Visit the post for more.
Source: Last week’s trip to Angola: Lunda Sul, Lunda Norte, Luanda & elsewhere (May 2016)
Category: EconGeo
Engenheiros Geológicos e de Minas
Lista E, Ordem dos Engenheiros – Voto electrónico
UM NOVO MUNDO, UM NOVO PAÍS, NOVOS ENGENHEIROS
UM NOVO COLÉGIO – LISTA E
COLÉGIO DE ENGENHARIA GEOLÓGICA E DE MINAS
Este é o momento em que mudamos, nos adaptamos, em que nos afirmamos.
Já podemos usar o voto electrónico nas eleições da Ordem dos Engenheiros a partir de hoje, segunda feira – 11 de Abril, até 21 Abril às 20h00. Agora é a melhor altura para o fazer. Receberam instruções através da carta enviada pela Ordem dos Engenheiros há cerca de uma semana atrás. É muito simples:
- A carta que recebemos tem no seu interior um envelope fechado. Esse envelope fechado tem PIN de (seis dígitos).
- Esse PIN, em conjunto com dados da nossa identificação pessoal, é o necessário para votarmos em http://eleicoes2016.ordemengenheiros.pt/pt/ (basta clicar no link).
Temos uma visão, uma equipa e um programa – um projecto novo e independente.
Precisamos da vossa confiança e do vosso apoio para construirmos, todos, um novo Colégio. Precisamos do vosso voto (electrónico, por correspondência ou presencial), agora.
LISTA E – Luís Chambel, Ana Luís e Joana Antunes
Colégio Nacional de Engenharia Geológica e de Minas – LISTA E
Collecting minerals around the world
Responsible sourcing for mining & metals – ICMM
Companies have a shared responsibility for the materials that they produce. Demonstrating value focuses on the two complementary sides of the responsible sourcing debate – sustainable procurement and responsible supply.
A client (a small to medium sized operation) recently asked my help to certify the origin of its production in a neighbouring country of DRC. If it’s diamonds we talking about, there are already standard procedures in place (it’s relatively easy); if it’s one of the 3TG (tin,tantalum, tungsten or gold), then it’s a complex maze, especially if you are outside the Great Lakes countries but in their shadow (neighbouring countries).
In this situation, there is no one locally to whom you may ask for advice (no financing for institutions to have representations in the countries outside the main focus of attention; yet local producers have to “exercise supply chain due diligence“, whatever this is (don’t bother explaining the concept, I understand it in theory; how does a small to medium operation puts it into practice?).
I use ICMM (as well as CIM and PDAC’s) guidelines and publications in the projects I design; I did it in the past and am doing it now in an exploration project in Angola. I must confess that I only check for new ICMM updates on a need to use basis; this time I downloaded the new report on responsible sourcing from today’s e-mail. Perhaps I will get (and my client) some insight from this document.
You may obtain it here or directly from ICMM website.
First kimberlites confirmed in Borborema Province, NE Brazil
According to a publication by CPRM,
Two kimberlitic bodies were recognized and studied on northern Rio Grande do Norte state during fieldworks of the Diamond Brazil Project. These intrusions have been named Santa Fé-1 and Santa Fé-2 and are located in the Rio Piranhas-Seridó domain, Borborema Province. The Santa Fé-1 and Santa Fé-2 pipes have areas of 27 ha and 9 ha, respectively, and exhibit a volcaniclastic kimberlite breccia texture containing ilmenite, garnet, spinel and clinopyroxene in abundance. Eclogite garnet contains Na2O >0.07 wt.% and has been classified as G3″D” and G4″D”. According to ground magnetic and gravity survey data, these kimberlitic intrusions are cylindrical bodies, magnetically stratified and discordantly hosted into highly magnetic and dense rocks, which correspond to granodioritic and tonalitic orthogneisses and migmatites of the Arabia Complex (2546 ± 4.2 Ma, SHRIMP U-Pb zircon). The recognition of kimberlitic pipes with expressive dimensions in a previously not prospective setting opens new horizons to exploration of primary sources for diamonds in the Borborema Province and especially in the Rio Grande do Norte state.
(in INFORME TÉCNICO N° 2 Brasília, novembro 2015, CPRM)
V Jornadas da APG: Geologia para a Sociedade: Desafios do Futuro
As V Jornadas APG: Geologia para a Sociedade: Desafios do Futuro, organizadas pela Associação Portuguesa de Geólogos, terão lugar a 11 de dezembro de 2015 (sexta-feira) no Laboratório Nacional de Energia e Geologia, em Lisboa.
A Conferência Anual da APG pretende estimular a consciencialização pública para a significativa importância das Ciências da Terra no desenvolvimento sustentável da sociedade moderna. Hoje em dia, o conhecimento geológico é altamente rentável para o progresso económico e social dos cidadãos e imprescindível para o desenvolvimento sustentado e boa gestão dos recursos naturais.
No ano de 2015, as V Jornadas APG pretendem debater e aprofundar temas atuais relacionados com a geologia nas suas interligações com a sociedade, para além de alertar para os desafios que se colocam para a vida humana num futuro próximo. Neste enquadramento irão ser abordados diversos painéis cujos temas são:
1 – Alterações Climáticas e Riscos Geológicos
2 – Água – Novos Desafios
3 – Matérias Primas e Energia
4- Síntese e…
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IMF ANNUAL REPORT RELEASED
The International Monetary Fund released their annual report.
