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  1. 7 hrs ago

    AMCU responds to dual fatalities at Northam's Zondereinde

    This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. Trade union the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) has expressed concern about the alleged deaths of two employees at Northam Zondereinde mine in Northam, in Limpopo. According to preliminary information, AMCU notes that, on June 13, a development crew was conducting an early entry examination at 1 Shaft when a strain burst occurred at the development face. The union says the rock drill operator attempted to take evasive action but was struck by the rock. AMCU says crew members immediately assisted the injured worker, moved him to a safe area, and administered first aid. The control room was informed, and paramedics were dispatched underground. It notes that the occupational medical practitioner (OMP) and life support team attended to the injured employee and prepared him for airlift transfer to Milpark Hospital. He allegedly succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment at the mine medical centre. AMCU adds that a second fatal incident occurred at the same mine later that day in the processing plant's smelter converter aisle where a contractor employee supposedly died after falling from a crane during maintenance work. The trade union notes that the control room was immediately notified and that paramedics were dispatched to the smelter. It adds that the OMP and life support team attended to the injured contractor employee. Unfortunately, despite emergency response efforts in both cases, AMCU says they succumbed to their injuries. "We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families, friends, and colleagues of the two workers who lost their lives while on duty. These tragic deaths represent not only the loss of workers but also the loss of breadwinners whose families will bear the consequences of these incidents for years to come," says AMCU president Joseph Mathunjwa. Mining Weekly has reached out to Northam for comment.

    2 min

  2. 10 hrs ago

    PMET Resources confirms value-added lithium processing viability on site in Québec

    This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. ASX-listed lithium explorer PMET Resources has confirmed in a concept study that the Shaakichiuwaanaan project, in Québec's Eeyou Istchee James Bay region, can viably produce a value-added lithium chemical at site. This offers reduced logistics intensity over time and aligns with Canada's objectives for domestic processing of critical minerals. PMET set out to evaluate future potential to process spodumene concentrate into a value-added lithium product directly at the Shaakichiuwaanaan site. The company completed a structured review of seven processing flowsheet options in this regard, opting ultimately for ASX-listed NRW Holdings' subsidiary Primero's ALi atmospheric leach process as the preferred value-added pathway for further study. PMET says Primero's ALi proprietary process offers the best economic potential, strong logistics efficiency benefits and a low technical risk profile. The technology also minimises the project's environmental footprint. Primero undertook bench-scale testwork on spodumene concentrate samples from Shaakichiuwaanaan using its ALi process, which produced a 99.8% battery-grade lithium carbonate. If combined with the use of electric calcination through Québec's low-cost renewable energy, on-site value-added processing has future potential to reduce carbon intensity and improve efficiencies within the battery materials supply chain, PMET confirms. The company adds that the on-site refining strategy is a staged, longer-term growth opportunity and is not required for the current proposed development of the base spodumene concentrate project outlined in the Shaakichiuwaanaan 2025 prefeasibility study. Next, PMET aims to determine more economic benefits of value-added products on site including potential introduction of electrical calcination technology to leverage the full potential of Québec's renewable and low-cost hydroelectric power. PMET COO Frederic Mercier-Langevin comments Shaakichiuwaanaan is already a Tier-1 asset and this concept study potentially identifies a credible pathway to capture additional value on top of it. "Converting spodumene concentrate to a 'value-added' and potentially battery-grade lithium chemical on-site could deliver a lower-cost, lower-carbon flowsheet powered by Québec hydroelectricity. Primero's bench scale results on our concentrates indicate battery-grade purity possibility and the logistics savings could be material." PMET CEO, MD and president Ken Brinsden highlights that the lithium industry has been mining hard-rock lithium in one place and refining it in another for decades. The refining has often taken place overseas, which is hardly the most efficient supply chain solution. "The work we are reporting points to the potential for a redefinition of the supply chain. It could be a credible alternate pathway, demonstrated at bench scale with our spodumene concentrates, to refine battery-grade lithium at the mine gate in a stable, Western and low-carbon supply chain. "This is the king of industry step-change, coupled with Shaakichiuwaanaan's premier geology, that drew me to this project," Brinsden concludes.

