First Quantum plans $327m expansion of giant copper mine in Panama

Mining companies in Zambia may have to scale down their operations to cope with higher mining taxes recently imposed by President Michael Sata's new government. Reuters quotes the general manager of the country’s chamber of mines, Frederick Bantubonse:

Crazy Horse Resources Inc. (TSX VENTURE:CZH)(OTCQX:CRZHF) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that its new management has completed a review and scoping study of the Taysan Copper-Gold Porphyry Project in Batangas Province on Luzon Island in the Philippines.

Overall construction at Oyu Tolgoi continues to advance on budget and reached a 54.4% level of completion at the end of Q3'11. Key elements of the project, including the concentrator complex, primary crusher and tailings-thickening ponds, remain ahead of schedule. Total capital invested in the project to the end of Q3'11 was approximately $3.2 billion. Facilities required for first ore production in mid-2012 remain on schedule and commercial production is expected to commence in the first half of 2013.

Chile will draw on all options at its disposal, including suing for damages, to defend the interests of state-owned Codelco in its fight with Anglo American, President Sebastián Piñera told the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum on Saturday. Earlier Codelco's chief Diego Hernandez said in a press interview the looming legal battle with Anglo could take three to four years to be resolved. The state-owned copper giant is putting together a crack team of lawyers and financial advisers from Chile and New York to fight Anglo's attempt to block it from exercising an option to buy half of Anglo's Chilean copper assets for $6 billion. Anglo last week sold 24.5% to Mitsubishi for $5.4 billion.

The Telegraph reports Anglo American CEO Cynthia Carroll took a last-minute flight to Santiago on Thursday to calm tempers over the sale of a 24.5% stake to Mitsubishi Corporation but neither Chile's president Sebastian Pinera, finance minister Felipe Larrain or mining minister Hernan de Solminihac would see her. She is understood to have contacted all three before announcing the $5.39 billion deal that undermines state-owned copper giant Codelco's plan to exercise the 33-year old option to buy half of Anglo's Sur copper complex. The Mitsubishi transaction values Anglo Sur at $22 billion and Anglo's stock is up 4.8% since the deal. Codelco was offering $6 billion for 50% and is now putting together a team of top New York and Chile litigation firms and financial advisor Rothchild.

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.

Katanga Mining announced on Friday it has secured $635.5 million in new loan facilities from parent Glencore International to fund the expansion of its Democratic Republic of Congo copper-cobalt mine. The Toronto-listed firm wants to bump copper production to 270,000 tonnes per annum and thereafter bump it up to 310,000 tonnes from cash flow. The company is already ramping up copper production with financials results also out on Friday showing year to date copper in ore mined was 157,658 tonnes, a 96% increase over 2010. Cobalt produced fell 30% to 593 tonnes, but that was in line with expectations. Katanga says with the expansion the DRC complex it could become Africa's largest producer of copper and the world's number one cobalt mine.

While peace in Afghanistan still looks to be a utopian dream, AFP reports that developing nations like China and India are eager to make resource deals in the troubled country even before the guns fall silent: While an end to the fighting seems remote for now, mining lots are being quickly parcelled out among Afghanistan's resource-hungry neighbours, potentially sparking a new "Great Game" for control of its battle-worn ground. According to mining ministry documents seen by AFP, Afghanistan is planning to sell extraction rights for up to five mines every year until the departure of the last foreign combat troops in 2014 -- a rattling pace, say experts.

Reuters reports the Chairman of Chile's Codelco vowed on Thursday to go ahead with buying a 49% stake in Anglo American's southern Chilean properties. The state copper giant said that it would take all steps to ensure its option is respected and that it did not mind if Anglo cedes a part of its own stake to others. Anglo American on Wednesday sold a 24.5% stake in the properties that includes the newly expanded $2.8 billion Los Bronces mine to Japan’s Mitsubishi Corp. for $5.39 billion, undermining plans by Chile’s state-owned Codelco to exercise an option to buy half of it. Chile decided at the end of October to exercise the 33-year old option that has lapsed before, blindsiding Anglo. Anglo said the transaction values its Chile properties at $22 billion. Codelco was offering $6 billion for 50%.