World

“Challenges are more opportunity than problem” Ben Chalmers, Senior Vice President of The Mining Association of Canada, was in Mongolia in September to spread awareness about the concept of TSM or Towards Sustainable Mining. B. Tugsbilegt finds out from him more about TSM, and how it would help mining meet stricter standards of emission reduction, water management and such environmental challenges. Reducing greenhouse gas emission is not yet a priority area of concern for Mongolian miners but this will surely change as the world gears for climate change. What are the things to which they should pay special attention? There can be no doubt that mining should pay attention to climate change. One way we can do this is to use a system like TSM to manage our energy usage effectively and to set emissions targets.

Does every cloud have a silver lining? – recent developments in Australia’s mining sector Mr Mills previously worked with Skills Australia, an Australian government agency where one of his key responsibilities was to assess demand for skills from Australia’s mining sector

Trends in Commodity Prices We are currently in an era of extreme volatility in terms of commodities, where we can experience the swiftest growth in value, and one of the sharp drops, all within a few weeks of one another (Australian Mining August 2016).

Price slump makes North Korea step up mining output The sharp fall in global commodity prices is starting to have an impact on North Korea, a state that relies heavily on exports of minerals to keep its economy afloat — and its gargantuan military funded.

Coal conversion projects to worsen global warming At about 8:30 on a chilly winter morning, a factory outside the desert city Ulin in China is already getting busy. Its five-story office building is almost fully occupied. Trucks drive in with coal and drive out with construction waste.

No halt to slide in Chinese coal imports in 2015 Oversupply continues to weigh on the performance of thermal and metallurgical coal exports into China, according to Wood Mackenzie senior analyst Jonathan Sultoon. The causes of oversupply stemmed from an earlier market enthusiasm for coal that peaked in 2010 and 2011.

Largest coal mine in Russia opens A new 167-year-life coal mine has opened in Russia. The Arshanovsky open cut mine, in south eastern Siberia, has set a goal of two billion tonnes of coal extracted over its mine life, at a rate of around 10 million tonnes per annum.

Despite 8% output jump, Alrosa sees only moderate growth in 2015 Russia’s Alrosa, the world’s top diamond producer by output in carats, says its fourth-quarter output climbed 8% to 10.6 million carats.

Gazprom cuts gas purchases from Central Asia Russia’s Gazprom plans to reduce the volume of gas purchases from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan by nearly 10 billion cubic meters and replace these volumes with its own gas in 2015.

Russia could become world’s second biggest gold miner this year Not content with its Central Bank being this year’s world’s largest gold purchaser, Russia looks like it might be moving into second place in the world gold mine production table, overtaking Australia

Hall of Fame planned for global mining pioneers Top pioneering mining technology innovators and developers will be honoured by inclusion in the inaugural global Mining Technology Hall of Fame next year, to shine the light on the people – past and present – behind the “leaps of progress” that had changed the industry for the better.

Mining will be Australia’s economic driver for next 5 years Economic forecaster BIS Shrapnel has said that the mining industry would continue to be a positive driver of the Australian economy over the next five years, despite a predicted fall in investment in the sector.

Falling business fails to dampen Canadian mining sector Skills shortages remain top of mind for Canadian resources and mining sector employers, after 75% of companies polled in a recent international recruitment agency Hays Canada survey described the shortage as “moderate” to “significant”.

With suspension of Grasberg mine, Indonesia’s smelter searches for other copper suppliers Indonesia’s sole copper smelter, PT Smelting, is negotiating with suppliers of copper concentrate as a result of operations being temporarily halted at the Grasberg mine in Papua, Indonesia.

Iran announces it is mining and processing uranium in spite of stiff global sanctions On National Nuclear Technology Day in Iran, the government celebrated by announcing the full operation of Ardakan Yellowcake Production Plant, which is located in Yazd province in central Iran. It will process approximately 60 tons of uranium annually excavated from Saghand 1 and 2, two nearby mines.

A rash of mining accidents in China is raising safety and environmental concerns On the first day of April, six coal miners died after an explosion in Jilin province in northeast China, where only 3 days earlier twenty-eight miners had perished.

Mining boom keeps Australians from jobs in Antarctica There are times when the sun never sets on Antarctica, but a long-term Australian programme encouraging people to “live the dream” and work in the vast frozen landscape is having to extend a deadline for the project due to a shortage of applicants.

Baosteel to invest $1.3bn in natural gas pipeline China’s Baoshan Iron &Steel, the country’s largest listed steelmaker, said it will invest $1.3billion in a natural gas pipeline project led by China National Petroleum Corp. Narrowing margins and weaker growth in demand have prompted steelmakers in China, the world’s top steel producer, to seek more cooperation with downstream users to increase profit.

Revealed treasures draw superpowers to frigid Arctic field With Arctic ice melting at record pace, the world’s superpowers are increasingly jockeying for political influence and economic position in outposts previously regarded as barren wastelands.

Guatemalan president retracts proposed mining law reform President Otto Perez Molina has officially withdrawn two proposed amendments to the Guatemalan Constitution pertaining to mining law reform, including a highly controversial trial balloon which would have permitted state ownership of up to 40% in new mining projects. If adopted, Article 125 would have allowed the Guatemalan government to acquire up to 40% ownership or equity in future new mining projects, which were not already operating in Guatemala.