    3 min

  3. 3 days ago

    Sustainability is at the heart of mining's future, Valterra Platinum affirms

    This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. South Africa's platinum group metals (PGMs) mining and marketing company Valterra Platinum this week affirmed sustainability as being at the heart of the future of mining when it hosted its inaugural Sustainability Day to highlight the role responsible mining plays in driving competitiveness and long-term value creation. The event followed the publication of Valterra Platinum's first sustainability report in March and reinforces sustainability as a strategic imperative embedded across the business. Sustainability is the practice of using resources responsibly so that human needs are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, ensuring long-term viability for the planet and society. Valterra Platinum supplies PGMs that underpin cleaner technologies. These cleaner technologies, it stated, specifically include: hydrogen energy systems; andemission reduction solutions. Collectively, hydrogen energy systems and emission-reduction solutions make this Johannesburg Stock Exchange- and London Stock Exchange-listed PGMs company a central driver of the transition to a lower-carbon global economy. As demand grows for cleaner mobility, industrial decarbonisation, energy security, and emerging technologies such as AI, sustainability is increasingly shaping operational performance, market access, customer relationships, and future growth. "The cleaner, more electrified and more connected future the world is building, depends on the metals that we mine, and we need to produce these metals in ways that are responsible, resilient and trusted," Valterra CEO Craig Miller stated in a media release to Mining Weekly. "The scale and pace of today's challenges call for integrated thinking, stronger partnerships, real innovation, and a willingness to lead. Sustainability should be more than a compliance exercise. It has to be a driver of operational excellence, an enabler of innovation and a source of resilience – and that's why sustainability is integrated into everything we do," Miller added. Valterra's sustainability strategy is guided by two mutually reinforcing principles: protecting and creating value. Value protection focuses on securing the company's licence to operate, managing regulatory and social risks, and ensuring reliable delivery to host communities and stakeholders. Value creation focuses on strengthening operational resilience, enabling cost efficiencies and energy security, supporting long-term growth, and building enduring customer relationships. The sustainability strategy is also anchored in three interconnected priorities. The first of these is climate and environment, which involves advancing decarbonisation, resource stewardship and climate resilience. This year, Valterra and Envusa Energy announced the commercial operation of the 240 MW Mooi Plaats solar PV project in South Africa's Northern Cape. The Koruson 2 project, when completed later in 2026, will reach up to 520 MW of renewable energy, of which 79% will be allocated to operations. This will meet about a third of Valterra's electricity needs, strengthening the pathway to a 30% reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions by 2030. It will also ensure operational energy security, deliver cost savings of about R300-million a year and is expected to abate about 2.2-million tonnes of CO2 equivalent a year. Furthermore, Valterra's smelting operations comply with the Minimum Emissions Standard regulations and with SO₂ abatement systems that convert emissions into sulphuric acid. While this investment delivers no additional PGM ounces, it reflects the company's commitment to doing the right thing for the environment in which it operates. Water stewardship remains a priority, with programmes to improve water effi...

    10 min

  4. 3 days ago

    Martin Creamer talks about: MMC, rare earths, Jr mining opportunities

    Mining Weekly Editor Martin Creamer discusses the completion of Manganese Metal Company’s new plant in Mpumalanga; the rare earths project in the Northern Cape that was highlighted on day two of the Junior Indaba; and the fantastic opportunity for junior mining companies.

    7 min

  5. 3 days ago

    Canada's only copper smelter allowed leeway with air emission reductions, Glencore confirms

