manufacture, reducing the environmental footprint of US rare earth production at Mountain Pass.

 

Molycorp chief technology officer and executive vice president John Burba said the technology will help position Molycorp as environmentally superior in the rare earth manufacturing, as well as the world's lowest cost producer.

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TOML Receives Exploration Licences in Eastern Pacific

Nautilus Minerals subsidiary, Tonga Offshore Mining (TOML), has been granted exploration licences in the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) of the Eastern Pacific region from the International Seabed Authority (ISA).

 

TOML has been granted about 75,000km² of prime exploration territory in the CCZ, which lies in international waters between Hawaii and Mexico, for an initial period of 15 years.

 

The CCZ consists of deposits of polymetallic nodules, rich in copper, nickel, manganese and cobalt, lying on the seafloor in water depths starting at 4,500m.

 

Nautilus CEO Steve Rogers said that the firm is planning to establish the capacity to expand its operations to undertake larger scale projects in the deeper waters of the CCZ.

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EMAL to Invest $4.5bn to Increase Aluminium Smelter Capacity

Emirates Aluminium (EMAL) will invest $4.5bn to double its aluminium smelter's annual capacity, as part of its phase two expansion programme.

 

On completion, the aluminium smelter's annual capacity will rise to 1.3 million metric tons.

 

Under the programme, EMAL will construct a new potline within the EMAL complex at Al Taweelah, which will consists of 444 reduction cells, to produce an additional annual production capacity of 520,000 metric tonnes.

 

EMAL will install new generation DX+ reduction technology, which will offer benefits in terms of energy efficiency and environmental protection, the company has said.

 

The firm will also upgrade the technology installed at EMAL phase one, to increase its production capacity to 800,000 metric tons by the end of 2012.

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Grande Cache Receives Permit for Canadian Coal Mine

Grande Cache Coal has received an amended mine permit and a new mine licence from the Alberta Energy and Resource Conservation Board (ERCB) to develop its new No. 12 South B2 underground operation in Canada.

 

Currently the firm is assembling the necessary equipment, support facilities and infrastructure required for the new mining area.

 

The No. 12 South B2 underground operation has an estimated coal resource of 12.3Mt and is expected to start production in the third quarter of 2012.

 

Grande Cache Coal's president and CEO Robert Stan said that ERCB's approval will contribute to the firm's goal of increasing the annual production to a target rate of 3.5Mt by the end of 2013.

 

Grande Cache Coal sold 390,000t of coal during the three months that ended June 30th 2011 compared with 450,000t in the same period last year.

 

An equipment malfunction at Westshore Terminals in the latter part of June and shipping delays resulted in two vessel loadings being delayed until the first week of July.

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ENRC Completes Expansion of Kazakh Alumina Refinery

 

Eurasian Natural Resources (ENRC) has completed the expansion of its alumina refinery Aluminium of Kazakhstan in Kazakhstan, with a expenditure of $305m.

 

The refinery has reached its target alumina production level of 1.7Mtpa.

 

The expanded refinery will support larger alumina and aluminium production capacity and will enable ENRC to maintain sales to third party customers and provide sufficient alumina for internal consumption.

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ENRC CEO Felix Vulis said that with the expansion, the firm will be able to increase both internal consumption and external sales of alumina, underpinning ENRC's ability to maintain a competitive advantage as a low-cost producer.

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Stone Crusher in malaysia quarry machinery process : UCIL Gets Go Ahead for Uranium Processing Unit in India

 

The state Government of Karnataka has approved a proposal by the Uranium Corporation of India (UCIL) to set up a uranium mining and processing unit at Yadgir district in Karnataka.

 

The unit will be established with an investment of Rs5.5bn ($122m).

 

According to initial estimates, the firm is planning to extract 500t of iron ore a day and recover 1kg/t of uranium, reports Business Standard.  crusher

 

Mines and Geology director HR Srinivasa said UCIL should complete the environment impact assessment report and seek approval from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, before commencing work to mine.  crusher in malaysia

 

The firm has also found rich deposits of uranium in Dharwad and Belgaum districts of Karnataka, India.   stone crusher

Impact crusher mobile jaw crusher for sale with ball mill manufacturers : Quadra FNX Receives EIA Approval for Chile Project

Quadra FNX Mining has received environmental impact assessment (EIA) approval for its Sierra Gorda project in Region II, northern Chile.

 

Sierra Gorda project is a joint venture between Quadra FNX, Sumitomo Metal Mining and Sumitomo Corporation.

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According to the feasibility study report, the project has estimated reserves of 483Mlb of copper, 25Mlb of molybdenum and 64,000 oz of gold per annum over a mine life of 20 years.

 

Quadra FNX president and CEO Paul Blythe said that with the receipt of EIA approval and all major  mining and process equipment in place, the firm will start the construction of the project.

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The company is expected to begin production at the Sierra Gorda project in 2014.  ball mill manufacturers

 

Limestone crusher plant with coal crusher machine & ball mill for sale : China copper imports up 10% in May on more attractive pricing

 

China's copper imports rose 9.9 percent from a month ago in June on the back of more attractive import prices, while shipments of key commodities such as crude oil, iron ore and aluminium fell, data from the General Administration of Customs showed.

 

China's imports grew a surprisingly weak 19.3 percent in June from a year earlier, slowing from the 28.4 percent pace in May, reflecting softer domestic demand as a tighter monetary policy starts to bite.

