Private capital carves out mining niche with specialist focus

Generalist investment funds are having a hard time keeping up with the success private capital lenders have enjoyed in the mining space in recent quarters, with private equity firms carving out... 

Barrick founder Peter Munk passes at 90

Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist Peter Munk passed away peacefully in Toronto on Wednesday, miner Barrick Gold said in an announcement. Munk will best be remembered in mining circles for... 

Husky Energy faces ten charges over 2016 oil spill

A 19-month investigation into an oil spill into the North Saskatchewan River has resulted in ten charges being filed against Husky Energy and Husky Oil Operations, Environment and Climate Change... 

Orano lifts Midwest project resources

Uranium producer Orano Canada (formerly Areva Canada Resources) has reported a 287% increase in the compliant inferred resource at its Midwest project, located in the eastern Athabasca basin,... 

Gensource inks second offtake accord with potash major

Potash project developer Gensource Potash has secured a second potash offtake deal in a week with a hitherto unnamed senior North American agriculture industry player. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan-based... 

Champion to send off first shipment of up to 200 000 t high-grade iron-ore

Canadian miner Champion Iron Ore announced on Tuesday that preparations for the first shipment of high-grade iron-ore from subsidiary Quebec Iron Ore’s (QIO’s) Bloom Lake mine, in Quebec, are under... 

North American Palladium makes PGM discovery at Sunday Lake

Winter exploration results from the Sunday Lake platinum-group metals (PGM) deposit, 25 km northeast of Thunder Bay, Ontario, has led to the discovery of new PGM mineralisation in the central part... 

Gahcho Kué flexes cash flow muscle

The Gahcho Kué diamond mine, in Canada’s Northwest Territories, has demonstrated strong cash flow generating capabilities over the operation’s first two commercially active financial quarters.... 

Stornoway swings to FY loss

Diamond producer Stornoway Diamond Corp has swung to a net loss of $114.6-million for 2017, compared with net income of $19.6-million in 2016. Longueuil, Quebec-based Stornoway said its full-year... 

Mexican federal court approves Odyssey’s offshore sulphate mining permit; others to benefit

The Mexican Superior Court issued a unanimous ruling this week in favour of Nasdaq-listed Odyssey Marine Exploration’s subsidiary Exploraciones Oceánicas (ExO), which overturned a previous denial... 

Largo narrows FY17 loss as record Q4 output, rising metal prices boost bottom line

Canadian vanadium producer Largo Resources has narrowed its net loss for 2017 to C$10.4-million, or C$0.02 a share, as record fourth-quarter production dovetailed into higher realised prices for... 

SLAM stakes new cobalt project in Bathurst Mining Camp

Base metals-focused project generator SLAM Exploration's shares jumped 50% on Friday after the junior announced that it had acquired a new cobalt exploration property in the Bathurst Mining Camp of... 

US Army Corps announces scoping period for Northern Dynasty’s Pebble project

The US Army Corps of Engineers' Alaska District will publish a notice of intent in the US federal register next week to prepare a draft environmental-impact statement (EIS) to review the Pebble... 

Eldorado falls to new 52-week low as Q4 results, technical studies fail to impress

Canadian gold producer Eldorado Gold has slipped to a fresh 52-week low on both the TSX and NYSE on Thursday after it reported disappointing fourth-quarter financial results and a 10% fall in... 

Barrick bags another confidence boost as S&P upgrades rating to ‘BBB’, stable

The world’s largest gold producer Barrick Gold’s intensive corporate strategy to reduce debt and company-wide costs over the last several quarters has been paying off, with a second major credit... 

Excellon swings back into black on dry mining conditions

Mexico’s highest-grade silver producer, Excellon Resources, has reported its first quarterly headline profit since the second quarter of 2016, thanks to optimisation efforts to effectively dewater... 

RNC seeks alternatives for Beta Hunt as it prioritises Dumont development

The TSX-quoted equity of diversified miner RNC Minerals jumped 11.5% on Thursday following the company announcing that it will prioritise development of the Dumont nickel/cobalt project, in the... 

BC govt unveils tax incentives to induce Kitimat LNG development

The British Columbia minority government on Thursday unveiled several measures to entice natural gas development in Kitimat, where LNG Canada is working towards a development decision on a new... 

Wheaton Precious Metals beats 2017 guidance, lifts dividend 29%

The world’s largest precious metals streaming firm Wheaton Precious Metals has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.09 a share – up 29% year-on-year as record production lifted the bottom line. The... 

Caledonia Mining hits new production record at Blanket mine; to increase mine stake

Aim- and TSX-listed gold producer Caledonia Mining has achieved a new production record at its flagship Blanket mine, in Zimbabwe, reporting an 11.5% year-on-year improvement in output to 56 133 oz... 

