Papua New Guinea

Long-rumoured takeover target Harmony Gold cheapest in a year

Harmony Gold briefly dropped to a year low of $9.68 on Friday after the company announced a steep fall-off in output for the first quarter. Now worth $4.4 billion the counter is down a third in a year, but its Papua New Guinea project may be worth that by itself.

Barrick Gold's Porgera mine resumes operations

Operations at Barrick's Porgera open pit gold mine, in Papua New Guinea, resumed this morning after the government decided to send troops to the site last week, under a troop call-out order from 2009 still in effect.

Harmony Gold digs out of 52-week deep hole as it awaits 'game-changing' Wafi-Golpu pre-feasibility

Harmony Gold Mining (NYSE:HMY) traded today at a new 52-week low of $10.58. So far today approximately 1 million shares have been exchanged, as compared to an average 30-day volume of 2.1 million shares.

Nautilus Minerals shares on the rise after solid year end results

Nautilus Minerals Inc. shares were up almost 24% this morning (TSX:NUS), after the company released solid year end results with, narrowing its full-year loss in 2011 to US$34 million.

Win some lose some: Gold Fields delving deeper into Philippines, suspends drilling in Mali

Nick Holland of CEO Gold Fields said on Monday the company has plonked $63 million on a second gold-copper project in the Philippines. The globe's fourth-largest gold miner also announced it is suspending drilling in Mali, Africa's third largest gold producer following a military coup.

Australia, Canada, Chile, Brazil and Mexico the top five mining projects’ destinations

In its annual ranking of countries in terms of political risks for mining investment, the mineral industry advisory firm Behre Dolbear, has ranked Australia, Canada, Chile, Brazil and Mexico as the top five nations in which to locate mining projects.

New Guinea Gold Corporation to wind down

Canadian miner New Guinea Gold Corporation (NGG) has announced that it will cease its ore mining operations at the Sinivit Mine in East New Province.

How whetted is your risk appetite? Gold diggers explore the final frontiers

As attractive deposits become harder and harder to find in traditional markets miners are pushing the limits of the political risk they are willing to take on. But things can go spectacularly wrong.

New Guinea Gold halts mining operations at Mt. Sinivit after occupation

New Guinea Gold (CVE:NGG) temporarily halted mining and processing at its Mt Sinivit operation after it was occupied by the Wild Dog Mining Area Landowner Association and Lulai Nakama Association.

PNG rejects appeal to block Ramu nickel sea dumping

A Papua New Guinea court has rejected an appeal by local landowners to block deep sea dumping of waste from the Ramu nickel mine, junior partner Highlands Pacific said on Thursday.

Xstrata, Highlands push back PNG study to end-2012

Miners Xstrata Copper and Highlands Pacific have delayed the completion of the feasibility study for the Frieda River joint venture copper/gold project, in Papua New Guinea, by 11 months. Xstrata was initially schedule to deliver the study in January 2012, to maintain its 81.82 percent shareholding in the project.

Indochine Mining kicks off drilling near Barrick's Porgera gold mine in PNG

Indochine Mining (ASX: IDC) has commenced the first phase of a drill programme of up to 10,000 metres at its Mt Kare gold/silver project in Papua New Guinea, designed to generate core for metallurgical test work. Mt Kare is potentially a two million ounce gold/silver deposit.

Nautilus now has $155 million kitty and all its green permits for undersea mine

Nautilus, the first company to explore the ocean floor for polymetallic seafloor massive sulphide deposits, announced on Friday it has completed the quarter with a cash balance of $155.1 million, after successfully raising $70.5 million in the first tranche of a $98.1 million capital raising. The final tranche of C$27.6 million was received in October. The capital raising involved the issue of approximately 39 million shares at C$2.52 per share.

Nautilus is developing its first project at Solwara 1, in the territorial waters of Papua New Guinea, where it is aiming to produce gold, copper and silver. The company has been granted all necessary environmental and mining permits. Nautilus also holds approximately 600,000 square kilometers of highly prospective exploration acreage in the western Pacific, in PNG, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Vanuatu and Tonga, as well as in international waters in the eastern Pacific.

What happened at Bougainville

SBS World News Australia reports that Bouganville copper mine, one of the world's largest deposits of copper, could open if past combatants could be fairly compensated.

The report also alleges new complicity in the conflict that cost the lives of around 15,000 to 20,000 people.

The open pit mine was established in Papua New Guinea in the early 1970s by Bougainville Copper Limited, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto. While operating, it accounted for 20% of the country's national budget.

PNG nickel mine ready to start dumping 200 million tonnes of waste in ocean

Despite a rancourous dispute with local landowners over compensation and infrastructure upgrades and an appeal against a Papua New Guinea High Court ruling approving the dumping, Australia's Highlands Pacific on Friday said it is confident it could power on its already built mine next year after the intervention of a provincial governor.

