Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr
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REGIONAL NEWS - EUROPE MAY 2017 • E&MJ; 25 www.e-mj.com NEWS - CALENDAR OF EVENTS MAY 15-19, 2017: Exponor, Antofagasta, Chile. Contact: Web: www.exponor.cl. MAY 20-27, 2017: ALTA 2017 Nickel-Cobalt-Copper, Uranium-REE & Gold-PM Conference & Exhibition, Pan Pacific, Perth, Australia. Contact: Web: www.altamet.com.au/conferences/alta-2017/. JUNE 1-2, 2017: Mining Forum 2017, Berlin, Germany. Contact: Web: www.the-miningforum.com/. JUNE 7-9, 2017: Elko Mining Expo, Elko, Nevada, USA. Contact: Web: www.ExploreElko.com. JUNE 13-15, 2017: Longwall USA, David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Contact: Web: www.longwallusa.com. JUNE 15-18, 2017: Paste 2017, 20 th International Seminar on Paste and Thickened Tailings, Beijing Conference Center, China. Contact: Web: www.paste2017.com. JUNE 17-22, 2017: 16 th North American Mine Ventilation Symposium, Color- ado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, USA. Contact: Tel: (303) 279-5563; Fax: (303) 277-8683; Email: space@mines.edu; Web: http://csmspace.com/. AUGUST 29-31, 2017: AIMEX, Asia-Pacific's International Mining Exhibition, Sydney Showground, Sydney, Australia. Contact: Web: www.aimex.com.au/home/. SEPTEMBER 6-8, 2017: InterDrone 2017, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Contact: Web: www.interdrone.com. SEPTEMBER 18-21, 2017: Exposibram 2017, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Contact: Web: http://exposibram.org.br/. SEPTEMBER 18-22, 2017: Perumin 33 Convencion Minera, Arequipa, Peru. Contact: Web: www.convencionminera.com. SEPTEMBER 24-27, 2017: Solution Mining Research Institute (SMRI) Fall Technical Conference with optional technical class on "Well Integrity Management" (class subject will be repeat of spring 2017), Münster, Germany. Contact: John Voigt; Tel: +1 570 585 8092; Email: smri@solutionmining.org; Web: www.solutionmining.org. DECEMBER 3-8, 2017: American Exploration & Mining Association's Annual Meeting and Exposition, Reno, Nevada, USA. Contact: Web: www.miningamerica.com. Boliden: Mine Production Attains Record Level Boliden's first quarter report was charac- terized by strong levels of mined produc- tion and stable production at the copper smelters. "The metal prices trend was favorable throughout the quarter, as is reflected in the fact that both [mining and smelting] posted strong operating profits," said says Lennart Evrell, presi- dent and CEO of Boliden. "This was par- ticularly true for mines, which achieved a new record level for a single quarter. Pro- duction levels continued to be good, and Kevitsa, which was acquired last year, is developing well. Furthermore, production at the copper smelters was stable." Operating profit for the mines im- proved on the previous quarter, mainly due to rising metal prices. "Production levels were healthy at the majority of our mines, although it was lower than during the strong previous quarter, where stock reductions also affected earnings posi- tively," Evrell said. "Lower milled volumes at Tara were offset by higher grades, while copper and zinc production levels at Aitik and Garpenberg, respectively, fell slightly from those in the previous quarter." For the smelting division, operating profits, excluding revaluation of pro- cess inventory, was down on the previ- ous quarter, largely due to the quantity of free metals at the copper smelters falling from the high levels noted in the previous quarter. Production was stable at Rönnskär, Harjavalta and Bergsöe. At Odda, the increased design capaci- ty of 200,000 metric tons per year was achieved for extended periods, but an unplanned stoppage affected both feed volumes and zinc production towards the end of the first quarter. The company said measures to improve zinc recovery levels at Kokkola are ongoing. Rusal Increases Alumina Production UC Rusal recently a commissioned a new R1.1 billion digestion train at the Urals Aluminum Smelter (UAZ). The new diges- tion train, which consists of 82 units, will expand the refinery's alumina production by 130,000 metric tons per year (mt/y). Total annual output of UAZ will grow to 900,000 mt of alumina. The new equipment, according to the company, will improve safety and in- crease energy efficiency of the produc- tion process. "During the course of the modernization of our production sites, we have introduced up-to-date tech- nologies and equipment. It is important to notice that the commissioned digest- er primarily consists of equipment that has been designed and made in Russia and as such, surpasses its foreign coun- terparts," said Vladislav Soloviev, CEO of RUSAL. During the first quarter of 2017, Rusal reported that its total alumina production declined by 2.6% quar- ter-on-quarter, totaling 1.9 million mt. Russian operations accounted for 37% of total output. Production volumes at refineries were largely in line with its production plans. Seasonal repair works performed at Windalco, Auginish and Bogoslovsk were offset by production performance at Achinsk and Urals. In additional to the UAZ upgrade, capac- ity upgrades were also completed at the Nikolaev refinery.