MINEX Forum

Region: Europe

  • Polish infrastructure too cramped for Ukrainian business – Metinvest commercial director

    Polish infrastructure too cramped for Ukrainian business – Metinvest commercial director

    The Polish infrastructure is too small for Ukrainian business and cannot replace the blocking of ports in the Black Sea by the aggressor, Dmytro Nikolayenko, commercial director of Metinvest, said in an interview with the Polish business publication WNP.PL.

    The commercial director of the company noted that the metallurgical and mining industry of Ukraine was previously export-oriented: the country exported 80% of metal products and iron ore raw materials. All logistical routes, including the railroad and ports, could handle it.

    At the same time, he recalled that Metinvest’s business has an international dimension. As an international mining and metallurgical group, the company has production facilities not only in Ukraine, but also in Bulgaria, Italy, the UK and the USA, has an extensive sales and distribution network – its products are sold in 95 countries. In addition, Metinvest has 20 offices around the world.

    “We exported products mainly through the Black Sea ports, such as Pivdenny, which is able to receive the largest capesize class merchant ships, as well as through the ports of Odesa and Mykolaiv. We sent cargo around the world from the Mariupol metallurgical plants Azovstal and Illich Steel Mill. Particularly noteworthy is the sea line from Mariupol to Italy, where our goods were shipped to the rolling mill. Container ships regularly transported slabs (semi-finished metal products) to Italy and the UK. We also sent products from Ukrainian rolling mills to our plant in Bulgaria. It was transported along the Dnipro River, and then along the Black Sea to the Bulgarian port of Burgas,” the top manager explained.

    He noted that the logistics component was well organized in the group, customers were provided with good service in terms of predictable delivery times. The company hired a number of vessels under various forms of charter contracts, such as bareboat (a vessel without a crew) and time charter (a vessel hired with a crew).

    However, the full-scale war directly affected the group and its vertical integration. Metinvest was forced to stop production in Mariupol, then operational control over the Mariupol enterprises was completely lost.

  • The Main Explosives Depot in the Zofiówka Section is now operational

    The Main Explosives Depot in the Zofiówka Section is now operational

    The new project plays a key role in the management of blasting agents by enabling the storage and dispensing of explosives.

    “The need to build the Main Explosives Depot at level 900 was related to the need to supply blasting agents to the areas of performing the planned opening and preparatory works at level 900, level 1080 under construction, and the area of dredging sinking the IIz shaft from level 900 to level 1080. Previously, the Explosives Depot was located at level 705 and its location significantly prolonged the transportation of explosives to the blasting site. The mine also had a mobile explosives depot, which, due to its limited storage capacity and the specifics of storing explosives, required significant work,says Piotr Pustelnik, head of the Borynia-Zofiówka-Bzie mine’s Blast Technology Department.

    The venture began with site selection and needs analysis, based on which a design was made. Then workings were excavated and a shotcrete, i.e. sprayed concrete, coating was applied. The final, very demanding stage was the adaptation of 638 m of excavated workings and the proper equipping of the depot to meet the requirements of the Polish Standard and applicable regulations. This scope of work turned out to be very diverse, including the construction of: stoppings, floor dinting and screed, construction of the rail track and installation of track turntables, structures for storing blasting agents, limestone coating, signal and lighting installation, and grounding installation.

    “The exemplary organization of the work, as well as the commitment of the employees and their innovation and efficiency were a key element in achieving the success of this project,” concludes Łukasz Szlązak, director of the Borynia-Zofiówka-Bzie mine.

    The Main Explosives Depot will serve both the Zofiówka and the Bzie Sections.

  • Adriatic Metals hails precious metals finds at Rupice

    Adriatic Metals hails precious metals finds at Rupice

    (Alliance News) – Adriatic Metals PLC on Wednesday gave an update on its Rupice northwest exploration which is part of the company’s Vares silver project.

    Adriatic Metals is a precious and base metals explorer and developer that owns the Vares silver project in Bosnia & Herzegovina and the Raska zinc deposit in Serbia.

