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Features

IN PIT CRUSHING
New Focus on In-Pit Crushing Systems.......read more

MOTORS & DRIVES
Gearless Mill Drive Sales Rev Up to Meet Demand... read more

COAL FROM MOZAMBIQUE
Mozambique Becomes a Major Coking Coal Exporter?.......read more

SURFACE HAULAGE
Body of Work......read more





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Indian Firm Vedanta Purchases Asarco in Bankruptcy Deal - Demonstrating the strength of emerging economies, India’s Vedanta Resources has struck a $2.6 billion deal for Asarco. The American Smelting and Refining Co. has been a fixture in the U.S. copper industry for more than 100 years. It is the third largest copper producer in the U.S. With mounting problems from environmental litigation and labor issues, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August 2005. The U.S. bankruptcy court set up an auction for the Asarco assets and the Vedanta Resources subsidiary Sterlite Industries bid was selected as the best. Sterlite was bidding against several other companies, including Grupo Mexico, which owns Asarco......... read more

                                          Steve Fiscor, Editor in Chief

Sandvik

2008 Vol 5 - CONTENTS

NEWS
Goldcorp Pours First Gold at ...

Mandate Halts Ecuador Projects Until ...

Petaquilla Disputes Teck Cominco’s Role ...

Common Mining Law Proposed...

Kinross Begins Milling Kupol Ore ...

Metalline Picks SNCLavalin for ...

AROUND THE WORLD
US & Canada

Latin America

Australia/Oceania

Asia

Africa

 

COAL
'This month in coal'
EQUIPMENT NEWS
Suppliers Reports & Equipment Gallery

Calendar
Conferences and Exhibitions
People
Who's moving where!

imme

NEWS

Goldcorp Pours First Gold at Peñasquito - Goldcorp announced on May 13, 2008, that the first gold had been poured at its Peñasquito project in Mexico. Nearly 2 million mt of ore had been stacked on the heap leach pads, and percolation rates, heap chemistry and gold recovery rates were meeting or exceeding expectations. The Peñasquito property is located in Zacatecas state, with excellent proximity to roads, power, rail, skilled labor and smelters. It is composed of two......... read more

Mandate Halts Ecuador Projects Until New Mining Law is in Place - On April 18, 2008, the government of Ecuador issued a "Mining Mandate" that halted metal-mine exploration and development activity in the country and revoked most mining concessions until a new national mining law is written and approved. The mandate stated that the new law must be in place within 180 days. The mandate caught Canadian mining companies that have projects in Ecuador by surprise, and their share prices initially tumbled. Ecuador currently....... read more

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Petaquilla Disputes Teck Cominco’s Role in Project - Petaquilla Copper, on April 29, 2008, announced that it was requesting arbitration with respect to Teck Cominco’s participation in the Petaquilla copper project in Panama. The project had been proceeding under an agreement that Teck Cominco could acquire half of Petaquilla’s 52% ownership share by fulfilling certain agreed obligations. Inmet Mining holds the remaining 48% of the project.... read more
Common Mining Law Proposed for West African States - The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Oxfam America in mid-April announced a proposal for a region-wide mining code that would introduce common social, environmental, and business practice standards across the 15 ECOWAS countries. Ghana and Mali are members of ECOWAS and have substantial gold-mining industries. Other gold producers in the group include Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire....read more
Kinross Begins Milling Kupol Ore - Kinross Gold started milling ore in early May 2008 at its Kupol gold-silver project in the Chukotka region of far eastern Russia. The ramp-up schedule called for the milling rate to reach 1,500 mt/d by the end of May, with initial gold and silver production also slated to begin by the end of month. The mill is scheduled to attain its full throughput capacity of 3,000 mt/d by October. The Kupol project is based on high grade, gold and silver veins that remain open along strike. Mining is by both open pit and underground methods...... read more

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Metalline Picks SNCLavalin for Zinc Mill Study - Metalline Mining Co. said it has accelerated the pace of engineering studies on a zinc concentrator process plant for the Sierra Mojada project located in Coahuila, Mexico, through the appointment of SNCLavalin as the study contractor. The study, according to Idaho, USAbased Metalline, is a planned extension of the preliminary study prepared by Green Team International, and is an integral part of the overall bankable feasibility study for mining oxide.... read more

