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  1. 3 hrs ago

    South Africa's $5.8bn green hydrogen ammonia project takes big leap forward

    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. Hive Hydrogen South Africa on Tuesday, September 15, awarded the front-end engineering design (FEED) contract for South Africa's pioneering $5.8-billion green hydrogen ammonia project to Spanish company Técnicas Reunidas. "The Técnicas Reunidas proposal was outstanding in all respects. Our aim remains to produce the lowest cost green ammonia globally," said Hive Hydrogen chairperson Thulani Gcabashe, a former Eskom CEO and Standard Bank chair. In its final stage of development, the Hive Hydrogen project is viewed as South Africa's lighthouse green hydrogen project as well as being the flagship green hydrogen project for the EU's Global Gateway programme in South Africa. Under development is a renewable hydrogen and green ammonia production facility capable of producing a million tonnes a year of green ammonia for supply to international and domestic markets. The projects own grid-connected large-scale wind and solar PV renewable energy plants totalling 2 930 MW, will power the green hydrogen and green ammonia production facility in Gqeberha. Multi-faceted, the initiative is seen as being on the way to creating more than 20 000 employment opportunities. The $9-billion FEED contract is due to commence in Nelson Mandela Bay next month. Técnicas Reunidas track and services commercial director Gonzalo Pardo said his company was looking forward to delivering a successful FEED and contributing to Coega's role as a benchmark for Africa's sustainable industrial growth." The contract has been awarded amid the Coega green ammonia project being viewed as having the potential to establish the Eastern Cape as a global export hub for green hydrogen and green ammonia, while supporting industrial development, skills creation, local supply chains, employment and South Africa's transition towards a lower-carbon economy. The strategic Coega location provides access to the deep-water Port of Ngqura and South Africa's exceptional renewable-energy resources provide a platform for the production and export of competitively priced green ammonia to emerging international markets. The renewable-energy generation and associated upstream electrical infrastructure required to supply the project form a separate workstream and are not included in this FEED award, which is related specifically to the project's molecule production portion of the green hydrogen and green ammonia production facility, as well as the associated process infrastructure. A separate request for proposal will be sent to shortlisted special engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) entities. Técnicas Reunidas was reportedly selected following "a comprehensive competitive procurement, technical and commercial evaluation process" and is said to bring extensive international experience in the delivery of large-scale energy, hydrogen, and ammonia process facilities. A key feature of Hive Hydrogen South Africa's project execution strategy is for the successful ammonia production plant FEED contractor to roll over from FEED into the full EPC phase for the green ammonia production portion, subject to the successful completion of FEED, achievement of the required technical and commercial outcomes, project approvals, financing and final investment decision (FID). The EPC scope associated with the ammonia production plant is estimated at $1.8-billion, Hive stated in its media release to Mining Weekly. This FEED-to-EPC strategy is intended to maintain continuity between engineering and project execution, retain the knowledge developed during FEED reducing interface transition risk, improve schedule certainty and provide a clear pathway towards construction and commissioning. This FEED programme will further develop the engineering definition to establish the...

  2. 9 hrs ago

    Canada's Neo Performance Materials starts commercial production of rare earth magnets in Europe

    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. TSX-listed Neo Performance Materials has started commercial production at its European permanent magnet manufacturing facility, in Estonia, with first volumes of rare earth sintered magnets having been shipped to an electric vehicle traction motor customer. These milestones mark Neo's transition from development and sampling through full automotive qualification and into commercial production for its initial magnet programmes. Neo has been awarded multiple magnet programmes from three Tier 1 motor manufacturers, including traction motor applications, which is the most technically demanding category of permanent magnets. The company expects two to three more magnet programmes to enter commercial production before the end of the year. Automotive magnet programmes are typically awarded for the life of the vehicle platform they supply, which gives Neo multi-year volume visibility once a programme is awarded. Phase 1A of the Estonian permanent magnet facility has a nameplate capacity of 2 000 t/y while Phase 1B is planned to expand nameplate capacity to about 5 000 t/y. The expansion is currently being designed, with detailed engineering, advanced equipment procurement, supply chain planning and facility layout currently underway. Neo's longer-term magnet roadmap targets yearly production of 20 000 t through continued global expansion, which the company estimates could represent between 10% and 15% of the world's projected rare earth permanent magnet market outside of China.