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Copper imports to China, the world's leading copper and aluminium consumer, climbed to 280,009 tonnes in June, up from 254,738 tonnes in May.

 

"June's arbitrage ratios were attractive for imports," Zhuo Guiqiu, an analyst at Minmetals Futures said ahead of the release of the data. He added that some of the imports may have been delivered from the LME warehouses in Singapore and South Korea, the nearest LME warehouses to China.

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"Demand was not bad in June and should be able to absorb increased imports," Zhuo said.

 

However, total copper imports for the first six months of 2011 was down 23.8 percent from a year ago at 1.7 million tonnes, the customs agency said on Sunday.

 

China is the world's second-largest consumer of crude oil, and June imports fell 8.6 percent from the previous month to 19.7 million tonnes. Oil product imports rose a marginal 0.3 percent from month ago to 3.4 million tonnes.

 

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Imports of unwrought aluminium, including primary, alloy and semi-finished aluminium products, fell by 13.9 percent to 64,491 tonnes. China had shipped in 74,880 tonnes in May.

 

Iron ore imports in June also dipped to 51.09 million tonnes, compared with 53.30 million tonnes in the preceding month.

Manufacturers of Belt conveyors SBM crusher and Grinding mill plant for sale : China’s Jinchuan moves to trump Vale’s bid for Metorex with R9.1bn offer

Shares in JSE-listed Metorex climbed by nearly 7% on Tuesday, after the base metals miner a higher competitive offer to the one received from Brazil Vale from Chinese company Jinchuan.

 

Jinchuan put in a bid of R8.90 for every Metorex share, or R9.1-billion, topping Vale's offer of R7.35 a share, or R7.5-billion.

 

The offer comes only two weeks before Metorex shareholders were meant to vote on the Vale acquisitions.

 

Metorex chairperson Rob Still said that the company's board considered the Jinchuan offer to be superior to that of Vale,but that the Brazilian group had an opportunity to match, or improve, the offer before July 15.

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Speaking during a press conference, Jinchuan's Peter Denen said that Vale had been informed of its counter offer, but had not yet responded. "It would be difficult to speculate on whether or not Vale would be impelled to enter a counter bid," he added.

 

Vale had previously indicated that it was not interested in entering into a bidding war for Metorex.

 

Jinchuan is China's largest producer of nickel, cobalt and platinum group metals, as well as one of the top three producers of refined copper.

 

One of the company's focus areas include copper in Africa and with copper smelting and refining capacity already reaching 600 000 t.

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Jinchuan is also in the process of increasing its copper production base in Guangxi province in southern China, which is specifically designed to receive and process imported materials in order to meet the rapidly growing Chinese market demand, Metorex said in a statement.

 

Metorex has two operating copper mines, including the Chibuluma mine, in Zambia, in which it holds an 85% interest, and Ruashi, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in which it holds a 75% interest.

 

It has three projects in the DRC, one in a development phase and two in the exploration phase.

 

Jinchuan already has a regional office in Johannesburg to support its operational efforts in Africa. Jinchuan mergers and acquisition vice-president Sanlin Zhang pointed out that if the Metorex deal went through, it would be the company's second transaction in South Africa. Grinding Mill

 

Last year, the group also acquired a 45% interest in the South African platinum group metals company Wesizwe. Zhang believed that the group had both a technological and financial advantage over other potential competitive bidders.

 

Metorex shares climbed as high as R8.60 on the news of Jinchuan's offer, from Monday's closing price of R8.04 a share.

 

"This offer is a compelling opportunity for Metorex shareholders to realise value for their investment," said Zhang.

 

If the transaction goes ahead, Metorex would be delisted from the JSE, and would essentially then an unlisted company as Jinchuan is not listed.

Rescuers rush to reach 42 trapped in Chinese mines

Rescuers make their way into a mine after it collapsed in Heshan in Guangxi Province, China, where rescuers found three bodies at the site of the accident on Saturday. China suffered two mining accidents that left three workers dead and 42 people trapped underground, state media said, the latest incidents to hit the nation's dangerous collieries.

 

A buildup of volatile gas hampered rescue efforts in one Chinese coal mine and water continued to pour into another as emergency crews raced to reach 42 people trapped yesterday for a second day, officials and state media reports said.

 

The accidents — a cave-in at one mine and a flood at the other — occurred on Saturday in two southern provinces after days of heavy rains.

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At the Heshan mine in Guangxi Province, rescuers vented explosive gas released from coal seams and pumped out silt-filled water as they tried to reach 19 miners believed to be 390m underground, the state media reports said. China Central TV interviewed a miner who said he heard a loud explosion before the cave-in, which killed at least three miners.

 

Despite constant pumping overnight and throughout the day, water levels rose inside the Niupeng mine in Guizhou Province as water poured in from -unidentified locations, Xinhua news agency said.

 

Besides trapping 21 miners, two more people were believed to have been inside the mine when it flooded and were reported missing yesterday, the reports and a local safety official said.

 

The China News Service said the two — a relative of the owner and someone accompanying him — had entered the mine without registering. The Niupeng mine, gold mining equipment which was under construction and not operating at the time of the accident, is privately run. Such mines tend to have worse safety standards. Heavy demand for coal to fuel China's economy has made Chinese mines among the world's deadliest, despite constant safety campaigns that have managed to reduce fatal accidents.

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On Saturday, the State Administration of Work Safety released its latest order for vigilance after accidents at four other mines and at a construction site and a port left 26 people dead in the past two weeks.