黄金生产商Newcrest完成四项预可行性研究，铜产量目标或提升37%

2021-10-12 10:37:28 (AET) by Edward Zhang   4411

黄金生产商 Newcrest（ASX：NCM）对4个新金铜项目（包括Red Chris矿、Lihir矿、Havieron矿和Cadia PC1-2矿）进行的预可行性研究显示，内部收益率（IRR）均有望达到16%或更高，净现值（NPV）达32亿。

【澳股资讯平台 – 61 Financial 10月12日讯】黄金生产商 Newcrest（ASX：NCM）发布公告称，其对4个新金铜项目（包括Red Chris矿、Lihir矿、Havieron矿和Cadia PC1-2矿）进行的预可行性研究显示，内部收益率（IRR）均有望达到16%或更高，净现值（NPV）达32亿。

公司指出，大部分新投资将集中在世界上的一级司法管辖区。其中，位于澳大利亚的Havieron项目第一阶段预可行性研究表明，该项目预估的内部收益率为16%，投资回报期为4年。

基于这些项目优秀的回报率，Newcrest的营运利润率和现金流都将有实质性改善。该公司透露，这些项目的目标是在未来10年将铜产量提高37%，并将其目前已经处于低位的每盎司全部维持成本进一步降低50%以上。

Newcrest首席执行官Sandeep Biswas表示：“公司铜产量的预期增长状况尤其令人兴奋，这将使我们不仅能够推进自己的可持续发展目标，还能参与全球转向脱碳带来的潜在机遇。”

“虽然Newcrest主要是一家黄金公司，但我们认为铜也仍是一种具有大规模增长前景的大宗商品，因此我们将继续大量增加对铜的投资。”

截止发稿，公司股价微跌0.13%至23.87澳元。

【更多NCM公告和股价走势请点击NCM个股页面 】

消息来源：

公司公告Presentation – Advancing our global organic growth portfolio

BHP has officially opened its $4.6 billion South Flank iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, celebrating the completion of the project’s five-year journey on time and budget.

In 2016, the company began planning for a new operation to potentially replace its ageing Yandi iron ore mine, with environmental documents opened to the public in June of that year.

South Flank began gathering pace in 2017 when Decmil secured a $13 million contract with BHP for initial works at the proposed development.

The project scope included civil and enabling works at the Mulla Mulla village, which required expansion to support operations at Mining Area C and the South Flank project.

Contract mining and earthworks provider MACA (https://www.maca.net.au/our-business/crushing/crushing-and-screening/) secured a three-year contract to become a crushing and screening provider for BHP in May the following year.

BHP turned the first sod at the site a year later in July after the project received approval from the Western Australia Government.

In December, 2019, Mammoet started transporting the first heavy components for BHP’s South Flank iron ore project in the Pilbara region, Western Australia.

BHP used Mammoet trailers to move approximately 1900 items, including prefabricated and modular mine processing plant units across 340 kilometres from Port Hedland to the new site.

BHP contractor Fluor Corporation commenced the construction of the ore handling plant in the South Flank project at the start of January 2020.

Six months later the company held off a portion of mine development in June due to its impact on cultural heritage sites belonging to the Banjima people.

By August last year the company had developed more than three quarters of the South Flank project.

The company advanced its development projects and delivered strong results during the 2020 financial year despite the impact of COVID-19.

First ore was delivered at the site in May this year ahead of this week’s official opening with the development creating 9000 direct and indirect jobs during construction, and will sustain more than 600 permanent ongoing jobs.

The opening celebrations were attended by Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan, Banjima Traditional Owners and joint venture partners, ITOCHU and Mitsui.

The 80 million tonne per annum (Mtpa) site is the largest iron ore mine Australia has seen in over 50 years and combines with BHP’s Mining Area C to be the largest iron ore hub in the world – producing a combined 145Mtpa.

BHP Western Australia iron ore (WAIO) asset president Brandon Craig said South Flank is BHP’s most technically advanced mine.

“It will sustain more than 600 ongoing jobs, plus opportunities for hundreds of local businesses and billions of dollars in royalties to Western Australia,” Craig said

“South Flank’s product has high lump content and increases the quality of BHP’s blended products for steelmaking customers, improving blast furnace efficiency and supporting decarbonisation efforts.

“South Flank’s premium iron ore will be shipped to global steel producers to build electricity, transport and urban infrastructure around the world over the next 25 years.”