  3. 1 day ago

    Phase 3 is test rail reform, cannot afford to fail, says Manganese Producers Consortium

    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. The third phase of the August 20-launched Government-Business Partnership for Growth and Jobs names freight logistics as a foundational enabler of growing the economy by 3%-plus and generating a million new jobs by 2030. "This is a welcome signal and confirms our consistently communicated and strong belief that logistics reforms – and rail reform in particular – are central to South Africa's growth targets and are not a technical issue alone but rather a fundamental economic driver," South Africa's Manganese Producers Consortium has pointed out in a media release to Mining Weekly. The partnership's own scorecard records the entry into the logistics network of 11 private train-operating companies, Durban being recognised as one of the world's most-improved ports (albeit from a low base), and R14.7-billion in Budget Facility for Infrastructure funding being approved for rail related maintenance backlogs. While the Manganese Producers Consortium supports all tangible results and proof that reform commitments can move from policy to delivery it expressed concern that bulk commodity export corridors are not getting the priority that they "urgently" demand despite lending themselves to "globally proven" private sector participation projects with "significant upside to the South African economy". What is appreciated by the Manganese Producers Consortium is that the Government-Business Partnership scorecard sets these hard new deadlines involving: a manganese private sector participation transaction being issued by year-end;the National Rail Bill coming before Parliament by March 2027, andalso by March next year, the Transport Economic Regulator being fully operational. These targets echo the direction that the Manganese Producers Consortium itself has been supporting for years – but what has been missing are speed, sequencing and executable timelines. What is different now is that Phase 3 puts government's own credibility on the line to meet these targets. "Phase 3 matters even more for institutional design as it is critical to ensure that there is a capable delivery 'machine' that encompasses and empowers independent institutions, introduces appropriate regulation and procurement processes with clear roles and responsibilities," the Manganese Producers Consortium emphasised. Phase 3's architecture assigns focal area leads and CEO sponsors to each priority, and commits to quarterly, public reporting on progress and slippage, which is precisely the kind of visible accountability called for and which remains essential to make this architecture work in practice: named leadership;transparent milestones;consequences when delivery falls short; anda capacitated, independent unit to drive private sector participation and rail transactions which are bankable and without institutional veto or conflict. The Phase 3 scorecard lays down that a manganese transaction must be brought to market by December 2026 and the manganese ore industry has a direct stake in the timelines announced. "This is a specific test, with a set deadline, of whether this Phase 3 can convert intent into action. The development of the long-awaited new manganese terminal at the Port of Ngqura and significant private sector participation on the Ore Export Corridor connecting Sishen in the Northern Cape with the Port of Saldanha cannot be delayed any further. "Manganese producers stand ready, with capital, committed volumes and long-term rail allocation arrangements, to anchor bankable projects. The 12x12 corridor strategy – 12-million tonnes through Saldanha and 12-million tonnes through Gqeberha – offers a demand-led, investable pathway that fits squarely within the partnership's mining and logistics ambitions. "The risk is familiar. South A...

  4. 1 day ago

    Northern Star appoints mining heavyweights Cutifani, Rozenauers to board

    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. Leading Australian gold producer Northern Star has appointed mining veteran Mark Cutifani to its board following pressure from major shareholder Elliott Investment Management to make strategic changes. Elliott has been quoted as saying that Northern Star is persistently underperforming relative to industry peers. Peter Rozenauers joins Cutifani as an independent nonexecutive director effective October 1. Suresh Vadnagra is due to take over as MD and CEO, succeeding Stuart Tonkin, while Jeff Quartermaine and Terry Bowen have also recently been appointed as new independent directors. Northern Star had reviewed a list of six candidates proposed by Elliott in accordance with its normal processes. Cutifani's career spans nearly five decades in mining, including as CE of Anglo American and CEO of AngloGold Ashanti. He is currently also chairperson of Vale Base Metals. Rozenauers brings to his position 34 years' experience in natural resources investment management and trading, having been a managing partner of Orion Resource Partners. Rozenauers is also a nonexecutive director of Nasdaq-listed Uranium Royalty Corporation. "With Rozenauers and Cutifani's appointment and the recent appointments of Quartermaine and Bowen, we will have a board with the mix of skills and experience needed to work with our new senior leadership to unlock the full potential of Northern Star's assets," says chairperson Michael Chaney. "Gold mining has been a huge part of my life and it's great to be back in the sector. As Australia's leading listed gold producer, Northern Star has an enviable portfolio of assets and, at a personal level, it's something of a homecoming given I was the inaugural general manager for the establishment of the Kalgoorlie Superpit way back in 1989," Cutifani comments. "It's an honour to join the board and I'm excited about what the company has ahead of it under the new leadership. I'm very pleased to be joining at a time when the full potential of KCGM is being delivered through commissioning of the new Fimiston Mill and to have the opportunity to contribute to the successful development of the new Hemi project," Rozenauers adds. "As one of Northern Star's largest shareholders, we are encouraged by the new appointments to the board. We believe their highly relevant and complementary skills can help Northern Star realise the full potential of its world-class gold mining portfolio. Elliott remains committed to working constructively with Northern Star to help the company deliver the outcome its shareholders deserve," concludes Elliott partner John Pike.

