(CIM is doing a little housekeeping on Sunday, which means the magazine along with other CIM sites won’t be back online until Sunday evening.)

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 boosts to hydrogen production in Quebec, mining companies adopting a new procurement standard and the Canadian government postponing an open pit project in Yukon.

Share prices for silver miners got wobbly after a group of Reddit users worked to create a short squeeze on the silver market following similar, highly publicized squeezes on companies such as Gamestop and AMC, as reported by Mining.com. Companies such as First Majestic Silver Corp., Endeavour Silver Corp., Pan American Silver Corp. and Wheaton Precious Metals have all seen surges and drops in its prices in recent days. 

Air Liquide has completed construction on what it says is the world’s largest proton exchange membrane electrolyser in Bécancour, Quebec. The 20-megawatt electrolyser unit will use renewable energy to produce up to 8.2 tonnes of hydrogen per day, or up to 3,000 tonnes per year. Additionally, Thyssenkrupp announced it is building an 88-megawatt electrolysis plant in Quebec to produce 11,100 tonnes of hydrogen per year, as reported by Mining.com.

As the recent winner of the Canadian Geotechnical Society’s Early Achievement Award, Andrea Lougheed believes her dedication to volunteering in professional societies has helped pave the way to a successful career. She spoke to CIM Magazine about her career, volunteering experiences and about the best mentors, lessons and skills she has picked up along the way.

Mines are always looking for ways to lower costs, and with the global COVID-19 pandemic there have been numerous opportunities to re-equip and re-adjust mine operations. Mauro Chiesa argues the growth of Asian markets means these opportunities for efficiencies should not be wasted, as start-up and operation costs such as transport will inevitably rise.

Brazil’s National Mining Agency (ANM) is adding 40 safety inspectors to its existing team of 30 in order to annually check all tailings dams in the country, as reported by Reuters. This comes after Vale’s Brumadinho dam disaster in 2019 sparked criticism that the Brazilian mining industry lacks oversight. According to ANM director Eduardo Leão, the agency was obliged to make a “priority schedule” for tailings dams visits, meaning less risky dams could only be inspected once every three or four years.

Atlantic Gold is facing 32 charges under Nova Scotia’s Environment Act, for offences that include allowing untreated water runoff to overwhelm its existing stormwater management system and failing to comply with conditions of approval, as reported by CBC. The company self-reported the incidents that allegedly occurred between February 2018 and May 2020, and was granted an adjournment for the case until March 15, when it will enter a plea.

Ivanhoe Mines, Lundin Gold, Golden Star Resources and Teranga Gold have all recently adopted the Mining Local Procurement Reporting Mechanism (LPRM), created by Mining Shared Value, as reported by the Canadian Mining Journal. The LPRM will provide more standardized information on the procurement of goods and services at mine sites. The framework asks each company to provide information on its local procurement policies, the amount it spends in host countries and its supplier development programmes.

The federal government has referred the Kudz Ze Kayah zinc project back to the Yukon’s territorial assessment board, to the disappointment of the territorial government, as reported by The Canadian Press. BMC Minerals took charge of the project in January 2015, which has been under review for four years. The proposed project would produce an estimated 107,000 tonnes of zinc annually over its nine-year lifespan.

The Aluminium Association of Canada, in collaboration with Optel Group, announced the completion of a traceability project that will allow the authentication of aluminum that is sourced in Canada. The project was initiated two years ago after a conflict over the origins of aluminum entering the United States from Canada sparked a tariff dispute.

Eleven of the 22 Chinese miners trapped underground after an explosion at the Hushan gold mine were rescued last Sunday, as reported by CBC. The workers were pulled to safety one-by-one in baskets in front of an audience of hundreds of rescue workers and officials. The initial explosion reportedly killed one miner. The condition of the remaining 10 trapped miners is unknown.

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