    This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. Copper producer Glencore Canada has welcomed the Québec government's passage of Bill 11, which establishes a stable regulatory framework for the Horne Smelter operations through to 2033. This regulatory stability enables the company to progressively resume its air emissions reduction projects. The law provides Glencore Canada with more time to comply with strict emissions standards. In particular, Bill 11 extends the deadline for reducing ambient air arsenic emissions at Horne to 15 nanograms per cubic metre until 2029/30, which is a two-year delay, and maintains it at that level until at least 2033. Glencore Canada put $300-million worth of planned environmental investments on hold earlier this year pending clarification on its air emission allowances and a clear operating framework. At the time, uncertainty surrounding future emissions requirements and permit conditions made it impossible for the company to proceed with projects, even those critical to the smelter's future. The air emissions reduction projects, once complete, will cement the Horne Smelter's position among the highest-performing copper smelters in the world - in terms of environmental performance. Glencore custom metallurgical assets COO Marc Bédard says Canada's only copper smelting capacity has never mattered more, amid intensifying global competition, rising tariffs and ongoing supply chain disruptions, with the plant contributing to economic resilience and national sovereignty. "Governments worldwide have recognised the strategic importance of domestic refining in the critical minerals value chain. Many jurisdictions have introduced targeted measures to support modernisation and ensure long-term competitiveness. "Canada has identified critical minerals and secure supply chains as strategic priorities, but federal support has yet to match that ambition. While programmes to support key industrial assets exist, the pace of implementation has not caught up to the urgency on the ground," Bédard states. Glencore Canada is calling on the federal government to match provincial efforts with timely and concrete support through the Strategic Response Fund. "The federal government's support is essential to secure the economic viability of the smelter and the substantial investments to ensure the modernisation and competitiveness of the Horne Smelter and Glenore Canada's complementary Canadian Copper Refinery operation. "The regulatory certainty provided by the government of Québec, along with its existing targeted programmes, speaks to how much the province values the copper sector. What remains is decisive federal action to solidify Canada's commitment. Government of Canada support is critical to unlocking future capital investment that will ensure the future of Canada's last copper smelter and refinery," Bédard says. He concludes that the Horne Smelter has demonstrated that it consistently delivers on its commitments to its workers and its environmental targets. With the right federal partnership, Canada could have a midstream anchor worthy of its critical minerals ambition. According to a 2026 KPMG socioeconomic study, Glencore's Canadian copper operations supported more than 2 330 direct, indirect and induced jobs in 2024, and contributed $1.2-billion in direct GDP.

    3 min

  6. 4 days ago

    Elliott raises heat on Australia's Northern Star for board overhaul, sales

    This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. Activist investor Elliott Investment Management late on Wednesday called on Australia's largest gold miner Northern Star Resources to immediately restore shareholder value by changing its board and undertaking a formal strategic review, citing severe underperformance. Elliott burst publicly onto Northern Star's register last week with a more than A$1-billion ($700.80-million) stake, calling for a review and new leadership, citing repeated "operational missteps", including seven outlook misses in four years, and a share price that vastly underperformed its peers. The call from Elliott, which successfully pushed BHP to collapse its dual listing after a five-year campaign, came as the $19-billion miner was in the process of recruiting a new CEO and in succession planning for its chair. Northern Star responded to Elliott's approach with a letter to shareholders earlier on Wednesday, saying it was happy to work with the activist investor and consider a board candidate that Elliott might suggest. The US-based investor said: "The board's letter indicates that it does not understand the magnitude of change required to win back shareholders' trust, starting with significantly strengthening the board itself." The case for a strategic review of Australia's largest listed gold miner is now clearer than it was before the board published its letter, Elliott added. ACTING FASTER In its shareholder letter, Northern Star said that it did not consider it the right time for a sale process. The miner acknowledged that it had been approached by several companies on considering various corporate combinations, given the underperformance of its shares. "Their response is definitely less than adequate and detailed plans for creating value are still amiss," said Elan Miller, a deputy portfolio manager at Blackwattle Investment Partners.| "I would be of the view that management are not fully across the asset or the production issues and therefore there really needs to be a reset in people way deeper than just the CEO," he added. Northern Star appears to want to go forward with its richest assets, Kalgoorlie's Super Pit, the Hemi and Pogo projects, said analyst Daniel Morgan of Barrenjoey. Remaining assets could be sold to cashed-up mid-tier gold miners, he added. "I think a lot of what Elliott is looking for Northern Star to do, (it) will do, but Elliott's pressure is going to make Northern Star act faster," he said. In its letter, Northern Star said that investment banks in the last six months had proposed a spin-off of assets, in an option also reviewed by its financial adviser, but one the miner decided not to act on. Over the past year, Northern Star has faced several headwinds at its Kalgoorlie gold operations in Western Australia, and it said achieving the lower end of its fiscal 2026 production guidance would be challenging. Shares of the company fell as much as 5.3% to A$17.55 in early trade on Thursday, their lowest level since March 24. The broader benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index was down 0.8% by 00:38 GMT. The stock has lost nearly 33% in value so far this year, outpacing gold's 5% decline.

