Arizona Sonoran plans for the new year

Arizona Sonoran Copper Company has announced its 2023 work plan for the Cactus Property, inclusive of the Cactus and Parks/Salyer projects near Casa Grande, Ariz.  All work streams this year will feed into the planned Prefeasibility Study (PFS) due in the fourth quarter 2023/first quarter 2024, and includes drilling, metallurgy, detailed engineering, permitting and technical studies, along with continued efforts…

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Fisher Phillips: Five 2023 mine safety predictions

Editor’s note: the following is an op-ed from Fisher Phillips. As the calendar turns to a new year, the Mine Safety and Health Administration appears to have found its footing – and that means mine operators need to be on their toes in 2023. After a presidential administration change, retirements throughout the inspector ranks, and an anemic regulatory agenda, MSHA…

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Excellon to bring life back to La Negra                       

Excellon Resources has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the permitted, past-producing La Negra Mine in Mexico from Dalu S. à r.l. for an aggregate consideration of up to US$50 million. Located in the state of Querétaro, La Negra has a historical production averaging 3.0 million silver-equivalent ounces annually. The mine was placed on care-and-maintenance in March 2020 due…

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Liberty Star Minerals renews, expands Arizona permits 

Mineral explorer Liberty Star Minerals said the Arizona State Land Department has issued renewal notifications for 21 mineral exploration permits covering the company’s wholly owned Hay Mountain project including the Red Rock Canyon gold project.  Additionally, Liberty Star has received a new permit comprising 80 acres as part of the company’s ongoing 240 acres claim area over the Robbers Roost…

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Pan American to spin out Utah project

Canadian-based Pan American Energy has confirmed plans to spin out its Green Energy lithium project in the Paradox Basin, Grand County, Utah, so it can focus on its other projects including the Horizon lithium project in Nevada. The company, which will place Green Energy into a wholly owned subsidiary, will also be turning its attention to its Big Mack lithium…

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Bechtel awarded EPCM for Thacker Pass

Lithium Americas, developer of the Thacker Pass project in Nevada’s Lithium Valley, has selected Bechtel for the complex’s engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract while all await the project’s final regulatory Record of Decision. Lithium Americas President and CEO Jonathan Evans said the selection of Bechtel is a “significant milestone” in advancing the Orovada, Nev., mine toward production. The…

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Copper Mountain back to business after ransomware hit

Copper Mountain Mining said its namesake operation in Princeton, British Columbia, is back in production after a ransomware attack. The cyber incident occurred on December 27 and involved an attack on the mine’s information technology (IT) servers. Officials said on Jan. 6 that the mill was at full production as of Jan. 1 and the operation was being stabilized as…

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Piedmont Lithium, Tesla amend offtake deal

Piedmont Lithium and automaker Tesla have mutually agreed to amend a September 2020 offtake agreement for spodumene concentrate (SC6). Under the new agreement, which is binding for a three-year term and includes an option to renew, Piedmont will deliver approximately 125,000 metric tons of SC6 to Tesla beginning in the second half of 2023 through the end of 2025. According…

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Electra Battery Materials disposes of non-core assets

Toronto-based Electra Battery Materials, formerly First Cobalt, has signed a deal with Kuya Silver to get rid of its non-core assets in Canada, though the company will retain royalty interests in the properties in Canada’s Cobalt Camp. The decision is part of an agreement initially inked between the companies in 2021; that share purchase and option agreement has been amended…

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