    The company said it found 2.6 grams of gold per tonne, 409 grams of silver per tonne, about 12% zinc, 8.9% lead, 1.2% copper, 9% barium sulfate and 0.2% antimony in hole BR-30-23.

    Managing Director Paul Cronin said: “Additional exploration drilling, new geology, more tonnes at higher grades to the west of the current Rupice Northwest resource are adding significantly to the growth of Rupice. Faulting and folding have thickened and bent mineralization to vertical, with silver-gold-copper grades increasing in proximity to the deformation. Drilling will continue to define the western extent of RNW for a further resource update at the end of 2023.”

    Adriatic Metals rose 2.9% to 192.00 pence each on Wednesday morning in London.

     

  • Protests against expanding moldavite mining near České Budějovice

    Protests against expanding moldavite mining near České Budějovice

    Local inhabitants, environmental associations and the municipal council of Ločenice near České Budějovice are against the expansion of moldavite mining in the area. A private company wants to build a new quarry on thirty hectares of land believed to be rich in moldavite. Locals have been signing a petition against the plan and the Czech Environmental Inspectorate also has reservations. The inspectorate has asked the company MAWE CK, which wants to expand its activities in the area, to commission a study which will, among other things, assess the impact of further mining on the landscape. Moldavites are bottle-green gemstones found almost exclusively in Czechia, with minor deposits in neighboring Germany and Austria.

  • Ukraine: UMCC titanium raw materials exported to the USA

    Ukraine: UMCC titanium raw materials exported to the USA

    All the export deliveries of titanium raw materials by the United Mining and Chemical Company since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion have been to the end users in the USA and are used only for chemical processing, and not in the military complex.

    According to the State Property Funs, there is a number of factors preventing the export of titanium raw materials to the aggressor state, namely a three-level internal audit of contract terms and a counterparty, made by the UMCC itself, checking the contract terms and the counterparty by the Fund, obtaining the license to export ilmenite concentrate from the State Export Control Service and personal control in the destination place by authorised persons. Moreover, all contracts prohibit reselling the raw materials and there are strict sanctions for their breach.

    “You won’t believe how many procedures the UMCC has to go through when getting a contract. Thus, thinking that the Fund or other state institutions close their eyes and don’t see where the products are going is infantile,” the SPF deputy chairman Olexander Fedorishin has said. (Ukrainian metal)

  • The EU needs domestic critical minerals supply so the wheels don’t fall off

    The EU needs domestic critical minerals supply so the wheels don’t fall off

    Blessed are the cheesemakers

    Truth. And so Europe was undoubtedly thrust into a state of shock recently after hearing that 74 yr-old cheese casaro Giacomo Chiapparini was crushed to death under the wheels of his own parmesan.

    The cheese wheels – weighing in at 40kg each – fell in their thousands from the top of his warehouse after a shelf broke and it took firefighters 12 hours to retrieve Chiapparini’s body underneath his beloved Grana Padano.

    But that’s not the only shock lately for Europe – it’s facing a domestic raw material production crisis for a range of critical minerals it requires for EVs, clean energy production and other technologies.

    Moves such as China’s recent export restrictions of its monopoly on gallium and germanium – critical components in semiconductor chips – and high global demand have sparked the EU to hastily pass legislation to make its region more self-reliant in the mining, processing and recycling of such minerals.

    34 of them in fact. The EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act was enacted earlier this year to secure future supply for downstream processing and manufacturing of critical metals and minerals as it largely imports most elements from third-party countries outside the EU.

    Don’t let the wheels fall off

    European mining is old. Centuries-old. Yet nowadays, its homegrown mining is largely based on fossil fuel extraction and traditional mining of meagre amounts of gold and silver – importing most other minerals that are increasingly in demand as we pivot to net-zero emissions technologies.

    Past colonialism by the majority of European powers – where they pillaged natural resources and brought them back home – has manifested into the necessary importation of a range of raw materials from places like China, Africa, Russia and more for far too long.