    3 min

  7. 4 days ago

    IN FOCUS: Developing the Next Generation of Supply

    The global copper market is expected to remain in deficit as growing demand from the energy transition collides with the realities of bringing new supply to market. In this episode of IN FOCUS, Absa Corporate and Investment Banking head of resources and energy coverage Shirley W

    13 min

  8. 4 days ago

    South Africa's battery materials supply status surges ahead with new MMC plant

    This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. South Africa's supply status in the rapidly evolving and increasingly geopolitically fragmented battery materials market has taken a major leap forward with the completion of the construction by Manganese Metal Company (MMC) of Mpumalanga of the first phase of a battery-grade high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate (HPMSM) plant in Mbombela. What's more, MMC is already evaluating a second significantly larger phase to the project amid also developing a patented ore-to-crystals process that could support larger-scale future growth in the battery supply chain, without the need to use the metal-based route. Chaired by mining luminary Bernard Swanepoel, MMC is the world's only producer of electrolytic manganese metal (EMM) outside China, and the largest producer of high purity selenium-free EMM. Presenting at the International Manganese Institute (IMnI) annual conference in Rio de Janeiro, MMC Chief Marketing Officer Morné Ruiters outlined MMC's seven-year journey from project conception in 2019 to commissioning of the 6 000 t/y HPMSM facility in 2026 at its Mbombela location, where the second phase is poised to add a further 18 000 t/y. The IMnI conference was attended by stakeholders from across the global manganese value chain, including manganese mining companies, alloy, metal and chemical producers, traders, consultancies, logistics companies and steel and battery sector participants. The project's development has unfolded against a backdrop of significant shifts in electric vehicle (EV) adoption and battery chemistry preferences. According to MMC, industry forecasts prepared in 2020 substantially underestimated the pace of EV penetration. Global battery electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid vehicle sales reached more than 21-million units in 2025, more than double the levels anticipated five years earlier. Battery chemistry trends also surprised the market. While lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries were expected to account for only around 10% of the market by 2025, they captured roughly half of global EV battery demand last year, on account of very strong EV growth in China, reshaping assumptions about future manganese consumption. Given these uncertainties, MMC elected in 2024 to pursue a modular 'metal-to-crystals' (MTX) production route, for converting a small portion of its existing high-purity manganese metal into battery-grade sulphate. The strategy leverages the company's established EMM production capacity, brownfield infrastructure and decades of manganese purification expertise while reducing capital exposure and allowing phased expansion. "The battery market has changed dramatically since our initial studies were completed," Ruiters pointed out during his IMnI presentation. "Flexibility and optionality have become critical." The technical ability to produce material at industrial scale at the purity level demanded by the battery industry is now being matched by a requirement to be flexible and meet changing market realities. The company argues that battery supply chains remain far from settled. While LFP cathode chemistry is expected to dominate mass-market midrange EVs and stationary energy storage systems, there is a continuing role for nickel-manganese-cobalt (NCM) cathodes, particularly as battery manufacturers increasingly adopt mid-nickel, high-voltage NCM formulations with higher manganese content. Emerging lithium manganese-rich (LMR) technologies will further strengthen manganese demand and reduce battery cost, underscoring the continued research and development efforts by various automotive and battery companies to overcome the last technical hurdles related to commercialisation of LMR batteries. Geopolitical developments are adding another layer of complexity – "and...

    4 min
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MiningWeekly.com provides real time news reportage through originated written & video material. Now you can listen to the top three articles on Mining Weekly at the end of each day.

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