The Northern Miner October 25 2021 Issue 22

Page 1

REFLECTIONS ON TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION IN CANADA / 5 Geotech_Earlug_2016_Alt2.pdf 1 2016-06-24 4:27:20 PM

SPECIAL FOCUS

GREEN ENERGY METALS Projects that are transforming the sector | 8-16

.com expert advice from exploration to closure

VTEM™ | ZTEM™ | Gravity | Magnetics 905 841 5004 | geotech.ca

DELIVERING QUALITY EXPERTISE GLOBALLY ACROSS THE ENTIRE MINING LIFE CYCLE WWW.SGS.COM/MINING

MINERALS@SGS.COM

OCTOBER 25—NOVEMBER 7, 2021 / VOL. 107 ISSUE 22 / GLOBAL MINING NEWS · SINCE 1915 / $5.25 / WWW.NORTHERNMINER.COM

Canadian Mining Hall of Fame South32 to buy stake celebrates excellence with new in KGHM Chilean mine for US$1.55B inductees at gala dinner HONOURS

| The industry pays tribute to five of its giants

M&A

| Sierra Gorda will be South32’s secondlargest deal since it listed in 2015

BY CECILIA JAMASMIE

A

Pierre Gratton, chairman of CMHF’s board of directors, giving opening remarks at the CMHF 2021 Ceremony. CANADIAN MINING HALL OF FAME

T

BY TRISH SAYWELL

he Canadian Mining Hall of Fame welcomed five exceptional individuals during its thirty-third annual induction ceremony and gala dinner in August at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. The careers of industry giants Patricia Dillon, David Elliott, William Gladstone Jewitt, Steven D. Scott, and Mary Edith Tyrrell were celebrated for their contributions to the mining industry. The event was held outdoors on the terrace at the museum and due to the pandemic, the number of guests was limited to 125 in order to comply with Ontario’s health guidelines. “It feels quite surreal to see you all here tonight — live and in person,” Pierre Gratton, chair of the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame, said in his opening remarks. “I don’t know about

you, but I am pretty Zoomed out, so it’s wonderful to be here among such great company.” Gratton noted that he was proud of how the mining industry had navigated Covid-19 and “continued to deliver the global supply of materials integral to the items each of us use every day.” “Our time is now,” he continued. “Our sector delivers the critical minerals and metals needed for the global transition toward a low carbon future...Mining will be a constructive partner in the fight against climate change.” He also paid tribute to all the inductees of the Canadian Mining Hall and the group’s five newest members. “We are here tonight to celebrate our next group of individuals who make Canada’s mining industry a global leader...As exceptional leaders and champions, each of the inductees were instrumental

in growing our sector.” Master of ceremonies Anthony Vaccaro, publisher of The Northern Miner, brought levity to the event with several hand-picked anecdotes about each inductee. Calling Patricia Dillon “a force of nature,” Vaccaro noted that Dillon has “done so much good for this industry that we are trying to find a way to clone her so that each country with a mining industry can be steered in the right direction.” Dillon was a female geologist in the 1970s, Vaccaro added, “back when being a female geologist was about as common as a Maple Leaf winning a playoff round is today.” He also quoted from Dillon’s geology professor at the University of Toronto, who told him that the young student stood out from the crowd and truly showed a love for learnSee CMHF / 6

ustralia’s South32 (LSE: S32; ASX: S32) has acquired almost half of the vast Sierra Gorda copper mine in northern Chile, majority-owned by Polish miner KGHM (WSE: KGH) for US$1.55 billion in cash plus a contingent price-linked consideration of up to US$500 million over the 2022 through 2025 fiscal years. Japan’s Sumitomo Metal Mining and Sumitomo Corp., which together hold a 45% stake, had said last year that they were considering exiting the operation after years of losses. The deal marks the Perth-based miner’s entry into the world’s largest copper-producing country ahead of an expected demand boom for the metal. Sierra Gorda is located in the prolific mining region of Antofagasta in Chile and has a production capacity of about 150,000 tonnes of copper concentrate and 7,000 tonnes of molybdenum. It’s “a long-life asset, with sulphide reserves of 1.5Bt at 0.4% copper (contained~5.9Mt copper) and potential for future expansions, including SX/EW,” BMO analysts Alexander Pearce and David Gagliano wrote in a research note. State-backed KGHM Polska Miedz SA, which has a 55% operating stake in Sierra Gorda, has been criticized for the steep investment allocated to developing the Chilean mine (US$5.2 billion and counting). Sierra Gorda, which began production in 2014, has constantly failed to meet expectations due to challenging metallurgy and difficulties in using seawater for processing. The Polish miner, which is looking to sell foreign mines and reinvest the proceeds in its domestic operations, has said it has no plans of putting Sierra Gorda on the chopping block.

M&A: NORONT PREFERS SWEETENED BID FROM WYLOO OVER BHP’S OFFER / 3

KGHM, however, has ruled out the possibility of taking on full ownership of the mine. The open-pit mine is located at an altitude of 1,700 metres and has enough ore to support at least 20 years of mining. South32 expects it to produce 180,000 tonnes of copper concentrate and 5,000 tonnes of molybdenum this year. The miner’s acquisition of Sierra Gorda is the second-biggest deal it has inked since it was listed in 2015, after being spun out of BHP. South32 paid US$1.3 billion in 2018 for 83% of Arizona Mining, which had a zinc, lead and silver project in the United States. KGHM took control of the copper and molybdenum Sierra Gorda project in 2012, after completing the acquisition of Canadian rival Quadra FNX, in what was the largest-ever foreign acquisition by a Polish company. The miner had planned to expand Sierra Gorda earlier, but the 20152016 rout in commodity prices forced the company to place the project on See M&A / 2 PM40069240


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.