Modern Mining

Modern Mining March 2020

Modern Mining March 2020 cover

In this edition of Modern Mining, the editor discusses the need for mining companies to harness the energy and constraints of volatile conditions. The business of mining has never been easy. As an industry whose fate is tied to the cyclical nature of the commodity sector, mining companies often feel the pinch of sustained dips in the market, and only feel the relief when prospects pick up again. Although mining companies can’t entirely disentangle themselves from this cycle of boom and bust, Deloitte’s recently published report, Tracking the Trends, notes that if miners are to learn from history, the time is ripe to begin shielding against a downturn.

Modern Mining February 2020

Modern Mining February 2020 The February issue of Modern Mining largely reviews the recently-ended Investing in Africa Mining Indaba 2020. We particularly explore the self-generation regime proposed by the South African government and what it means for the mining sector. The announcement of the forthcoming legislative amendments by Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe at Mining Indaba – which would allow mining companies to generate their own power without licences from the regulator – received the plaudits of the industry. However, there is need for clarity on what would be required under energy laws to see this to fruition.

Modern Mining January 2020

"Modern Much of our January issue is devoted to our annual ‘Africa’s Top Mining Projects’ feature. This year we’ve selected four projects in four different countries. They are the Toliara mineral sands project of Base Resources in Madagascar; the 3,6 Mt/a ‘Starter Project’ of Khoemacau Copper Mining in the Kalahari Copperbelt; Exxaro’s newly commissioned high-tech Belfast coal mine in South Africa; and the Yaouré open-pit gold mine in Côte d’Ivoire.

Our news section includes coverage of the Moma Titanium Minerals Mine in northern Mozambique and the redevelopment of the Obuasi gold mine in Ghana. We also report on the latest results of diamond miners Lucapa and Firestone, who are both active in Southern Africa, and Teranga Gold, which has gold mines in Senegal and Burkina Faso.

Modern Mining December 2019

Modern Mining December 2019 cover Our cover story this month takes a look at some of the ‘next generation’ products and systems developed by Orica over the past several years, including the award-winning WebGen™, the world’s first wireless initiating system, while our main project report covers the impressive Longonjo NdPr project in Angola, which is being developed by Pensana Metals.

We also have a special feature on Bulk Materials Handling in this issue with the focus being on three companies operating in this field - thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions South Africa, NEPEAN Conveyors, part of Australia’s NEPEAN group, and Flexicon.

Modern Mining November 2019

Modern Mining November 2019 cover

Shaft sinking is one of the most expensive, time consuming and risky tasks in mining. If the process could be entirely mechanised it would represent a major leap forward in mining technology. Master Drilling has accepted the challenge of creating a mechanised system and in recent weeks, as we explain in this issue, has been trialling elements of its proposed solution – the Shaft Boring System or SBS – at a site near its Fochville headquarters.

Modern Mining October 2019

Among the projects featured in this issue are two in West Africa. One is the Yaouré gold project in Côte d’Ivoire, which will be the third mine of Perseus Mining, and the other is the Tongo diamond project of Newfield Resources in Sierra Leone. Both are now into the construction phase. We also have coverage of the recent Africa Mining Summit in Gaborone, as well as an in-depth article on a rockfall protection solution at Foskor’s open-pit mine in Phalaborwa.