They built an interactive website for the report. You can check it at: https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/ar/2015/eng/index.htm.
2015 PETRA DIAMONDS Preliminary Results
PETRA DIAMONDS Preliminary Results for the Year ended 30 June 2015
Petra Diamonds Limited announces its preliminary results (unaudited) for the year ended 30 June 2015 (“the Year” or “FY 2015”). Please see highlights below with the full announcement available on Petra’s website: https://www.petradiamonds.com/investors/news/.
Financial Highlights
Revenue down 10% to US$425.0 million (FY 2014: US$471.8 million).
· Adjusted EBITDA down 26% to US$139.3 million (FY 2014: US$187.7 million).
Adjusted net profit after tax down 33% to US$62.8 million (FY 2014: US$93.7 million).
Net profit after tax down 12% to US$59.6 million (FY 2014: US$67.5 million).
· Adjusted EPS: 10.09 US$ cents per share (FY 2014: 14.82 US$ cents per share).
· Basic EPS from continuing operations: 9.46 US$ cents per share (FY 2014: 12.80 US$ cents per share).
· Adjusted operating cashflow down 22% to US$141.3 million (FY 2014: US$181.2 million).
Net debt: US$171.7 million (30 June 2014: US$124.9 million).
Financial results for the Year were negatively impacted by underground production being reliant on mature, diluted mining areas, as well as the weaker diamond market, though partially offset by the favourable impact of the weakening in the Rand for the Year.
Operational Highlights
Production up 2% to 3.2 Mcts (FY 2014: 3.1 Mcts), in line with Company guidance.
Operating costs remained well controlled.
Capex of US$274.1 million (FY 2014: US$211.2 million), in accordance with the roll-out of the Group’s expansion programmes.
Safety: Group LTIFR improved to 0.29 (FY 2014: 0.32).
· Gross Diamond Resources (inclusive of Reserves) increased 2.5% to 308.7 Mcts (30 June 2014: 301.1 Mcts).
Corporate
Maiden dividend declared of 3.0 US$ cents per share for FY 2015.
Issue of US$300 million senior secured second lien loan notes (the “Notes”).
Increase of Group’s lender facilities by ca. US$77.2 million to ca. US$290.1 million.
Re-financing of US$98 million Black Economic Empowerment (“BEE”) partner loans.
Outlook
Expected FY 2016 production of 3.3 – 3.4 Mcts, an increase of 3 – 6% on FY 2015 production.
Undiluted ore from the new mining areas will start to contribute meaningfully to the Group’s production profile from H2 FY 2016 onwards.
Commencement of construction of a modern processing plant at the Cullinan mine post Year end.
Petra has made a solid start to FY 2016 in terms of production, with the operations as a whole performing according to expectations, including achieved grades at Finsch and Cullinan. Further information will be provided in Petra’s Q1 FY 2016 Trading Update to be released late October.
Petra remains firmly on track to reach longer-term target of ca. 5 Mcts by FY 2019.
For FY 2016, the Company’s financial results are expected to be favourably impacted should the ongoing weakness in the Rand continue.
· Petra announced 2016 diamond pricing guidance in July 2015 with the assumption that pricing would remain flat in FY 2016 versus the pricing achieved for H2 FY 2015. Since then, volatility in the broader rough diamond market has been widely reported and these uncertain market conditions may result in deviations from Petra’s previously guided prices.
Petra’s first tender of FY 2016 will be held in early October.
Johan Dippenaar, CEO, said:
“As already reported, FY 2015 was a challenging period, both operationally, due to the reliance of our underground mines on the mature, diluted mining areas, and also in terms of the softer diamond market, which saw lower pricing for the Year. However, the Group still recorded a number of important achievements, with increased tonnage throughput for the Year, the continued delivery of our mine expansion projects, the strengthening of our balance sheet, due to the US$300 million notes issue and increase in bank facilities, and the commencement of construction of a modern processing plant at Cullinan post Year end in Q1 FY 2016.
“While market conditions remain subdued in the short term, Petra is in a robust position given our strong balance sheet, efficient cost base and increasing operating margin profile as we start to access the new, undiluted mining areas at Finsch and Cullinan from FY 2016 onwards.”
Processo Kimberley em Portugal – publicação no Jornal Oficial da UE
“As of today (11 de Agosto 2015) Portugal has a Union authority for the implementation of the KPCS. Please follow this link for the publication of the amendment of Regulation 2368/2002 in the Official Journal: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2015.212.01.0003.01.ENG”
A implementação do Processo Kimberley em Portugal acabou de ser concluída, permitindo a partir de agora a importação e exportação directas de diamantes em bruto. Estão agora criadas as condições legais para o desenvolvimento da lapidação e comercialização de diamantes em bruto, actividades nas quais Portugal e os portugueses têm tradição assinalável.
Parabéns a todas as pessoas e instituições envolvidas pelo excelente trabalho realizado.
É agora tempo dos agentes económicos desenvolverem os seus projectos.
