The latest issue of International Mining Project News, out today, has reports on 20 prefeasibility studies, 16 feasibility studies, 27 projects in development, three new mines that have gone into production, nine existing mines that are expanding, four merger and acquisition announcements, and many new appointments to new positions. The report covers 31 gold projects, 11 iron ore and copper projects, 10 silver projects, seven covering coal, six each on zinc and lead, three rare earth and uranium projects, two heavy mineral sands, vanadium, titanium graphite, potash, and nickel, and one project each covering tin, boron, rhenium, molybdenum, diamonds, lithium and platinum. 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.

Rathdowney Resources announced recently that preliminary metallurgical testing of mineralisation from its project Olza has been completed and has confirmed the initial “excellent metallurgical results” reported in the company’s March 12, 2013 news release.  Rathdowney’s Olza zinc-lead-silver project is located 70 km northwest of Krakow in southern Poland. Results were confirmed on the bulk composite test which included a projected zinc recovery of 92% to a 58% zinc concentrate,  a zinc concentrate assay of 179 g/t Ag, representing 83% recovery of silver; and a projected lead recovery of 90% or better to a lead concentrate assaying 70% Pb.

Ferrowest has completed its current payment obligations under the Sale and Purchase Agreement with Ngalia Resources to acquire up to 60% of the Yalyirimbi iron ore project in the Northern Territory, Australia. An inferred resource estimate of 14.1 Mt of haematite at 27.1%Fe classified and reported in accordance with the JORC Code is already established. Planning is now underway for Ferrowest to complete a diamond drilling program in the September quarter that is expected to lift the resource estimate category to the required level. Additional RC drill planning is also underway for a follow up program in the fourth quarter, which is aimed at further increasing the resource base. Building on the Scoping Study previously completed by Ngalia, Ferrowest has commenced reviewing project design parameters, project costing and economics with a view to optimising the project’s design and cost estimates.

Azumah Resources advises that the feasibility study update for the Wa gold project in northwest Ghana is well on-track to deliver a material increase in mineral reserves on the back of a substantial expansion of the Julie deposit. This will support the company’s objective of establishing a de-risked, development-ready, higher production, higher grade and lower cost project. The company also announces that the Ghana Minerals Commission has recommended to Ghana’s Minister of Lands and Natural Resources that Azumah be granted two Mining Leases covering the project’s Kunche-Bepkong and Julie deposits. This is a major milestone for the project and demonstrates the high level of in-country support for the project, which also includes installing grid power directly to the mine site and the granting of a water extraction licence.

Astur Gold Corp has commenced a DFS on the Salave gold project in Northern Spain. The DFS will focus on a lower tonnage, higher grade operation with substantially lower capital cost and expected lower operating cost than previously announced in the PEA completed by Golder Associates, dated February 12, 2011. The DFS is expected to be completed by the end of Q1 2014. The DFS, following internal optimisation work completed by the company and its contractors, will be based upon underground-only mining via open stope mining methods, bulk backfill with development muck and paste fill, and processing via conventional flotation to produce a gold-rich concentrate for shipment to an independent smelter.  The exclusion of pressure oxidation, cyanidation, and carbon-in-leach circuits will substantially reduce initial capital costs required for the project.

Ressources Appalaches is on the path to gold production at Dufferin and announces the rehabilitation of the ramp access and completion of shotcreting the portal entrance. The company is now proceeding underground with rehabbing and continued dewatering activities. The rehabbed portal entrance has been christened as “Meguma Way” in recognition of the geological formation associated with Ressources Appalaches six surrounding claims; and which has also been associated with rich minerals deposits and gold mining operations in Nova Scotia during past generations.

Also in Canada, Golden Band Resources has entered into a short-term cost plus contract with Procon Mining and Tunnelling whereby the contractor will provide pre-production and mine rehabilitation services for the company’s La Ronge gold projects. The Cost Plus Contract has a guaranteed maximum price of $20 million and will temporarily supercede the existing general services agreement between the company and the Kitsaki/Procon Joint Venture (see news release of February 11, 2010) until such time as mining operations are back at full capacity. The contract price includes the cost of work plus a contractor’s fee of up to 8% of cost for general and administrative expenses and up to 7% of cost for the contractor’s profit.

African Minerals, the Africa-focused mining company operating the Tonkolili iron ore mine in Sierra Leone, has announced that, following the completion and commissioning of the high capacity second car dumper at Pepel Port, it has successfully achieved its target 20 Mt/y export run rate during Q2 2013 as per its previous guidance.

Codelco is going ahead with its Rajo Inca project, which transforms its El Salvador underground copper mine into an open pit operation, extending its life by a minimum of 20 years. In an interview with El Mercurio Chief Financial Officer Ivan Arriagada said the mine, Codelco’s smallest and least profitable, is key for the company’s future plans. El Salvador is the main employer in Chile’s III region and, according to Arriagada, its still untapped copper reserves are worth the investment, a figure he did not disclose. Neither did he disclose when the project would commence. Codelco’s first-quarter production increased 3.2% to 385,000 t from 373,000 t in the same quarter of 2012. Despite this, Arriagada said it is too early to tell whether this would mean the company would beat its 2013 production target. Last year, Codelco produced nearly 1.7 Mt and this year it expects to surpass that figure.

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