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 the closure of another nickel operation, AME applying for intervener status in mineral claims case, and Glencore mulls over whether to spinoff its coal assets. 

Following BHP’s bid of $43 a share for Anglo American last week, analysts and traders say that Anglo would need to be offered over $51 a share for the deal to be considered attractive, as reported by Bloomberg. The company’s shares are being traded at a higher cost than what BHP had initially offered, reflecting that traders are anticipating a higher bid.  

Unionized rail workers at Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Kansas City have voted to go on strike, calling for more rest time, as reported by Bloomberg. Workers could go on strike as early as May 22 if a deal has not been worked out before then. Both railway giants are aiming to reach a deal to avoid significant interruptions, which could disturb the transportation of coal and minerals that are essential to the country's mining industry supply chain.  

The World Bank’s senior mining specialist Rachel Perks led a CIM Management & Economics Society discussion group seminar on April 24, in which she expanded on the organization’s comprehensive position paper on artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) that will be released in June. Perks stated that conversations focused on ASM hazards tend to overlook a more important discussion, which is that ASM can help to build individual and communal wealth for communities across the globe. She outlined what types of support the ASM sector needs from governments and financial institutions to improve its track record on social and environmental sustainability and responsible mining.  

The Association for Mineral Exploration (AME) has formally requested intervener status in the current appeal of the Gitxaała Nation versus B.C. case, as reported by Mining.com. This move comes after a judicial review from September 2023 adjudicated that the province should consult with Indigenous groups before approving mineral claims located on traditional territories and gave the province 18 months to modernize its mineral tenure system. In a recent press release, AME shared that it wants to participate in the appeal because it believes the organization’s perspective is needed, noting that the decision will affect explorers. 

Energy and environment ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) committed to phasing out coal power by 2035, which is the first time the group has specifically set an end date for the use of coal, as reported by The Associated Press. Some flexibility is being offered to certain countries that rely heavily on coal power and may not be able to meet the 2035 goal. 

First Quantum Minerals is shutting down its Ravensthorpe nickel operation in Western Australia, as reported by Mining.com. Plans to cease production at the mine for at least two years were announced back in January; however, the company’s struggle to identify a sustainable financial model for the operation, in addition to surging operational costs, along with a continued slump in nickel prices, led First Quantum to announce it would begin placing the operation into care and maintenance from May 1. 

Some of Glencore’s top shareholders are in favour of keeping the company’s coal assets instead of proceeding with a proposed spinoff, as reported by Bloomberg. Following its purchase of Teck Resources’ steelmaking coal assets, which was finalized in November 2023, Glencore had planned to combine its own coal assets with Teck’s within two years in order to spin off the merged companies. Glencore has made it clear that it will only proceed with the spinoff if its shareholders are on board.  

Nouveau Monde Graphite’s (NMG) shareholders have approved aggregate private placements from Mitsui & Co. and Pallinghurst Bond Limited, valued at US$37.5 million. The placements are planned to close on May 2. Mitsui’s private placement is valued at US$25 million, and Pallinghurst Bond’s is valued at US$12.5 million. NMG is currently working towards developing its Matawinie graphite operation in Quebec, located roughly 120 kilometres north of Montreal. 

The McClean Lake uranium mine in Saskatchewan, owned by Orano Canada Inc. and Denison Mines, will resume operations in 2025 after 15 years of planning and the development of a new technology, as reported by Trish Saywell in the March/April issue of CIM Magazine. The companies have spent over $100 million on the research and development of Surface Access Borehole Resource Extraction, a selective mining method that will allow high-grade uranium ore to be extracted from relatively small ore bodies.  

Transitioning from traditional cybersecurity frameworks to more resilient programs can better protect mining companies against cybersecurity issues, Rob Labbé wrote in the March/April issue of CIM Magazine. Resilient cybersecurity programs should be built around a company and its employees, utilizing controls that safeguard both. In comparison, a traditional cybersecurity program is tailored around controls and control frameworks.  

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?