The wrangling over the $1.5 billion Ramu nickel and cobalt mine that over its life will dump 100 million tonnes of waste 400m offshore comes as the new PNG's government moves to quell concerns about proposed changes to mining rights that would potentially force projects worth billions of dollars into renegotiation.

Xstrata upgrades Papua New Guinea Frieda River

The copper unit of Anglo-Swiss miner Xstrata PLC (XTA.LN) Friday announced a 10% increase in the copper resource base of its Papua New Guinea Frieda River copper-gold project and said it plans to deliver a feasibility study on the project in January. The

PNG's new leaders try to assuage miners while tightening grip on power

Papua New Guinea’s new prime minister Peter O'Neill and the country's Investment Promotion Authority have moved to quell concern about proposed changes governing ownership of resources in the country saying it needs further discussion and acknowledging genealogical problems.

Among sweeping changes promised for the impoverished country, PNG's new mining minister introduced a plan to hand state ownership of mineral and energy resources to customary landowners forcing mining companies to renegotiate permits and contracts. Last week O'Neill guaranteed the support of 80% of MPs he needs to preserve his majority ahead of 2012 elections by expanding his cabinet by a third.

Nautilus Minerals to raise $100 million for PNG seafloor project

Nautilus Minerals (TSX:NUS)(AIM:NUS) is to raise approximately US$100 million (C$98.1 million*) through a private placement of common shares to fund the development of its first project, Solwara 1, in the Bismarck Sea of Papua New Guinea. The placing will involve the issue of approximately 39 million shares to a number of investors at a price of CAD$2.52 (US$2.58) per share. Nautilus President and CEO Steve Rogers said the private placement would provide funds for the construction of the seafloor resource production system, which initially will be deployed at Solwara 1 – the company's first deepwater copper and gold project.

Miners reel after Papua New Guinea ownership bombshell

In a surprise announcement Papua New Guinea on Friday introduced a plan to hand state ownership of mineral and energy resources to landowners, a move that may prove disastrous to foreign miners developing massive projects and pushing into new regions of the resource-rich country.

The announcement by PNG's new leader comes ahead of elections in 2012 that many observers have warned is bound to lead to civil unrest.

The move may also derail PNG's economy which is booming with growth this year expected to reach 11%. The mining industry employs roughly 30,000 people and supplies 80% of export earnings.

Miners in shock as PNG plans to put landowners in charge of resources

The proposal by Mining Minister Byron Chan, the son of former Prime Minister Sir Julius Chan, has been tabled just as PNG — which is often described as an island of gold in a sea of oil surrounded by gas — is entering a massive resources boom.

Newcrest wants all of billion tonne Wafi-Golpu

Mining Review reports Newcrest Mining CEO Greg Robinson told reporters on Friday it would acquire Harmony Gold Mining’s 50% stake in their massive Wafi-Golpu joint venture in Papua New Guinea if it was for sale.

Last month Harmony Gold upgraded the resource estimate for Wafi-Golpu increasing it by 57% to over 1 billion metric tons, making it one of the highest grade copper-gold porphyry systems on the planet.

Rumours about a possible sale by Harmony have been swirling for months and estimates of the value of the mine forecast to start production only in 2017 have bounced up and down with one investment bank pegging it at $9.9 billion.

3 die in chopper crash at Wafi gold mine

Three men are dead in an accident of a Bell Long Range helicopter belonging to Manolos Aviation Limited between the high mountains of Wafi Gold Exploration site and Timini in the Bulolo district of Morobe Province on Monday afternoon.

Regency Mines says PNG nickel project delayed by government uncertainty

Proactiveinvestors reports Regency Mines announced on Wednesday that its drilling work is continuing on the Mambare nickel joint venture in Papua New Guinea, but that visa delays may impact the planned work programme.

The company said that the delays, caused in part by political uncertainty surrounding the appointment of a new government, could restrict the scale of the drilling programme. Papua New Guinea last week swore in a new PM and cabinet sweeping aside the old guard ahead of general elections next year.

New $1.5 billion nickel mine can start dumping waste in PNG ocean

Australia's Highlands Pacific and China Metallurgical Group can now power on their $1.5 billion Ramu nickel project in Papua New Guinea after a judge threw out the environmental challenge to the project's planned deep-sea disposal of tailings after an 18-month legal battle.

Ramu is situated on Papua New Guinea's north-west coast and is completely built – annual production is estimated at more than 31,000 tonnes of nickel and 3,300 tonnes of cobalt for over 20 years.

Newcrest gold production up 16% in June quarter

Newcrest Mining, Australia's largest gold mining company, reported on Thursday that gold production rose 16% to 700,124 ounces during its June quarter.

Copper production was slightly higher than the previous quarter at 20,127 tonnes. The company said cash costs of A$542 per ounce were higher than the previous quarter due to higher site costs and lower copper byproduct credits per ounce.