WME

AROUND THE WORLD

USA & CANADA

Rio Tinto Announces Mineral Resource Update for Bingham Canyon Copper Mine - Rio Tinto announced in May a major upgrade of mineral resources to 637 million mt grading 0.48% copper at its wholly owned Kennecott Utah Copper (KUC) Bingham Canyon mine near Salt Lake City, Utah. The resource is located beneath the existing Bingham Canyon pit, and is currently under study for extraction by open-pit mining methods. This represents an increase of 628 million mt over the company’s December 2007 resource statement..... read more
Denison Begins Uranium Ore Processing at Utah Mill - Denison Mines Corp. reported that processing of conventional ore at its White Mesa mill in Utah began in late April. According to the company, initial testing of the grinding circuit began on April 21 with the first ore from the Tony M mine fed to the leach circuit on April 28. Denison said that over the next 30 to 45 days, the mill would process uranium only ore from the Tony M operation.... read

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General Moly Announces Hall-Tonopah Cost - General Moly Inc. announced on April 29 that it has re-named its Hall-Tonopah project the Liberty project. The Lakewood, Colorado-based company concurrently released the results of a pre-feasibility study for the project, located in central Nevada. The study was completed by M3 Engineering & Technology Corp. with contributions from several other consulting firms. According to the study, construction of the Liberty project is anticipated to cost approximately $492 million.... read more

LATIN AMERICA

Report Sets Capital Cost for El Morro Copper-Gold Project at $2.5B - Metallica Resources has released details of a technical report issued by consulting firm Pincock Allen & Holt (PAH) following a review conducted by PAH of the feasibility study provided to Metallica by Xstrata Copper for the El Morro coppergold project in Chile. The El Morro project is operated under a joint venture agreement between Xstrata Copper (70%) and Metallica (30%). The main points of the review included…… read more
Bellhaven to Develop Ancient Colombian Gold Mine - Bellhaven Copper & Gold reported that it has reached a definitive agreement with the property vendors of the Santa Maria gold mine and two contiguous exploration properties located in the Gomez-Plata District, Department of Antioquia, Colombia. The Santa Maria mine, located in the mining district of Gomez Plata, 100 km north of Medellin, has a mining history extending back more…. read more

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Paramount, Mexoro to Develop Mexican Properties - Ottawa, Ontario-based Paramount Gold and Silver Corp. announced that it has signed a Letter of Intent to enter into a strategic alliance with Mexoro Minerals Ltd. which contemplates both companies combining their mining and exploration resources—including management, personnel, exploration equipment and mining concessions. Both companies operate projects in the Sierra Madre gold-silver belt in Chihuahua, Mexico…. read

AUSTRALIA/OCEANIA

First Gold Poured from Frog’s Leg UG Ore - La Mancha Resources and its Australian joint-venture partner Dioro Exploration reported on May 13 that the first gold had been poured from ore mined underground at their Frog’s Leg project near Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. The ore was processed at Dioro’s 1.2-million-mt/y Jubilee mill south of Kalgoorlie. The Frog’s Leg underground project is based on extensions of ore mined from an open-pit that produced 116,600 oz of gold during 2004–2005. Underground access is via a decline from the open-pit…. read more

haulmax

normet

NQM to Develop Copper-Tin-Silver-Indium Mining Project - North Queensland Metals Ltd. (NQM) announced that the company’s 100% owned Baal Gammon copper/tin/silver/ indium project in far north Queensland will proceed to development. The second of NQM’s operations, Baal Gammon is scheduled for commissioning in late 2009. NQM currently operates and owns a 60% share of the Pajingo gold mine. The Baal Gammon project is expected to mine and process approximately 500,000 mt/y over a seven-year life producing around 20,000 mt/y of concentrate…. read more



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ASIA

Wenchuan Quake Has Limited Impact on Mining - The numbers from the May 12 earthquake in China are staggering. As this edition of E&MJ went to press, the death toll in Sichuan Province had climbed to 68,000 with 288,000 injured and more than 5 million people homeless. The earthquake was measured at 7.9 on the Richter scale and centered in Wenchuan County. Rock slides in the mountainous region had blocked rivers creating "quake lakes" and residents were living in fear of temporary dams giving way…. read more