    Thus creating a dependency on third-party nation-states outside of the EU for high-demand critical minerals.

    It may sound cheesy to say this, but this lack of domestic critical mineral production could mean Europe gets economically crushed by its past successes.

    Basically, if the EU doesn’t want the wheels to fall off its prestigious US$156bn (6.24% of total EU exports) car manufacturing sector and clean energy targets, it’s going to need to shore up stable supplies of these minerals in-house, otherwise OEMs are going to set up shop elsewhere.

    The good news is, they’re actually doing something about it.

    EU critical minerals mandate

    The Raw Materials Act sets these benchmarks along the strategic raw materials value chain and for the diversification of the EU supplies for:

    at least 10% of the EU’s annual consumption for extraction

    at least 40% of the EU’s annual consumption for processing

    at least 15% of the EU’s annual consumption for recycling

    and no more than 65% of the EU’s annual consumption from a single third country

    Lofty goals, as currently, China supplies the EU with 80% of its REEs and imports high percentages of other strategic minerals used in battery manufacturing, such as lithium, nickel, copper and cobalt.

    In March 2023, the European Union also proposed the Net Zero Industry Act, which aims to meet 40% of its needs for strategic net zero technologies using domestic manufacturing capacity by 2030.

    These technologies explicitly include battery and storage, and for batteries, the aim is for nearly 90% of the European Union’s annual battery demand to be met by EU battery manufacturers, with a combined manufacturing capacity of at least 550GWh in 2030, in line with the objectives of the European Battery Alliance.

    “The EU’s demand for base metals, battery materials, rare earths and more are set to increase exponentially as the EU divests from fossil fuels and turns to clean energy systems which necessitate more minerals,” the European Council says.

    “The EU green transition will require the build-up of local production of batteries, solar panels, permanent magnets, and other clean tech. Abundant access to a range of raw materials will be needed to address the corresponding demand.”

    Ergo, Europe is hungry to mine. And lucky for EU, there’s a bunch of ASX-listed explorers and mine developers looking to feed into its domestic supply chain.

    So who’s out there?

    In Austria, Battery Age Minerals (ASX:BM8) owns the Bleiberg project – once a major producer of zinc and lead; and at one point was among the largest primary germanium producers globally.

    The explorer’s now added germanium to its “to-do” list at Bleiberg, where gallium mineralisation has also been found through historical workings at the project, recently announcing an expansion of its tenements.

    “We are pleased to have secured additional ground adjacent to our existing Bleiberg Zinc-Lead-Germanium project,” BM8 MD Gerard O’Donovan said last month.

    Also in Austria, Tony Sage-backed European Lithium (ASX:EUR) is concentrating on its Wolfsburg hard rock lithium project, recently selling its non-core Australian tenement around the Mt Anketell iron ore deposit in the Pilbara, keeping it laser-eyed on battery commodities for the European market.

    Wolfsberg’s current MRE is 12.88Mt @ 1% Li2O and its DFS has highlighted the project’s economic viability – especially since it has an offtake agreement with BMW, a US$125m share subscription facility and an agreement with Saudi-backed Obeikan Investment Group.

    EUR is about ~65% financed, and is looking at finalising a funding package for infrastructure, the construction start and resource extension drilling at the Zone 2 prospect which is currently not included in the MRE.

    Exploring copper and gold at Sweden’s historic 1,000yr old Falun mine is Alicanto Minerals (ASX:AQI), which has recently received commitments to raise $3m to kickstart drilling at the project.

    Multiple high-priority targets have been identified, comprised of both copper-gold and zinc-copper-lead, especially along 3.5km of mineralisation where limited drilling was conducted last year.

    Alicanto has also been conducting step-out drilling at its Sala silver-zinc project, also in Sweden, which has a current resource of 9.7Mt, with recent re-assaying of historic cores showing 1.1m @ 1,326g/t silver, 0.8% zinc and 6.6% lead; as well as 3.9m at 737g/t silver, 1.2% zinc and 11.8% lead near the historic Bronäs mine.

