The latest issue of International Mining Project News, out today, has reports on 30 prefeasibility studies, four feasibility studies, and 17 projects in development, four new mines that have gone into production, five existing operations that are expanding and four merger and acquisition announcements, and many new appointments to new positions. The report covers 25 gold projects, 14 copper projects, eight silver projects, four coal, and diamond projects, three nickel, and zinc projects, two graphite and polymetallic projects and one tin, lead, hematite, rare earths, lithium, oil sand, tungsten, uranium, and graphene projects. 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.

Rio Tinto Alcan has inaugurated the $ 1.1 billion Arvida Aluminium Smelter, AP60 Technology Centre, in Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, Quebec. The new plant has an installed capacity of 60,000 t of aluminium and is the most technologically advanced aluminium smelter in the world.

Whilst Tahoe Resources has announced that its Escobal mine in Guatemala has reached commercial production. Operations commenced in late September 2013 and production has been ramping towards the 3500 t/d target level since that time.

Flinders Resources has recently purchased key lead-order items for the Woxna processing facility in central Sweden, to facilitate its aim to re-establish the Woxna graphite project to its former position as a key supplier of graphite to Europe.

Australia’s largest privately held mining and civil contracting firm, BGC Contracting, has been awarded a contract worth more than $100 million to restart iron ore mining operations at Arrium Mining’s historic Iron Knob mine near Whyalla in South Australia. The contract period is four years with the potential for an extension.

Thiess has made a return to iron ore mining having secured a A$135 million three-year contract with Western Desert Resources at its Roper Bar project, a remote greenfield iron ore mine in Australia’s Northern Territory. Thiess has been working with Western Desert Resources for some time, providing on the ground mobilisation and project support since November 2013. The contract has just commenced, with Thiess leading the mining operations.