Philex Reports Significant Findings at Mine Prospect - Philex Mining Corp. reported during April that it had discovered "significant intercepts" during tests for gold at one of its prospective mine sites on Negros Island, Philippines. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Philex Gold Inc. said the drill hole made in the Nagtalay prospect was "one of several gold prospects" being drilled in its Vista Alegre project in Negros. Philex Gold is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and is 81% owned by Philex Mining, one of the largest Philippine mining companies.…. read more

AFRICA

PLA Moves Ahead with Funds Drawdown, Mining Contract for Smokey Hills - Platinum Australia Ltd. (PLA) said it has begun drawing down the R260-million (A$35 million) debt facility for its Smokey Hills PGM project in South Africa and notes that construction is on track for production to begin in the July-September period. "This will enable the company to take full advantage of the high metal prices which are anticipated to persist in the short to medium term, especially while issues remain with the continuity of power supply in South Africa," said PLA Managing Director, John Lewins…. read

Anglo American Granted Mining Rights Conversions - The South African Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) and Anglo American announced that, following their joint announcement made on February 20, 2008, conversions to new order mining rights in respect of Anglo American’s mining operations in South Africa have been granted. This relates to the conversion of all the mineral rights in Anglo American’s South African coal, ferrous metals, base metals and platinum businesses…… read more

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Equipo Minero

THIS MONTH IN COAL

La Francia Selects Contractor, Begins Rail Spur - Coalcorp Mining announced that it has completed negotiations with Masering S.A., as lead operator, to partner with the existing mine contractor to support the expansion of production at La Francia Pits A and B. Masering is a mining company with more than 20 years of experience, having worked as main mining operators for Grupos Argos and subsidiaries of Glencore International A.G. in Colombia, among other …. read more

BHP Billiton Sells the Optimum Colliery - During mid-May, BHP Billiton announced that it reached an agreement to sell Optimum Colliery in South Africa, together with 6.5 million mt/y of Richards Bay Coal Terminal entitlement to an entity controlled by a Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) consortium, Optimum Coal Holdings (Pty) Ltd. (OCH). OCH is a broad-based BEE grouping led by Eliphus Monkoe, former COO for BHP Billiton Energy Coal South Africa. OCH has 65% BEE ownership, including 12.5% to be issued each to employees and the communities.…... read

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Longwall USA

Coal Age

Puda Coal Posts Impressive Numbers - Chinese metallurgical coal supplier Puda Coal reported record first quarter numbers. "We achieved record revenue due to increased sales to new and existing customers," said Ming Zhao, chairman and CEO, Puda Coal. "While the first quarter is typically a seasonal slower quarter due to the Chinese New Year holidays, we saw tonnage sales increase more than 23%, as demand for our high grade coking coal remained strong…... read more

FEATURES

IN PIT CRUSHING

Big Wheels Keep on Turning
With diesel fuel prices skyrocketing, producers are taking a close look at this alternative to conventional haulage and crushing—and following up with purchase orders
By Kyran Casteel, E&MJ European Editor


Large, semi-mobile crushing plants have been an option for open-cut limestone, coal and metal operations for a long time now, since 1956 at least. The advantages of inpit crushing/conveying systems have been well-established since then but in the 1990s the availability of increasingly large haul trucks limited their appeal to some extent. More recently, though, mine developers taking advantage of increasing demand for coal and mineral commodities have paid more attention to the in-pit crushing and conveying (IPCC) option. Leading suppliers MMD Sizers, Sandvik, TenovaTAKRAF and ThyssenKrupp Fördertechnik……. read more
 

MOTORS & DRIVES

Gearless Mill Drive Sales Rev Up to Meet Demand
By Russell A. Carter, Managing Editor

There are few phases of mining and processing that don’t require the assistance of electric motors. From electric wheel drive haul trucks to battery-powered LHDs, a significant portion of the industry’s mobile equipment is propelled by large electric motors that require precise, reliable starting, stopping and speed control, generally under harsh conditions. In the plant, grinding mills are spun at vertigo-inducing production speeds by electric motors that also can inch and creep 40-ft-diameter...... read more