BHP has produced the first nickel sulphate crystals from its Kwinana nickel sulphate plant south of Perth in Western Australia.

Nickel sulphate is a key material in the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles (EVs), with more than 85 per cent of BHP’s current production sold to the future-battery supply chain.

The production follows an announcement in July that BHP will supply Tesla with nickel from its Nickel West assets in a collaboration which will aim to make the battery supply chain more sustainable.

According to BHP, the nickel sulphate plant is an Australian-first and will produce 100,000 tonnes of nickel sulphate per year when fully operational.

Nickel from BHP’s mines is processed at the Kalgoorlie nickel smelter, before it is transported to the Kwinana nickel refinery and refined into nickel metal in the form of powder or briquette.

The powder is then processed through the new sulphate plant to make nickel sulphate and will be exported to global battery markets from Fremantle port.

BHP Nickel West asset president Jessica Farrell said the plant is expected to produce enough premium nickel sulphate to make 700,000 EV batteries each year.

“The plant will create 80 new direct jobs and support 400 new indirect jobs, in addition to the 200 construction jobs that were created during the construction phase,” Farrell said,

“High quality and sustainable nickel is essential for our customers, and we expect demand for nickel in batteries will increase by 500 per cent in the next decade.

“Our investment to upgrade the refinery to produce high purity nickel sulphate, along with nickel powder and briquettes, will enhance Nickel West’s position as a supplier of choice for the growing global electric battery market.”

Over half of the plant was fabricated in Western Australia using local skills and suppliers including the steel work, fibreglass leach vessels and stainless steel tanks.

The plant consists of leaching tanks, purification technology, a crystalliser and dryer, and an automated packaging system.

BHP’s Nickel West employs over 2500 people and its operations include a fully integrated mine-to-metal business.

This includes open cut and underground mining operations in Western Australia; concentrators at Mt Keith, Leinster and Kambalda; a smelter at Kalgoorlie that produces nickel-in-matte; and the Kwinana refinery.

必和必拓21财年向澳大利亚经济贡献341亿

2021-09-08 12:36:17 (AET) by Edward Zhang   6762

作为澳大利亚经济引擎的主要推动力，矿业巨头 必和必拓（ASX：BHP）在21财年总计贡献了341亿澳元。其中，主要包括向政府支付的124亿澳元税收、特许开采税和其他款项，向供应商支付的111亿澳元，向投资者支付的60亿澳元的股息和利息，以及45亿澳元的员工薪酬。

澳股资讯平台 – 61 Financial 9月8日讯，矿业巨头 必和必拓（ASX：BHP）盘前发布公告，提供了该公司在21财年对澳大利亚经济贡献的数据。

必和必拓市值约为1230亿澳元，是澳交所第三大公司。作为澳大利亚经济引擎的主要推动力，该公司在21财年总计贡献了341亿澳元。

其中，包括公司向供应商支付的111亿澳元，向投资者支付的60亿澳元的股息和利息，1亿澳元的社会投资，以及为约4.5万名员工支付的45亿澳元薪酬。

回顾过去10年，必和必拓为澳大利亚政府支付了约803亿澳元。

21财年，必和必拓支付给澳大利亚政府的总金额约为124亿澳元。这笔钱涉及向政府支付的税收、特许开采税和其他款项。

其中，特许开采税包括西澳大利亚州的30亿澳元，昆士兰州的4.02亿澳元，南澳大利亚州的1.02亿澳元，新南威尔士州的8300万澳元，以及支付给联邦和州政府的4.44亿澳元。

受铁矿石价格下跌影响，过去一个月必和必拓的股价下滑了近20%，其中包括9月2日该公司除息时下跌的6%。

公司股价今日早盘低开。截止发稿，股价下跌0.67%至41.76澳元。

【更多BHP公告和股价走势请点击BHP个股页面 】

消息来源：

公司公告Australian economic contribution figures for FY2021

Australian gold production fell by nine tonnes for a total of 74 for the March quarter, down 11 per cent on the previous period, according to gold consultants Surbiton Associates.

The output was worth $5.5 billion at the quarter’s average gold price and Surbiton director Sandra Close said the drop was nothing to worry about.

“While gold output for the quarter was down considerably, this is no cause for concern,” Close said.

“Production was about three tonnes or four per cent less than the corresponding March 2020 quarter and such variations are not uncommon.”