Rising synthetic diamond output lifts discount to natural stones

An analysis from independent New York-based diamond analyst Paul Zimnisky has shown that prices for synthetic laboratory-created diamonds are falling at an accelerating pace. Lab-created diamonds... 

B2Gold sets record straight as Mali mulls mining code amendments

Canadian miner B2Gold has issued a statement confirming that the full details of any proposed new Mali mining code and the timing for its implementation are not known at this time. The miner... 

Global copper deficit widens 21% in 2017 as refined supplies stagnate

The latest data from the Lisbon, Portugal-based International Copper Study Group (ICSG) points to a 21% year-on-year widening in the global deficit of refined copper, as refined supplies remain... 

Oyu Tolgoi completes sinking Shaft 5

Mongolia’s massive Oyu Tolgoi copper/gold mine has achieved its latest important milestone after sinking of the new Shaft 5 has been completed. The shaft has a final depth of 1 178 m. 

Emgold outlines nearly 300 000 oz of gold, plans 2-phased approach to develop Golden Arrow

A technical report on the Golden Arrow deposit, in Nevada, has outlined compliant indicated and measured resources of nearly 300 000 oz of gold, showing the project is deserving of further work to... 

First Cobalt undertakes study to assess mine waste rock; success could impact overall strategy

ASX- and TSX-V-listed First Cobalt has launched a metallurgical study on the high-grade inventory of refinery residue and crushed waste rock material located near the company’s mill facility,... 

Eco Oro pursues $764m suit against Colombia as Angostura project postures to perish

Junior project developer Eco Oro Minerals is pursuing a $764-million judgement against Colombia after a court ruling has cancelled exploration over half its concession as part of national efforts... 

Capstone reports Cozamin fatality

Operations at Canadian base metals miner Capstone Mining’s Mexico-based Cozamin mine were temporarily suspended on Sunday, after an electrician lost his life while working on an underground voltage... 

EV adoption rate reaching critical mass as search for ethical cobalt heats up

Cobalt company Cobalt 27 is seeing an ideal storm brewing for its key commodity as the adoption rate of electric vehicles (EVs) accelerates faster than even optimistic forecasts had speculated.... 

US Congressional action underscores strong desire to establish domestic REE supply chains

Recent US Congressional actions point to a strong desire to establish domestic rare earth element (REE) supply chains, as the industry seeks to diversify away from dominant producer and consumer –... 

Yauricocha strike ends, not to impact Sierra Metals guidance

TSX- and NYSE American-listed Sierra Metals reported that a wildcat strike by less than 10% of workers employed at its Yauricocha mine, in Peru, has ended with minimal disruption and no expected... 

Anaconda turns hostile in bid to buy Maritime Resources

The TSX-V-listed stock of junior explorer Maritime Resources jumped by 20% on Monday morning following an announcement by Atlantic Canada-focused project consolidator Anaconda Mining that it... 

Alio to lift output 65% this year through Rye Patch Gold buy priced at C$128m

The TSX-V-listed equity of Rye Patch Gold jumped more than 11% on Monday following a joint announcement with junior explorer Alio Gold that the companies have agreed to execute a plan of... 

Wheaton Precious Metals portfolio biased to gold as organic growth pipeline lags

Canadian streaming firm Wheaton Precious Metals (WPM) has seen the proportion of precious metals in its production profile shift, with about two-thirds weighted to gold, as several of its... 

Relaxed export, production quotas an 'inflection point' for Chile's lithium industry

In the days following conservative billionaire Sebastian Pinera being sworn in as president of Chile for a second term on Sunday, the new government is signalling a more relaxed approach to the... 

Kinross adopts new 'poison pill'

Dual-listed miner Kinross Gold has adopted a new shareholder rights plan to replace the expiring existing document from March 29, the company announced on Thursday. The new plan will ensure that... 

Mistrust between miners, host govts hampering efforts to realise African Mining Vision

Endemic mistrust between private sector miners and African jurisdictions belies the spirit and objectives set out in the African Union's African Mining Vision, an audience attending the eighth... 

Oliphant talks up Mantashe's mining pedigree in Toronto

South Africa's Deputy Mineral Resources Minister Godfrey Oliphant talked up the mining pedigree of newly installed Minister Gwede Mantashe during the recent Prospectors and Developers Association... 

Paradigm shift required to position mining industry for long-term success

The long-term mindset of the mining industry will have to change to position itself for long-term success, set against an ever-changing landscape, says BHP Billiton's head for Minerals America,... 

Fission's latest drill results mark steady high-grade march westward as PLS expands

The final four drill holes of Fission Uranium's winter exploration campaign on the R1515W zone, at its Patterson Lake South (PLS) property, in Canada's Athabasca Basin region, have all returned...