  5. 4 days ago

    Pan African completes Soweto gold tailings retreatment project study

    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. The definitive feasibility study for the promising Soweto gold tailings retreatment project, west of South Africa's Gold City of Johannesburg, has been completed, Pan African Resources reported on Friday, September 10, when the London-, Johannesburg- and Sydney-listed company headlined the study as "delivering a robust long-term growth pathway" for its thriving West Rand Mogale tailings retreatment complex. The Soweto tailings project, designed to leverage existing Mogale elution, carbon regeneration, electrowinning and smelting infrastructure, significantly improves project economics and will come in at an estimated capital cost at R3.68-billion. Acquired as part of the Mintails transaction, the Soweto Cluster tailings storage facilities host mineral reserves of 0.98-million gold ounces. "We've been able to define a project that delivers attractive returns, meaningful production growth and accelerated environmental rehabilitation," Pan African CEO Cobus Loots stated in a release to Mining Weekly. The project has the resources to increase the Mogale complex's gold production to 100 000 oz/y at peak production. Importantly, it will address historical West Rand environmental liabilities at the same time. Gold production over the 15-year project life is expected to total 561 000 oz at a production rate of 35 000 oz/y to 40 000 oz/y. The forecast all-in sustaining cost of $1 750/oz to $1 800/oz excludes cost savings from renewable-energy supply. Evaluated is 600 000 t of tailings retreatment a month alongside the operating Mogale tailings retreatment processing facility. Using a gold price of $3 550/oz, the project returns post-tax net present value of R1.85-billion, internal rate of return of 29.55% and a post-commissioning payback period of three years. From the final investment decision date, which is anticipated in December, construction will take 28 months. Environmental authorisations are expected during financial year 2027.

  6. 4 days ago

    OECD, IEA say traceability is imperative for secure critical mineral supply chains

    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. A joint report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and International Energy Agency (IEA) says high levels of supply chain concentration and rising trade restrictions are limiting investment and creating real vulnerabilities in critical mineral supplies. While efforts to diversify sources are gathering pace, investment still falls short of what is needed to keep up with demand, the organisations state. In parallel, the operational and governance risks that come with mining and processing activities need to be managed more effectively, lest they delay projects, erode trust and cause future disruptions. OECD and IEA say reliable access to critical minerals has become central to economic security and competitiveness, but market concentration of processing, smelting and refining is acute. They explain that national and multilateral initiatives to enhance economic security by developing more resilient and diversified critical mineral supply chains will require supply chain transparency to be fully implementable. Having surveyed 90 companies covering all major critical minerals to compile the 'Enhancing resilience through traceability' report, OECD and IEA determined that responsible business conduct standards, transparency and traceability are important tools to address some of the world's current challenges. "When applied in a targeted and pragmatic way, traceability can strengthen resilience, derisk investment and support responsible sourcing. By improving visibility across supply chains, traceability helps identify dependencies, verify responsible practices and target interventions where risks persist," the organisations state. By looking at the lithium and nickel supply chains in Latin America and Southeast Asia, in particular, the report highlights the importance of a tailored approach to traceability. In Latin America's lithium sector, high refining concentration creates opportunities for targeted interventions while Southeast Asia's nickel sector, with its complex ownership structures, is more challenging. OECD and IEA say reliable supply chain data is at the core of traceability systems and that price floors and similar trade-related measures need verified information on origin and production conditions to direct support toward trusted and responsible producers. The organisations find, however, that current traceability systems worldwide are fragmented. In practice, a combination of supply chain mapping, mass balance and auditing are often part of wider due diligence efforts, which does support partial visibility but not end-to-end traceability. OECD and IEA cite the example of Indonesia's Simbara system that can provide a foundation that targeted policy measures could strengthen. They find that update of traceability by the private sector is uneven and most traceability systems are being developed within individual companies using proprietary tools with limited public disclosure. OECD and IEA find the strongest traceability uptake is among traders and the weakest is among miners. BARRIERS TO TRACEABILITY The joint report affirms there are substantial barriers to the uptake of traceability and that more than half of the survey respondents identify costs and lack of interoperability as barriers to setting up traceability systems. The operation of such systems is further constrained by confidentiality concerns, supplier leverage and data quality concerns. Half of survey respondents rank regulatory consistency as the top priority for scaling traceability, with a similar share citing shared data infrastructure. Ownership opacity is also a significant blind spot. Complex and layered corporate structures obscure who ultimately controls key mineral assets, particular...

