The latest issue of International Mining Project News, out today, has reports on 21 prefeasibility studies, 14 feasibility studies, and 30 projects in development, six new mines that have gone into production, seven existing operations that are expanding and six merger and acquisition announcements, and many new appointments to new positions. The report covers 34 gold projects, 19 copper projects, 11 silver projects, nine coal, seven iron ore, four graphite and uranium, three nickel, lead, zinc, tin and rare earth projects, two cobalt, diamond and aluminium and one molybdenum, palladium, titanium, vanadium, bismuth, tungsten, niobium and tantalum. This fortnightly project watch is a great way of keeping up to date with your peers – other mining companies, other consultants or other engineering companies. These issues build into a global mine project overview. If you are a supplier – it is full of potential sales leads.

Global Cobalt has started a fully funded drill and technical work program at the Karakul cobalt project located in the Altai Republic Russia. The intent of the program is to validate the historic Soviet resources, expand the area included in the current mine permit and increase the metallurgical understanding of the project.

Carpathian Gold, the exploration and development company, has entered into an agreement with Cormark Securities and Macquarie Capital Markets Canada, which have agreed to purchase, on a bought deal private placement basis, 114,500,000 common shares for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately C$16.0 million. In addition, the company has granted the Co-Lead Underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional 24,250,000 shares at the Offering Price exercisable two days prior to closing of the Offering for additional gross proceeds in the amount of up to approximately C$3.4 million. Carpathian primary business interest is developing near-term gold production on its 100% owned Riacho dos Machados (RDM) gold project in Brazil, which is currently focused on construction, along with progressing its exploration and development plans on its 100% owned Rovina Valley Au-Cu Project (RVP) located in Romania.

BHP Billiton is investing $2.6 billion to finish the excavation and lining of the Jansen Potash project production and service shafts, and to continue the installation of essential surface infrastructure and utilities. This investment will be spread over a number of years, with completion of both shafts expected during the 2016 calendar year, while the associated works program will extend into the 2017 calendar year.

Trevali Mining has begun zinc and lead-silver concentrate production from the metallurgical plant at the Santander mine in Peru. The crushing, transform, grinding, flotation and tailing circuits are all operational and undergoing commissioning and optimisation.

Big North Graphite has completed its first graphite sale.  The company recently sold 200 t of amorphous graphite, mined from its Nuevo San Pedro mine and additional feed mines located in Sonora Mexico, to a customer within Mexico.  The graphite sold was a mine run, semi-processed product, consisting of a minus 19 mm size, yielding an average grade of 68% Cg.  The mined graphite was processed at Big North’s processing facility located near the town of La Colorada, Mexico. The company commenced test mining at the Nuevo San Pedro project in May of this year and in July  announced that it had mined, shipped and stockpiled 160 t of graphite, leading to the sale of product this month.