Global projects and exploration
replace the truck and off-road vehicle transport of
ore and personnel. The processing capacity of the
mine's concentrating plant will increase from the
current 1.6 million tons to 2.0 million tons per year.
The ABB delivery includes one friction type
production hoist with 2.5 megawatts of motor
power, as well as a 1.2 megawatt single drum
personnel hoist. These are the first hoists in the
Kittilä gold mine. ABB will also deliver online
remote support services for real-time hoist
condition monitoring. With ABB Ability, ABB will
provide the best availability and expert support for
the customer for this project.
The mining industry is experiencing a period
of strong growth in Finland. In 2017, more than
USD349-million was invested in mining operations.
The growth from the previous year was 25%. ABB
has delivered over 700 mine hoisting systems all
over the world, among which many hold the world
records of either in capacity or efficiency.
The Kittilä Mine is the largest gold mine in
Europe. The mine already uses a varied range of
ABB technology, including motors, an automation
system, frequency converters, and instruments. The
current life cycle of the mine is estimated to last at
least until 2035. The personnel and the production
hoists will be installed and introduced at the Kittilä
Mine during 2020–2021.
Australia
Mt Alexander drilling starts up again
Drilling has resumed at emerging Western
Australian nickel company St George Mining’s Mt
Alexander Project, near Leonora in the north-
eastern Goldfields.
This expanded Phase 2 drill programme
follows outstanding results from recent
drilling at the Investigators Prospect, which
identified significant down plunge extensions of
massive sulphide mineralisation and increased
the potential of locating further sulphide
mineralisation at depth.
More than 4000m of drilling is planned in
this programme, with initial drill holes designed
to test several EM conductors identified from
the DHEM surveys in the recently completed
drill holes at Investigators.
With an exceptional success rate of testing
EM conductors across the Cathedrals Belt,
there is very strong potential for these new
EM targets to represent further continuity of
the known massive nickel-copper-sulphide
mineralisation.
“We are excited that drilling is again
under way at Mt Alexander, with our drilling
contractor, DDH1 Drilling, operating on a 24/7
basis with a double shift,” says John Prineas,
executive chairman at St George Mining.
“Multiple intersections of high-grade nickel-
copper-cobalt-PGE mineralisation have been
made at Investigators, but, with very little
drilling below 200m, we have only scratched
the surface. The initial results from the first
deep drilling at Investigators support our
geological model that mineralisation continues
at depth in the northerly plunge direction. This
warrants an escalation of the drill programme
at Investigators with a range of targets that we
believe will expand the footprint of sulphide
mineralisation there,” adds Prineas.
Argentina
Export tax expected to affect mining
Gold mining company Patagonia Gold
says in a recent press release that the
company is in the process of analysing
the financial impact of the recent
devaluation of the Argentine peso
and the export tax introduced by the
national government.
Patagonia Gold has several gold and
silver projects in the Patagonia region
of Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay.
The company is primarily focused
on its flagship Cap Oeste project in
Santa Cruz and the recently acquired
Calcatreu project in Rio Negro.
In addition, it is carrying out
exploration in Manchuria and Sarita
in Argentina and San Jose in Uruguay.
Patagonia Gold, indirectly through its
subsidiaries or under option agreements,
has mineral rights to over 250 properties
www.miningmirror.co.za
in several provinces of Argentina, Chile,
and Uruguay and is one of the largest
landholders in the province of Santa
Cruz, Argentina.
On 3 September 2018, the
government of Argentina announced
a series of measures to mitigate the
economic problems the country is
currently facing. Among the measures
announced is the implementation of an
export tax to be applied on all exports,
including goods and services, until 31
December 2020. The applicable tax
depends on the type of product. In the
case of doré produced by Patagonia
Gold, the tax to be applied is USD4
(four Argentine pesos) for each dollar
exported, which, at the current exchange
rate, represents about 10% on the sales
value.
NOVEMBER 2018 MINING MIRROR
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