The story originally stated that Deswik was purchased for approximately $7 million. The actual purchase price was undisclosed, with that figure actually referring to costs related to the transaction. We apologize for the error.

Welcome back to your weekly mining news recap, where we catch you up on some of the news you may have missed. This week's headlines include SSR Mining acquiring Taiga Gold, another Australian miner taking a stake in Canada and Sandvik’s announcement to acquire Deswik. 

While microwaves have become an exciting technology in comminution processes, but new projects from the University of Alberta and engineering firm Jenike & Johanson are exploring using them in ore sorting. In the interest of saving energy, the CanMicro team tried to combine microwave-assisted comminution and microwave-assisted sorting, taking the microwave-treated ore and using an infrared camera and sensors to sort the material.

SSR Mining announced that it will acquire all Taiga Gold shares in a deal worth $27 million. The deal values Taiga Gold shares at $0.265, a 39 per cent premium over Taiga’s recent average price. The transaction will expand SSR Mining's presence in Saskatchewan and will provide potential ore sources to extend the life of its Seabee gold mine.

Turquoise Hill Resources’ board has approved a $75 million budget to continue work on Oyu Tolgoi’s underground expansion, reports Mining.com. The new budget will sustain work until mid-January 2022, but questions remain as Rio Tinto and the Mongolian government continue to negotiate the mine’s future. 

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) will be constructing a new laboratory research complex, known as the Advanced Nuclear Materials Research Centre (ANMRC). Located on the Chalk River campus in Ontario, the ANMRC will provide services to extend the life and reliability of Canada’s existing nuclear reactors. The project is funded through a $1.2 billion allocation from Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, the owner of the site, on behalf of the federal government of Canada.

Vale has been given Miner of the Year honours by the Newfoundland and Labrador Branch of CIM for its work at the Voisey’s Bay nickel mine, as reported by Canadian Mining Journal. Vale has been working on developing two underground mines at the operation, extending the life of the mine until 2035, all without reporting a single lost time injury.

New finds at Yamana Gold’s Wasamac project have increased the project’s expected annual production to 200,000 ounces per year over a mine life of 15 years, as reported by Mining.com. This is an improvement from Yamana’s previous development plan of an average of 169,000 ounces per year over a mine life of 10 years. According to Yamana, there is also further potential to increase the mine’s life through the addition of a second shaft.

Osisko Mining has secured $154 million from Australia’s Northern Star Resources in order to progress its Windfall gold project near Val d’Or, Quebec, as reported by Mining Technology. In exchange, Northern Star will have the right to earn up to 50 per cent interest in the project. Osisko will use the proceeds to advance development of the project and for “general corporate purposes.”

The technology needed for the global steel industry to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions exists, but getting there could be costly, according to a report from Bloomberg. Steel production generates an estimated seven per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, but according to the report, switching to zero-carbon production methods will cost the industry between US$215 billion and US$278 billion. Currently, 69 per cent of steel production is fuel by coal-powered furnaces, according to the report.

Three First Nation chiefs from the James Bay region wrote a letter to Premier Doug Ford warning against industrial development in the Ring of Fire without First Nations’ consent, as reported by Northern Ontario Business.  The Ford government has touted Ontario as a potential hub for battery metals mining and manufacturing for electric vehicles, and development in the Ring of Fire is an important aspect of that vision.

The global engineering group Sandvik announced an agreement to acquire Deswik, a company that provides mine planning software. Sandvik also launched a new Digital Mining Technologies Division within Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, to develop new automated and electrified underground vehicles. The division will involve Deswik and the Montreal-based IIoT solutions provider Newtrax.

That’s all for this week. If you’ve got feedback, you can always reach us at editor@cim.org. If you’ve got something to add, why not join the conversation on our Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram pages?