    It seems like Sweden’s becoming a bit of a hotspot for mining again for ASX juniors looking to boost Europe’s green tech push.

    Zinc of Ireland (ASX:ZMI) has its eyes on zinc mineralisation at its Rathdowney project where it controls 75 prospecting licences across 2,500km2 with a trend that goes for a whopping 130km.

    Previously mined for zinc and lead, ZMI is looking to further exploration on the back of a 2020 MRE of 11.3Mt @ 9% Zn+Pb (7.8% Zn and 1.2% Pb) @ a 5% Zn equivalent cut-off.

    ZMI reckons it controls “arguably one of the most prospective land packages for high grade, large tonnage, Zn/Pb deposits in the world”.

    Samples are actively being taken at the Rathdowney trend and the explorer is assessing geochemical assays.

    Off to the Balkans now and precious metals explorer Adriatic Metals (ASX:ADT) is on a tear after releasing a 93% increase of the indicated and inferred MRE of its Rupice deposit – part of its Vares silver project in Bosnia and Herzegovina last month.

    It now stands at an impressive 21.1Mt @ 156g/t Ag, 1.2g/t Au, 4.3% Zn, 2.8% Pb, 0.4% Cu, 27% BaSO4 (reported above a cut-off grade of 50 g/t AgEq) for a contained 105Moz Ag, 789koz Au, 913kt Zn, 581kt Pb, 88kt Cu and 39kt Sb.

    The near-term producer says construction is 84% complete (as of June 30 this year) and first concentrate is expected in November.

    Based off the results, Adriatic is now raising US$30m to complete construction and prove up more resources.

    “Following a very successful exploration campaign and the recently announced MRE at Rupice and Rupice Northwest, we are pleased to announce an equity placing of US$30 million to fund an expanded and accelerated exploration programme in 2023 and 2024,” ADT MD Paul Cronin says.

    “Rupice and Rupice Northwest remain open and there are numerous regional targets such as Droskovac, SP1 and SP2 that have exciting prospects.

    “We believe this exploration programme will deliver impactful results by more aggressively testing priority targets across our emerging high-grade polymetallic district.”

    Finally – and staying in Bosnia and Herzegovina – Lykos Metals -LYK (ASX:) is making strides towards exploration approvals for its highly-prospective copper-gold tenements at the Sinjakovo project after being hamstrung by red tape.

    “After nearly two years of intensive negotiations, the Government of the Republic of Srpska has taken a decisive stance to protect foreign investments in geological exploration,” LYK CEO Milos Bosnjakovic says.

    “This represents a momentous step forward not only for our company but also for the economy of the Republic of Srpska, and the local municipalities where we have been actively engaged since listing and intend to conduct future exploration activities.”

     

  • Landfill mining project yields positive results in Spain

    Landfill mining project yields positive results in Spain

    An illegal hillside dumping ground for construction and demolition waste in Andalusia, Spain, has been reverted to its natural state through landfill mining.

    According to a paper in the International Journal of Environmental Engineering, almost 90% of the waste materials sitting at the site near the town of Dehesas Viejas were retrieved and found to be low-hazard and suitable for road construction projects or backfilling conventional landfill sites that have been mined.

    In a media statement, the paper’s lead author David Caro Moreno said that landfill mining is an emerging approach for the remediation of old waste sites. It allows for the reuse of valuable materials, such as plastics and metals that may have been dumped before recycling facilities were widely available. The process might also allow an entire brownfield site to be remediated sufficiently for development or even rewilding.

    For Caro Moreno and his co-authors, in places where mining of conventional, municipal landfill might be required, there is perhaps a greater need for segregation of the waste materials during the recovery process so that they can be reused or recycled. Their research, nevertheless, bodes well for clearing up other big fly-tipping or illegal landfill sites.

    “Landfill mining could become an effective approach to addressing the environmental hazards posed by old landfill sites. Moreover, it could offer a supply of raw materials, such as rare and difficult-to-source metals used in electronics,” the statement reads. “These could be fed into the industrial recycling and supply chains.”

