Northern Dynasty is starting prefeasibility studies for the Pebble copper-gold-molybdenum project in southwest Alaska. The PEA confirmed Pebble to be a technically and economically robust project with the potential to produce 53,000 Mlb copper, 50 Moz gold and 2,800 Mlb molybdenum over 78 years, while developing just 55% of the known mineral resource. Gindalbie Metals is moving into the next phase of debt funding for its world class Karara iron ore project in Australia after the formal agreement of $336 million debt facility increase, taking the total project loan facility to $1,200 million. Gindalbie and Karara Managing Director, Tim Netscher believes that the 2,518 Mt project is almost on “the home stretch” after recent developments, including the project’s first iron ore shipment, and the company is now finalising key rail agreements to advance the 30+ year project.

Sherwin Iron has successfully undertaken an $8.5 million share placement to speed up drilling and development of its Roper River iron ore project in the Northern Territory. The placement proceeds will be used to progress an ongoing feasibility study at the project, where Sherwin has identified an exploration target of 300-350 Mt @ 40-48% Fe, and to push the projects exploration program into the next stage.

Sandfire Resources has begun underground development at the DeGrussa copper-gold project, in Western Australia, and is planning to establish a decline portal within a few weeks. Sandfire expects that the DeGrussa underground operation will reach its full 1.5 Mt/y production rate by Q2 2013. The company has begun waste pre-stripping of the open pit which is starting to provide ore for the DeGrussa concentrator as well as initial DSO for sale.

Noble Mineral Resources is on track to begin gold production at its Bibiani project in Ghana by the end of 2011. The company hopes to bring the project to its full, 150,000+ oz/y gold, production potential by 2012. Noble is busy working to upgrade the current 2 Moz gold resource at Bibiani with strong drilling results already being returned from programs underway.

Centaurus Metals’ Brazilian iron ore exploration drive is returning positive results with drilling at the company’s flagship Jambreiro project confirming mineralisation widths and grade continuity of the main Tigre prospect. The company is confident that the drilling program will upgrade the resource to Indicated before the end of May to clear the way for a PFS on the project.

New Gold’s most immediate development project continued on schedule during the first quarter of 2011 and is expected to commence production in mid-2012. New Afton will be an underground mine and concentrator which is expected to produce an annual average of 85,000 oz of gold, and 75 Mlb of copper.

Other mine building news includes Resource Generation for its Boikarabelo coal mine; NLMK for Zhernovskoye coal deposit; Verde Potash; the Selwyn lead/zinc project; Gunson’s Coburn zircon project; Nevada Copper’s Pumpkin Hollow copper development property in the Walker Lane mineralised belt of Western Nevada; Mineral Deposit’ Grande Côte Mineral Sands project in Senegal; Uranium SA’s Mullaquana project, south of Whyalla on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia; Hillgrove Resources is on track for first production at the Kanmantoo copper mine in South Australia in November 2011; OM Holdings’ development activities at the Tshipi Borwa manganese project in South Africa are on schedule;  Marengo Mining’s Yandera copper-molybdenum-gold project in Papua New Guinea; Alliance Resources’ Four Mile uranium project in South Australia; Perseus Mining’s Central Ashanti gold project in Ghana EnviroGol’s Las Lagunas gold/silver project in the Dominican Republic; First Quantum Minerals’ Trident copper project in Kalumbila, Northwestern Province, Zambia; Randgold Resources’  predevelopment work on the Kibali joint venture in the Democratic Republic of Congo; Mountain Province Diamonds’ Gahcho Kué project; and Platinum Group Metals and Wesizwe Platinum PGM projects.

All this and much, much more in the May 6 issue of International Mining Project News….

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