|

BHP Group may sell Australian operations

Mining giant BHP Group flagged rising costs and delays at a giant potash project in Canada and said it may sell its Australian nickel operations, as it reported record annual iron ore and copper production.

The company said Friday it faces rising costs at the Jansen potash project in Canada’s Saskatchewan province, its only major development currently under construction.

The company said it is also reviewing Jansen’s second stage, which is roughly 11% complete. BHP may delay first production from that expansion by two years, to fiscal 2031, because it reckons there might be more potash supply coming into the market over the medium term than previously envisaged.

BHP said it expects to produce between 1.8 million and 2.0 million tons of copper in the year ahead.

Source – The Wall Street Journal

Similar Posts

  • NewRange still trying to build Minnesota’s First copper mine, 20 years later

    “This we hope will be reality in a three to five year period,” PolyMet’s Warren Hudelson told MPR News in 2004.

    Now, 20 years later, the controversial mine in northeast Minnesota still hasn’t opened. It hasn’t even begun construction, because three key permits it needs to advance — approvals state and federal agencies granted more than five years ago — have since been revoked or suspended.

    Source – MPRnews

  • /

    Panama approves plan for Copper mine

    Panama has approved First Quantum Minerals’ maintenance plan for its closed copper mine in the country, but not a re-start of the site, a top trade official said on Friday

    Trade and Industry Minister Julio Molto said the plan included environmental safety measures that were necessary following the abrupt shut-down by government order under the prior administration in late 2023.

    “The mine is not being reopened. We’re authorizing the implementation of the care and safe management plan to ensure it is environmentally protected,” Molto told a press conference.

    He said that experts estimate that process could take three to six months, accounting for environmental measures.

    Source – Reuters

  • /

    Gold slips, Dollar gains

    Gold prices fell sharply by Rs 1,000 to Rs 98,400 per 10 grams in the national capital on Monday, amid a weak global trend and optimism surrounding a possible US-China trade agreement, according to media reports citing the All India Sarafa Association.

    “Gold prices continued to decline as easing US-China trade tensions boosted investors’ risk appetite, reducing demand for safe-haven assets like bullion while a stronger dollar added downward pressure,” said Chintan Mehta, Chief Executive Officer of Abans Financial Services, as quoted in media reports.

    “Rising geopolitical tensions could limit gold’s downside. As war risks escalate and new conflicts emerge, investors are likely to seek refuge in gold.”

    Source – Kashmir Life

  • /

    Chinas Laopu Gold dubbed “Hermes of Gold”

    With prices for most of its popular products ranging from 10,000 to 50,000 yuan, Laopu now competes more directly with Western luxury brands such as Tiffany and Cartier.

    As rising gold prices in 2024 pushed investors toward bullion and coins and gold jewellery sales in China fell 24.69% to 532.02 tonnes, Laopu twice raised prices on its designer jewellery and trinkets. It again upped prices by 5-12% last month.

    But analysts say Laopu is a contender to fully break through the luxury glass ceiling.

    “It’s not an imminent threat to global luxury groups because to build a luxury brand takes a long time. You need a story, you need a history, you need the craftsmanship, but it’s possible,” said Jonathan Yan, a principal at consultancy Roland Berger in Shanghai.

    Source – Reuters

  • /

    India’s Hindustan Zinc sees strong 2025 growth on higher volumes, CEO says

    “We have gone through all our shutdowns and proprietary maintenance and all that in the first three quarters. We should be able to produce a stellar fourth quarter based on our numbers,” Misra told Reuters in an interview.

    Misra expects zinc prices to rise to $2,850-$2,950 a ton in the coming days from $2,800 currently, and silver to trade between $30 and $31 per ounce.

    Source – Reuters

  • /

    Bank of England is busier than they’ve been in years

    They have been working flat out to do what the Bank describes as “digging out” gold bars for delivery to traders who’ve seized on a rare arbitrage opportunity thrown up by speculation that Donald Trump will impose tariffs on the precious metal, alongside a raft of other imported goods. 

    The Bank’s vault keepers are busier than they’ve been in years, logistics companies are working overtime, and refineries are booked out for months with orders to recast gold bars from London into a form that can be delivered into the US futures market.

    “What’s happening in the London market is a short term logistical thing, but it’s having real consequences,” said John Reade, senior market strategist at the World Gold Council, the industry lobby group. “There’s not as much gold in London as normal, but again, there’s still lots there. And once it can get out from behind the Bank of England, then everything should calm down.”

    Source – Bloomberg