    The researchers acknowledge that there are likely to be issues of contamination with hazardous materials in some landfills set for excavation and mining. However, with appropriate safety measures in place during the process, landfill mining has great potential for the reuse of erstwhile waste and the possibility of remediating sites either for development or repurposing as wildlife reserves, or simply ensuring that they revert to their natural state.

  • Stahlwerk Thueringen and Ferngas Unite for Hydrogen-Powered Steel

    Stahlwerk Thueringen and Ferngas Unite for Hydrogen-Powered Steel

    German mining and metals company Stahlwerk Thueringen GmbH, in collaboration with gas network operator Ferngas Netzgesellschaft mbH, is set to revolutionize the steel industry.
    This partnership aims to connect a prominent steel plant in the Thuringia state of Germany to the nation’s ambitious hydrogen network, propelling the industry towards a greener era.

    The visionary collaboration between Stahlwerk Thueringen and Ferngas entails the establishment of a robust hydrogen infrastructure to supply the steel plant with this clean energy source. At the heart of this endeavor lies the conversion of an existing 70-kilometer natural gas pipeline, stretching from Erfurt to Unterwellenborn, where the steel plant is strategically situated. This transformation represents more than just a technological advancement—it embodies a paradigm shift towards a sustainable future for steel production.

    With an unwavering commitment to decarbonization, Stahlwerk Thueringen has already incorporated renewable electricity into its operations. The introduction of green hydrogen through the network infrastructure takes this commitment to an entirely new level. The hydrogen, supplied via pipeline, will progressively replace the reliance on natural gas in the plant’s production processes. In an initial phase, hydrogen is projected to constitute over 50% of the natural gas volume, with its share expected to grow steadily over time.

    Alexander Stolze, the head of procurement at Stahlwerk Thueringen, highlighted the profound implications of this collaboration. “Connecting to the hydrogen network will preserve our competitiveness and strengthen Stahlwerk Thueringen as a hub for low-emission steel production,” Stolze emphasized. This sentiment underscores the transformative potential of this endeavor, not only for the company but for the steel industry as a whole.

    Stahlwerk Thueringen, a part of Brazil’s CSN Group since 2012, stands at the forefront of innovation, exemplifying the harmony between industrial prowess and environmental responsibility. By embracing green hydrogen as a pivotal energy source, the company is trailblazing a path towards a more sustainable future, aligning with Germany’s broader vision of a carbon-neutral economy.

  • Negotiations for additional pay for JSW employees have been suspended. “we will be consistent”

    Negotiations for additional pay for JSW employees have been suspended. “we will be consistent”

    On August 1, the representative trade unions operating in JSW (Solidarity, Confederation of JSW Miners’ Trade Unions and Kadra) started a collective dispute, demanding payment of 15 percent of the wages of the company’s employees. The net value of the amount allocated for future tax. On Friday, the trade unions met with the JSW board of directors on the matter.

  • Kazakhstan, Macedonia Discuss Ways to Boost Trade Relations

    Kazakhstan, Macedonia Discuss Ways to Boost Trade Relations

    Kazakh Foreign Minister (FM) Murat Nortlu and current chairman of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and North Macedonian Foreign Minister (FM) Boyar Osmani discussed ways to strengthen trade relations, during their meeting in the capital, Astana.

    “The two sides agreed on the effective use of the resources of the Intergovernmental Committee for Trade and Economic Cooperation in order to maintain the pace of development of trade relations,” the Kazinform news agency quoted the minister as saying.

    He indicated that he agreed with Osmani to focus on promising sectors such as new technologies, energy, agriculture, mining and tourism, especially since sales of goods between Kazakhstan and North Macedonia increased in 2022 by 5.5 times.

    Nortlu emphasized that Kazakhstan could increase its commodity exports and mutual sales by $350 million.

    For his part, Osmani indicated that the OSCE attaches great importance to developing relations with Kazakhstan and Central Asia.