  7. 5 days ago

    Hydrogen investment hits $130bn-plus mark on energy security, resilience rise

    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. Committed investment in clean hydrogen has hit the $130-billion-plus mark, driven by global energy security and resilience issues, with 90% of 570 clean hydrogen projects already under construction or in operation. "Clean hydrogen's no longer a future bet," the Brussels-based Hydrogen Council reported in Global Hydrogen Compass 2026 on Thursday, September 10. Construction of a capacity of 6.9-million hydrogen tonnes a year is under way right now. Operational capacity has nearly doubled in the last 12 months, and based on the pipeline, it is predicted that operational capacity will double again in 2027, an upbeat Hydrogen Council CEO Ivana Jemelkova forecast during a global webinar in which Hyundai vice-chair and Hydrogen Council co-chair Jaehoon Chang, Sinopec vice-chair Zhao Dong and Port of Rotterdam Authority CEO Boudewijn Siemons also took part. The latest report, co-authored with McKinsey & Company and informed by the perspectives of some 70 global CEOs, coincides with shifting geopolitical priorities, which are strengthening hydrogen's role as a "strategic resilience lever". As governments seek to strengthen energy security, build more flexible economies and support long-term industrial growth, hydrogen is receiving renewed attention for its ability to help address multiple strategic priorities alongside deep decarbonisation, complementing growing electrification and use of renewable-energy sources. Geographically, China remains the largest market, accounting for more than half of global committed renewable hydrogen capacity. During the webinar covered by Mining Weekly, Dong's call was for the creation of a global system to facilitate large-scale cross-border green hydrogen trade. "We need to promote key international standards such as full life-cycle carbon-footprint verification for green hydrogen," said Dong. Describing hydrogen as the new-energy future, Dong urged all parties to embrace openness and cooperation. "We need to enhance communication and programmatic cooperation in innovation, mutual recognition of standards, and joint investment." While he was talking, it was reported out of Oslo that Norwegian hydrogen enabler Nel ASA had entered into a framework agreement with Hydrasun to establish dedicated assembly and integration capabilities for the MC Series, Nel's modular and scalable proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology platform. Interesting for South Africa is that PEM is catalysed by platinum group metals (PGMs), which South Africa hosts in abundance. "We're pleased to be working with Hydrasun to establish an experienced European integration partner for our standardized PEM electrolyser solutions, the MC Series. "As demand for standardized, modular systems grows, this collaboration enhances our ability to serve key markets while creating greater flexibility and scalability across our production network," Nel PEM operations senior VP Tushar Ghuwalewala stated in a media release to Mining Weekly. With this partnership, Nel gains an experienced integration partner in Europe, complementing its existing integration setup in the US and widening its delivery capabilities for the European market. Nel's PEM stack production will continue at Nel's Connecticut facility in the US. Europe now follows as the second-largest market, leading in project count and relative investment growth (+35% since 2025), while the US accounts for about 75% of globally committed low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia capacity. Siemons described the Port of Rotterdam as having "a nice concentration of the elements that you basically need to build up a new hydrogen market and to go through this energy transition. On top of all, we're close to the sea, and a lot of the hydrogen will either be produced here throug...

  8. 5 days ago

    Cyclic Materials starts commercial operation of rare earths recovery facility in Arizona

    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. Canadian circular rare earths company Cyclic Materials has officially opened the US's largest rare earth recycling facility in Mesa, Arizona, which can process 25 000 t/y of end-of-life components to create a new domestic source of rare earth materials. The facility is poised to make its first commercial shipments to US customers later this month. The Mesa facility marks the world's first commercial-scale deployment of Cyclic's proprietary MagCycle technology, which delivers automated mechanical separation of magnets from end-of-life products, and serves as the front-end of Cyclic's integrated rare earths recovery platform. The facility is producing rare earth magnet material, which Cyclic calls Mag-Xtract, and critical minerals such as copper, aluminium and steel. The Mesa facility is an important milestone in Cyclic's buildout of nationwide critical material recovery infrastructure. A new South Carolina rare earth recycling campus is in development, which will combine the company's magnet recovery and rare earth refining platforms on a single site. Cyclic has built a strong commercial supply network across the US, securing significant volumes of magnet-bearing feedstock through long-term commercial partnerships. More than 7 000 t of end-of-life material has already been delivered to the Mesa facility. Cyclic CEO and founder Ahmad Ghahreman expects global demand for rare earths to triple by 2035, driven by AI, automotive, robotics, electronics, energy and defence applications. Building infrastructure to recover rare earths from end-of-life products is one of the fastest routes to securing domestic supply, Ghahreman states, especially given how geographically concentrated the global rare earths supply chain is. Notably, Cyclic's new facility was completed just 17 months after first being announced, which Ghahreman says demonstrates the company's repeatable deployment model to establish domestic rare earths supply capacity on an expeditious timeline.

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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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