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WME

COAL FROM MOZAMBIQUE

Mozambique Becomes a Major Coking Coal Exporter?
In addition to its potential role as a major international supplier of coking coal, Mozambique will also become a major source of power generation for southern Africa
By Antonio Ruffini, E&MJ South African Editor


Projects under way and planned in Mozambique’s Zambezi Valley coal basin will turn that country into one of the world’s major suppliers of seaborne coking coal. Located in the country’s northeastern province of Tete, what is one of the world’s largest undeveloped coking coal regions will also become a significant source of electricity generation for southern Africa.
The best known of the companies active in the Zambezi coal basin is Vale with its Moatize project, but there are others, such as Camec, Coal India Ltd…... read more
 

SURFACE HAULAGE

Body of Work
Selection of the right dump body for the job requires careful thinking, both inside and outside the box
By Russell A. Carter, Managing Editor


The recent introduction of Komatsu’s largest haul truck, the 360-ton-capacity 960E-1 (see sidebar, p. 74), serves as a king-sized reminder of the vast amount of technology contained in almost any type of modern mine production equipment. From tires to transistors, today’s haulers feature components that are often much stronger, larger, smaller, or smarter than those of a decade ago, and the trucks themselves offer levels of reliability, performance, control, vehicle health monitoring and diagnostic capabilities that were for many years just designers’ daydreams..... read more

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SUPPLIERS REPORTS & EQUIPMENT GALLERY

Atlas Copco Upgrades Drill Models, Acquires Indonesian Service Companies - Atlas Copco recently reported that it is upgrading many of its drill rigs and other equipment to include a range of improvements for its customers and the environment, such as equipping its underground equipment with new diesel engines to meet the latest emissions-control requirements in Europe (Stage IIIA) and North America (Tier 3). The company said it has redesigned and modified many of its face drilling and production drilling rigs as well as bolting and scaling rigs …. read more
Technip to Supply Lift System for Subsea Mining Project - Technip has been awarded a services contract by Nautilus Minerals for a riser and lifting system to be used in a subsea mining operation.
The lift-system contract covers engineering and project management services for the delivery and commissioning of all system components including a subsea pump, riser, surface handling and ancillary equipment. (A riser is a pipe or assembly of pipes used to transfer materials from the seabed to surface facilities, and to transfer injection or control fluids from the surface…… read more
Test Facility Spins Up at Titan Tire - Titan Tire Corp., a subsidiary of Titan International Inc., said it has begun testing mining truck tires on its new 24-foot "bull wheel" machine in Quincy, Illinois, USA. The company’s first 63-in. tire was built in February and is 13.5 ft tall, weighing about 12,500 lb. "There were many who doubted Titan’s ability to produce and test this tire," said Titan Chairman and CEO Maurice M. Taylor Jr. "Never underestimate a small entrepreneurial company. This tire has surpassed all of Titan’s expectations.…. read more

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Mill Trunnion Magnet System Protects Plant Equipment - The practice of using magnets to collect ferrous metal from process streams has had a long history in the mining industry. The first application, and the most prevalent application today, is the removal of ferrous tramp metal from conveyor belts. This is a straightforward application that involves suspending an electromagnet over the conveyor belt. Recently, magnetic separation techniques have been developed to effectively collect tramp metal, such as grinding ball fragments, from mill process streams .…… read more

minemaster

kumera

Paus Turns Model 852 TSL into a Scaler - German utility vehicle specialist Hermann Paus has developed a scaling kit for use with its basic 852 TSL underground utility vehicle. The kit, according to Paus, provides new and reinforced connections for the rock breaker and boom; protection for moving parts, hoses and the operator; a front scraper blade; optional hydraulic supports at the sides; and a double or triple telescopic boom for a greater scaling reach. The machine is equipped with a 75-kW Deutz BF4M 2012 engine…. read more
Conveyor Impact Beds Protect Belts - Flexco has introduced a new line of DRX impact beds, engineered to maximize belt protection while offering improved ease of installation and maintenance. While other beds may rely solely on the support bars to reduce impact, the DRX impact beds incorporate Velocity Reduction Technology in the structure design. This multi-level support is used to more effectively absorb impact energy and minimize transmission to the belt. The DRX’s Slide-Out Service…. read more

