INTERNATIONAL MINING PROJECT NEWS issue 125 is another 60-page blockbuster, out today. It has updates on 46 gold projects, 19 copper projects, 13 in iron ore, eight base metals, seven coal, five rare earth elements, four lithium and many other commodity project reports. The report, as usual, includes scores of valuable project contact names. Inmet Mining’s  Cobre Panama Project, located in central Panama, hosts Measured and Indicated mineral resources of 3,270 Mt grading 0.36% Cu, 0.06 g/t Au and 0.007% Mo. These mineral resources include Proven and Probable mineral reserves of 2,140 Mt grading 0.41% Cu, 0.07 g/t Au and 0.008% Mo. Inmet expects Cobre Panama to produce 289,000 t/y of copper and 108,000 oz/y of gold (open pit) during the first 16 years of a 30 year mine life.

At Pretivm’s very high grade Brucejack, a new mineral resource estimate for the gold and silver resources will be prepared which will form the basis for an updated PEA. Concurrent with the preparation of an updated PEA, which is planned to commence in Q4 2011, Pretivm will either proceed with a prefeasibility study or advance directly to a full feasibility study.

PanAust expects to complete a feasibility study soon of the Inca de Oro copper-gold project located east of Chañaral in the Atacama region of Chile. It was explored in the past by Codelco, which owns the remaining 34% of Inca de Oro. According to its preliminary reports, the deposit could contain some 259 Mt of ore @ 0.46% Cu and 0.13 g/t Au.

Australian rare earths company Arafura Resources has successfully completed the hydrochloric acid regeneration program, a key part of its wider, previously reported technology program. The process involves taking calcium chloride residues from the phosphate circuit and re-acting them with sulphuric acid to produce re-useable hydrochloric acid, a key raw material in Arafura’s pre-leach circuit, and calcium sulphate (gypsum), a potential saleable product into various end applications.

Flinders Mines will progress to a DFS for its cornerstone Pilbara iron ore project in Western Australia. To be undertaken by WorleyParsons it proposes annual production rate of 15 Mt.

Windarra nickel near Laverton in the northeast of Western Australia is Australia’s largest high grade nickel sulphide resource owned by an explorer. The project consists of 24 km of ultramafic host rock containing an open-pit and an underground mine. Poseidon Nickel is currently refurbishing the underground mine in preparation for mining.

Rockwell Diamonds has released updated mineral resource estimates for its alluvial diamond deposits on its properties in South Africa. At the time that Rockwell was founded in 2006, it started developing a proprietary resource management system which is directly applicable to the specifics of alluvial diamond deposits. It is based on the NI 43-101 regulations for the statement of mineral resources and reserves but refined to be specific to alluvial deposits. The newsletter includes a detailed report on all these projects.

Minemakers has signed a non-binding, Memorandum of Understanding with Bombay Stock Exchange listed NMDC to establish a pathway for the development of the Wonarah phosphate deposit in the Northern Territory.

Highly encouraging metal extraction results have been returned from initial metallurgical test work on nickel, cobalt and scandium ores from the Greenvale and Lucknow deposits at Metallica Minerals’ wholly owned NORNICO tri-metal project northwest of Townsville in north Queensland.

Fortescue Metals Group announced a maiden Reserve Estimate of 716 Mt of iron ore for the first stage of the Solomon Hub in Western Australia.

The Cooke Tailings Dam is one of the world’s premier above-ground uranium assets – a large scale, low risk surface operation.

On May 14, a group of high-level Madagascar government officials, including the Prime Minister, the Minister of Mines, the Minister of Finance, the Secretary General, the Director General of Mines, the Director of Geology, the head of the Madagascar police force, the engineer in charge of environmental evaluation for the Ministry of Mines, as well other governmental officials, visited Energizer Resources’ Green Giant Vanadium project site located near the town of Fotadrevo in southwest Madagascar.

Stans Energy has completed its $5,500,000 transaction for 100% ownership of the Kyrgyz Chemical Metallurgical Plant (KCMP) rare earth processing complex and private rail terminal.

Vale has awarded its biggest single contract to date for its new nickel processing plant at Long Harbour, in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It has approved a two-year $600-million contract for mechanical, piping, electrical and instrumentation services for the project. The $2.8-billion state-of-the-art processing facility in Long Harbour will process nickel concentrate from the company’s Voisey’s Bay mine in Labrador.

Sandfire Resources is pressing ahead with its DeGrussa copper-gold project located 900 km north of Perth in Western Australia. A detailed report on this project notes the process plant will have a capacity of 1.5 Mt/y and will produce a nominal 230,000 t (dry) of copper concentrates per annum.  Managing Director, Karl Simich: “The underground mine will form the centrepiece of the DeGrussa operation once the initial open-pit operation is concluded, and we expect to be mining underground for many years into the future.”

ArcelorMittal is expanding its Mont-Wright mining complex and additional construction at Port-Cartier. The investment will allow ArcelorMittal Mines Canada to increase its annual production of iron ore concentrate from 14 Mt to 24 Mt/y by 2013. AMMC is also evaluating increasing its production of iron ore pellets from 9.2 Mt to 18.5 Mt.

Rio Tinto will spend C$800-million over five years to extend the life of its Quebec titanium dioxide operations to 2050. Rio Tinto Fer et Titane President Dominique Bouchard: “This is an important milestone in bringing this worldclass resource to its full potential.”

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