Mining and Exploration

By positioning itself in a region already rich in mineral assets and infrastructure, Labrador Iron Mines is reviving a historic mining operation within the heart of Canada’s prolific Labrador Trough iron range. Keith Regan learns how this first mover of high-quality DSO product envisions a growing production profile at its deposits along the Quebec-Labrador border.

Abacus Mining & Exploration holds the rights to mine copper and gold from the former producing Afton-Ajax property in British Columbia. Keith Regan learns how a recent joint venture agreement will enable Abacus to bring the mine back into production without diluting shareholder value, with global implications well into the future.

Exploration firm EnCore Oil has announced that its Catcher prospect, off the east coast of Scotland, may hold up to 300 million barrels of oil—about 150 million of which is extractable.

EnCore is the operator of the Catcher joint venture and holds a 15 per cent stake. Premier Oil holds 35 per cent; Wintershall (UK North Sea) holds 20 per cent; Nautical Petroleum has 15 per cent; and Agora Oil & Gas holds a 15 per cent stake.

Sixty-five kilometres south of Örebro, in sparsely populated forest land, lies one of Sweden’s oldest mining operations. For 152 years, Zinkgruvan has extracted zinc, lead and silver from this central Swedish location. These days, the business is 100 per cent owned by the Canadian company Lundin Mining, which controls mining operations in a number of European countries as well as a partnership in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Like many an African mining operation, Zimplats’ Ngezi mine lies in splendid isolation, 150 kilometres south-west of Zimbabwe’s capital Harare and is surrounded by...bush! Even though there is no expat workforce to push costs up, this remote location means that Zimplats has had to put in place competitive conditions of service in order to retain the full gamut of mining, engineering, geology and metallurgical skills it needs to keep the largest platinum resource in the country running effectively.

One of the first things that South African exploration company Sekoko Resources did when it was launched in 2004 was to establish a solid foundation for long term growth through the acquisition of a significant portfolio of exploration interests in Limpopo Province.

10. Norilsk Nickel

Norilsk Nickel is a nickel and palladium  mining  and smelting  company. Its largest operations are located in the Norilsk–Talnakh  area, in northern Russia. MMC stands for "Mining and Metallurgical Company".

Lapland might be more commonly associated with Santa Claus than mining for gold, but this is where one of the largest gold deposits in northern Europe is to be found. Known reserves at the Kittilä Mine already contain more than four million ounces and there is a strong probability that much more will yet be found in a series of deposits running along a 25 kilometre trend. The mine is located approximately 900 kilometres north of Helsinki and 150 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle.

A memorandum of understanding for the Interconnection Turkey-Greece-Italy project, or ITGI, was signed yesterday in Ankara between Edison, Turkey’s state- run natural gas company Botas and Greek natural gas company Depa.

The ITGI project aims to transport an annual eight billion cubic metres of gas to Italy by upgrading existing infrastructure in Turkey and Greece and building a final link to Italy.

Mineral exploration and development company Lydian International is focusing all its resources on its Amulsar gold project in Southern Armenia. CEO Dr Tim Coughlin explains why to Jayne Flannery.