Metals | A Blog for Browsing Mining, Mineral Processing, and Metals Info

Category Archives: Metals

BHP says U.S. shale business to generate cash by 2016

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

LONDON, Dec 10 (Reuters) – BHP Billiton, the world’s largest miner and a top investor in U.S. onshore oil and gas, said on Tuesday its U.S. shale business should generate cash from 2016, contributing almost $3 billion a year to the group by the end of the decade.

BHP, one of the largest producers outside the major integrated oil companies, plans to spend around $4 billion a year to expand its U.S. onshore oil and gas production.

Indonesia’s president to weigh into mineral export confusion

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

“The president will decide it,” Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan told reporters on Wednesday, noting that Yudhoyono would make an announcement after consultations with the chief economic minister, the energy and mineral resources minister, the trade minister, the industry minister and parliament.

Lawmakers last week told the government they would not dilute the law, adopted five years ago, and it must go ahead as scheduled. Officials have been pressing for a reprieve, at least for miners that can show they have been trying to meet demands to process their ore before it is loaded on ships for export.

Norilsk Nickel operates in the Arctic

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Under the auspices of the Foreign Ministry of Russia the Russian International Affairs Council has hosted the International Conference Arctic: Region of Development and Cooperation with Mr Vladimir Zhukov hHead of the IR Directorate representing MMC Norilsk Nickel.

Mr Zhukov underscored that Norilsk Nickel centers its efforts on developing the arctic production sites paying special attention to prospecting uniquely rich mineral reserves of the Taymyr peninsula.

Metals

Nickel Is Best Bet for Barclays as Ore Ban Revives Worst Metal

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Nickel, the worst performing base metal this year, offers investors the best opportunity for advances in early 2014 as Indonesia is poised to halt the export of mineral ores, according to Barclays Plc.

The prohibition in the largest mined producer, set to take effect after Jan. 12, may curb supplies for makers of nickel pig iron in China, analysts including Kevin Norrish wrote in a report. Even if the ban isn’t implemented as planned, prices are so low other producers will cut output, they wrote.

Metals

Glencore revives interest in Rio’s Canada iron ore assets

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Glencore Xstrata Plc, the fourth- largest mining company, revived its interest in bidding for the Canadian iron-ore operations that Rio Tinto Group is seeking to sell, according to two people familiar with situation.

Glencore resumed talks with Rio as it studies a possible bid, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the discussions are confidential. Earlier interest from Baar, Switzerland-based Glencore and other parties had waned and Rio was close to pulling the sale, one of the people said.

Metals

Indonesian gov’t, Japanese consortium agree to terminate smelter contract

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

JAKARTA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) — The Indonesian government and the Japanese consortium Nippon Asahan Aluminium (NAA) on Monday clinched a deal to terminate a contract that allows the latter to run PT Inalum (Indonesia Asahan Aluminium), thus paving the way for Indonesia to solely own the only aluminum smelter in the region.

Export Ban on Unprocessed Minerals Temporarily Pressures Trade Balance

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Although the ban on the export of unprocessed minerals, which is set to start on 12 January 2014, is expected to result in a direct revenue loss of USD $4 billion in 2014 due to a decline in mineral exports, Deputy Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro believes that from 2016 onward a trade surplus can be recorded in Indonesia’s minerals sector. In 2014, Indonesia’s minerals sector may show a USD $10 billion trade deficit. But exports of processed minerals may grow from USD $4.9 billion in 2013 to USD $9 billion in 2015.

Metals

Indonesia trying to skirt its own ban on mineral ore exports

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Dec 9 (Reuters) – Indonesia’s government is still trying to find a way around a mineral ore export ban that the country’s parliament is refusing to allow it to sidestep, chief economic minister Hatta Rajasa said on Monday.

The ban, which comes into effect next month, is designed to increase the value of the country’s mineral exports. Indonesia has for decades and with limited success tried to create more value from its vast array of natural resources.

Raw Mineral Export Ban Looms

Posted on December 7, 2013 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

Small- and medium-sized domestic mineral miners voiced concerns on Friday that they lacked the funds to comply with a long-anticipated ban on unprocessed mineral exports, due to begin next year. The current regulation indirectly favors large international firms, they said.

“The national mining industry will die before it develops,” the Indonesian Mineral Entrepreneurs Association said in a statement on Friday.

The association, known as Apemindo, argued that local miners, most with operations less than 10 years old, did not have enough capital to build their own smelters. Apemindo said that the ban would benefit foreign mining companies that had been operating in the country for many years and had already accumulated sufficient profits to build their own smelters.

Chinese steel mills need huge upgrades – General Electric

Posted on December 7, 2013 by Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, P.Eng Leave a comment

General Electric sees “tremendous upgrade opportunities” in China’s steel industry, the world’s largest, as more mills are revamping their facility to become more efficient and environmentally friendly.

The US giant expects Chinese mills, facing tighter environmental rules as they become global players, to require energy-efficient technologies and solutions on a big scale, although GE is unable to quantify the market size now, said Joe Mastrangelo, CEO of GE’s power conversion business.