Axles for Tough Underground Mine Duty - Dana Corp.’s Off-Highway Products Group recently introduced two Spicer Hercules 37R series axles, designed for heavy-duty use in the underground mining industry. The 37R116 and 37R118 axles are engineered with a rigid, multi-piece load-bearing structure—including the differential carrier, housing arms, and planetary wheel ends—that accommodates multiple vehicle platform configurations. The 37R axle series is available with Posi-Torq and Hydraloc differential designs.…. read more

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Roller Bearing Offer Improved Performance - Emerson Industrial Automation says its Sealmaster mounted spherical roller bearing is an advanced design that combines traditional Sealmaster features and built-in benefits with even more performance and value. Emerson engineers developed and manufactured new geometries to create an innovative double-row spherical roller bearing for load capacity, misalignment and speed capabilities. The bearings feature pillow blocks that contain high-capacity.….read more

XRF Analyzer is Quick with Results- Oxford Instruments’ new X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzer, the fourth-generation X-MET5000, is designed to allow accurate and reliable identification of multi-element ores. The X-MET5000 can measure directly on drill cores or the sample can be prepared for a more accurate analysis. A user friendly empirical calibration package allows on-the-spot sample analysis…. read more

CONFERENCES & EXHIBITIONS

JULY 22-24, 2008: Queensland Mining & Engineering Exhibition 2008, Mackay, Queensland. Contact: Reed Exhibitions; Tel: 02 9422 2955; Fax: 02 9993 8342; Web: www.qme.reedexhibitions.com.au

SEPTEMBER 22-24, 2008: MINExpo 2008, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Contact: Hall Erickson; Tel: 800-752-6312; Fax: 630-434-1216; E-mail: minexpo@heiexpo.com; Web: minexpo.com

SEPTEMBER 24-28, XXIV International Mineral Processing Congress (IMPC), Beijing, China Conference Secretariat; Tel: 86-10-68310569; Fax: 86-10-68317050; E-mail: impcexhibition@gmail.com

OCTOBER 1-3, 2008: PROCEMIN 2008, Santiago, Chile Contact: Fabiola Bustamante; Tel: 56-2 652 1555; Fax: 56-2 652 1570; E-mail: info@procemin.cl; Web: www.procemin.cl

Longwall

Haulage and Loading

OCTOBER 21-23, 2008: Euro Mine Expo, Skellefteå, Sweden. Contact: Lena Modig; Tel: +46 (0)90 163404; Fax: +46 (0)90 138389; E-mail: lena.modig@eurominexpo.com; Web: www.euromineexpo.com

NOVEMBER 5-8, 2008: IMME 2008, 9th International Mining & Machinery Exhibition, Kolkata, India. Contact: Vaibhav Goel; E-mail: vaibhav.goel@ciionline.org Web: www.immeindia.com

FEBRUARY 8-11, 2009: 35th Annual Conference on Explosives and Blasting Technique, Denver, Colorado, USA. Contact: International Society of Explosives Engineers; Tel. 440-349-4400; Fax: 440-349-3788; Web: www.isee.org

MAY 17-19, 2009: Haulage & Loading, Phoenix, Arizona, USA Contact: Chad Dorn; Tel: 720-855-3996; E-mail: cdorn@mining-media.com Web: www.mining-media.com

For a full calendar of mining industry conferences and events - click here

Imme

WHO'S MOVING WHERE!

Anglo American plc announced that Neville Nicolau has been appointed CEO of Anglo Platinum and will join the Executive Committee of Anglo American plc. Duncan Wanblad, joint acting CEO of Anglo Platinum, has been appointed CEO of copper in the base metals division of Anglo American.

Klaus Kleinfeld president and CEO. He succeeds Alain Belda who will continue as chairman of the board.

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The John E. Willson Distinguished Alumnus Award, which recognizes a graduate of the University of Utah’s Mining Engineering Program who has set a high standard of accomplishments in the mining industry, has been presented to John W. Kinneberg, a 1981 graduate. Kinneberg is currently director of mine planning for Rio Tinto Minerals America in Denver, Colorado, USA.

ESCO Corp. appointed Jon Owens, current vice president, mining and construction products, to the newly created position of vice president, business development and global products..

Leica Geosystems Mining appointed Jeff Mahar national sales manager for Australia..

Gia Industri

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