Surbiton said while the period was usually victim to cyclonic weather in northern Australia, this had less of an impact than other years.

Close said China’s gold production was more noteworthy, as the world leader produced 74.44 tonnes of gold for the March quarter.

“Chinese production figures need to be treated with caution,” Close said.

“Australia may even be on the way to overtaking China as the world’s largest gold producer, but it is far too early to draw any real conclusions.”

In Australia, Kirkland Gold’s Fosterville mine in Victoria fell from third to fifth on the country’s list of largest gold producers, with a decline of 55,000 ounces on the last quarter.

Retaining top spot was Newcrest Mining’s Cadia East mine with 179,546 ounces of gold for the quarter.

Close said while some larger mines fell, other up-and-coming operations will look to challenge them over the next few years.

“Fosterville, Tropicana and Boddington together accounted for a reduction in output of 116,000 ounces, or 3.6 tonnes of gold, which was more than one third of the total reduction for the March 2021 quarter,” Close said.

“Novo and Ora Banda will increase output as they ramp up to full capacity over the next few months.

“Also, Capricorn Metals’ Karlawinda is due to start up mid-year and Wiluna Mines’ expansion project is underway.”

Close had no worries for the future of Australian gold, as prices and expenditure in exploration have uplifted the sector significantly.

“Thanks to higher gold prices in the last couple of years, the gold sector has continued to raise considerable capital and there is a tremendous amount of exploration going on, with excellent results being reported,” Close said.

“The chances of Australia’s gold output declining sharply in the next few years is unlikely.”

Australia’s largest gold producers for the March 2021 quarter were:

Cadia East                   179,546                      Newcrest Mining Ltd

Boddington                 152,000                       Newmont Inc.

Tanami                        117,000                       Newmont Inc.

Super Pit                     111,278                       Northern Star Resources Ltd

Fosterville                   108,679                        Kirkland Lake Gold Inc.

By Henry Ballard

South32 has met or exceeded production expectations across its Australian operations, not allowing inclement weather to diminish a strong March quarter.

Worsley Alumina, in which South32 owns 86 per cent, is on track to achieve nameplate capacity of 4.7 million tonnes at its bauxite mine in Western Australia.

One of the world’s largest sources of alumina, the mine has undergone planned maintenance to its calciner which allowed nameplate to be achieved.

South32 has set a year-to-date production record for its Australian manganese operations at the Groote Eylandt Mining Company operation (GEMCO) in the Northern Territory.

The 4.329 million wet metric tonnes of high-grade manganese produced were a 5 per cent increase on last year’s prior corresponding results.

Despite this, production guidance of 3500 wet metric tonnes for the manganese operation will remain unchanged in consideration of the effects of the wet season.

“We set year to date production records at Brazil alumina and Australia Manganese,” South32 chief executive Graham Kerr said.

“We increased our production guidance for South Africa manganese as we continue to respond to market conditions and at Cannington off the back of continued strong underground performance.”

At the Cannington silver and lead mine in north west Queensland, South32 increased its production guidance by 10 per cent for the 2021 fiscal year, despite also being hit with torrential rain through the March quarter.

Silver production was almost 3.5 million ounces for the March quarter, an 11 per cent increase on the previous period, while lead jumped by 6 per cent on the last quarter to 33,000 tonnes.

South32 expects weather-related disruptions to Cannington’s rail logistics to be resolved over the coming quarter, making March’s strong results all the more impressive.

On the company’s length of positive results, Kerr said they only strengthened confidence in the future for South32.

“Looking ahead, we expect the global economic recovery combined with fiscal stimulus to continue, driving a rebound in metal demand and sustaining higher prices for many of our key commodities,” Kerr said.

“We continue to reshape our portfolio, moving closer to the divestment of South Africa Energy Coal while progressing studies for our base metals development options.”

At South32’s Illawarra metallurgical coal operation in New South Wales, the company reported a 17 per cent increase in year-to-date production.

It produced 1.57 million tonnes of metallurgical coal during the March quarter, which was a 12 per cent increase on the previous quarter.

This increase was thanks in part to the Appin project’s longwall reconfiguration in late-2019, allowing for improved efficiencies.

The coal operation will now look to the June quarter of 2021 for the next stage in its longwall reconfiguration, in hopes that further efficiencies can allow for greater production and less resource waste.

To keep up to date with Australian Mining, subscribe to our free email newsletters delivered straight to your inbox. Click here.