This issue of IMPN includes news from Katanga about its deals with Glencore. Katanga of course has also announced an agreed merger with Nikanor to form one of the largest copper/cobalt producers in the world.

Among the feasibility news, North American Palladium announces the results of the first mineral resource estimate for its Shebandowan project, located west of Thunder Bay, Ontario and within 100 km of the company’s producing Lac des Iles mine. Gladstone Pacific Nickel reports the initial results of the Stage 1 feasibility study for the Gladstone Nickel Project (GNP). The bankable feasibility study (BFS) at Gindalbie Metals Mungada hematite project in Western Australia was completed on schedule at the end of August this year. The document was delivered to Gindalbie and AnSteel for consideration of the development of the project. Consideration of the development options is due for completion by the JV committee by the end of November.

Sphere Investments announces that Qatar Steel Co (QSC) has confirmed its purchase of 15%, and that it has also received Board approval to acquire an additional 34.9% interest, in the Guelb el Aouj iron ore project in Mauritania for a total consideration of $375 million for 49.9% of the project.

Wardrop Engineering has completed an in-house review of historical feasibility studies on North American Tungsten Corp’s 100% owned Mactung project. The review was based on historical data and multiple feasibility studies conducted by the previous property owners, AMAX, of the Mactung project. The company has engaged Wardrop to immediately initiate a full feasibility study on Mactung. This study is expected to take 9-12 months.

Nevsun Resources has arrived at agreement with the Government of the State of Eritrea through the Eritrean National Mining Corp (ENAMCO) regarding the State’s participation in the Bisha project. This is a precursor to the finalisation of discussions regarding a mining agreement for Bisha. Nevsun says: "As a very strong signal of support for the Bisha project, the Government has agreed to purchase at fair value a 30% paid participating interest, to add to its 10% free participating interest provided by the country’s mining legislation, resulting in a total participation of 40% (30% contributing; 10% free carried). ENAMCO will pay the full fair value for its share of the project determined by an independent valuator at the time of Bisha’s first gold shipment."

Sultan Minerals updates on its activities at its 100% owned Jersey-Emerald project in southeastern BC, Canada. Sultan is aggressively pursuing a number of activities on the property in order to expedite the re-opening of the historic tungsten and lead-zinc mines, which were formerly owned and operated by Placer Dome. The 2007 work program budgeted for C$2 million is underway on the Jersey-Emerald property.

Penrice Soda Holdings is in the final stages of negotiations for a long-term supply contract with Windimurra Vanadium, the new name for Precious Metals Australia, for the Windimurra vanadium project in Western Australia. The contract will see Penrice – Australia’s sole manufacturer of soda ash – supply the Windimurra project with soda ash as a key component in the process of extracting vanadium from its main host source, magnetite ore. The initial agreement is for five years, starting in the final quarter of the 2008 calendar year when the Windimurra project is scheduled to commence production. Both parties have the option to extend the soda ash supply contract for an additional five years.

Austindo Resources has successfully raised A$17,657,276.34 from a recent Rights Issue for the continued development of the Cibaliung gold project. Cibaliung is a high-grade epithermal gold/silver vein system located southwest of Jakarta in Banten Province, western Java.

With less than 12 months to commissioning of Oxiana’s Prominent Hill copper-gold project, a comprehensive review of costs and schedule has been undertaken. Scope changes, tight construction market conditions and cost increases in materials and equipment have resulted in a capital estimate increase of around 30%. Plant commissioning and first copper concentrate production is still expected to occur in the third quarter of 2008.

Development activities at Herald Resources’ Dairi zinc/lead project continued throughout the September quarter. The feasibility study is based solely on a 1Mt/y development of the high-grade Anjing Hitam deposit (diluted Reserves 6.6 Mt at 15% Zn, 9% Pb) for an initial mine life of seven years, although substantial other resources also exist within the project area.

Goldplat’s gold recovery plant in the free port of Tema in Ghana is ahead of schedule and targeted to be fully operational in January 2008. The plant, owned by the company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Gold Recovery Ghana (GRG), is already in production with full commissioning targeted for December 2007.

Strategic Resource Acquisition (SRA) has an agreement in principle with MG Rohstoffhandel of Frankfurt, Germany for consumption at the Ruhr-Zink smelter, for the sale of a portion of its zinc production from the Middle Tennessee Zinc Mining Complex (MTM).

Zaruma Resources has awarded the EPCM contract for the Luz del Cobre copper project in Mexico to M3 Engineering and Construction.

The Jilin Development and Reform Commission has issued the Project Development Permit for Sino Gold’s White Mountain gold mine.

Petmin has reached definitive agreements with Framework Investments, a 100% subsidiary of Kermas Ltd, for the joint acquisition of Veremo Holdings (Petmin 25%; Kermas Group 75%). This announcement follows the cautionary announcement of 7 July 2007. (The Kermas Group is the controlling shareholder of Samancor Chrome). Petmin and Kermas will develop and commission the Veremo project, which is a substantial iron ore deposit on the Eastern Bushveld at Stoffberg in Mpumalanga Province.

Molybdenite concentrate production has begun at Roca Mines’ MAX mine, 60 km southeast of Revelstoke, British Columbia.

Weatherly International, the AIM listed integrated base metals producer with copper mining and smelting operations in Namibia, has successfully commenced production at the Kombat underground mine. Production for 2008 is targeted at approximately 300,000 t of ore from the Asis West orebody, which would contribute an additional 5,000 t of copper to the group.

Macmin Silver is a silver focused company whose primary projects are the Texas silver project, southeast Queensland, Australia where the Twin Hills silver mine is entering production and the Tally Ho project near Mackay, Central Queensland.

Diversified minerals explorer India Resources has commenced copper concentrate production at its Surda project in eastern India.

Simmer & Jack Mines’ 65.47%-held subsidiary, First Uranium Corp, commenced transporting gold ore from the Ezulwini mine for toll treatment at the Randfontein Estates Ltd’s (REL) Doornkop gold plant, with effect from the end of October 2007. Based on Ezulwini mine start-up schedules for mining uranium and gold, First Uranium expects to ship some 5,000 t of ore for toll treatment in November 2007 and steadily increase the quantity to about 25,000 t/month by April 2008, when Ezulwini’s own gold plant is scheduled to be commissioned.

Golden Star Resources has started construction of the 50 km haul road to connect its Wassa gold mine to the Benso deposit which is the first step in the development of the Hwini-Butre and Benso project. Construction of the road to Benso is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2008 following which haulage of high grade ore from Benso to the Wassa processing plant is expected to commence. Blending the high grade Hwini-Butre and Benso ore into the Wassa processing plant feed is expected to result in an increase in the average gold production rate from Wassa to approximately 200,000 oz/y with an associated reduction in cash operating costs. The environmental permit for the project was granted in early October 2007.

ShalkiyaZinc, as shown in its operational performance to June 30, 2007, continues to make progress on its target to increase its mining of zinc-lead ore to 4 Mt by 2011.

In its Third-Quarter 2007 Results Sherritt International reports that the Moa/Fort Saskatchewan phased expansion is on schedule. Mixed sulphide production in 2007 remains on track to meet full-year guidance of 33,000 t (100% basis). Fourth-quarter finished nickel and cobalt production is expected to increase from third quarter levels, with full-year production forecast to be approximately 31,500 t of nickel and 3,500 t of cobalt (100% basis).

KimCor Diamonds, following the recent acquisition of Dwyka Diamonds Holdings, has begun on the expansion of its existing Central Sorting Facility. The Kimberley-based facility provides final diamond recovery and cleaning from all diamond concentrates produced by the group’s mining and processing operations in South Africa.

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