Mirasol Resources expands in southern Argentina

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.

Business Live reports De Beers high-quality diamond retail arm Forevermark will not sell any diamonds from Zimbabwe's controversial Chiadzwa and fields, CEO Stephen Lussier said at the launch of the exclusive brand in South Africa. This comes after the industry regulator, the Kimberley Process, gave Zimbabwe the green light to resume diamond exports from Marange last week. The decision is already being questioned, after the country's mines minister admitted on Thursday that smuggling was still rife. International sales from Marange were banned in 2009 after hundreds were killed and thousands of local miners were driven off claims when the army seized control of the area.

The Globe & Mail reports this week, British Columbia premier Christy Clark announced during her China trade mission that she has secured $860 million in financing to build a coal mine in northeast BC near Hudson’s Hope which will eventually create 4,800 jobs. What Clark didn’t mention is the hitch: The proposed Gething mine would be built in the West Moberly First Nation’s territory. The province knows full well that the native band – one of a small number with a treaty in BC – opposes the plan.

Reuters reports Canadian gold miner IAMGold is on the look-out for acquisitions and while it is not itself up for sale, its chief executive said on Friday the company represents good value right now. IAMGold has in the past said interested in various stage projects, from exploration through to production and just over the last fortnight has put money into three South American juniors. IAMGold produces roughly 1 million ounces per year from operations in Africa and North and South America and sees bullion topping out at $2,000 an ounce this year or next from current levels around $1,790.

Rainy River Resources' received a 3.2% bump on Friday after the Toronto-based company released a highly positive preliminary economic assessment of its property in Western Ontario. Friday's move also came after Canaccord Genuity upgraded the stock to speculative buy. Rainy River is up more than 9% over the last two days and is worth some $600 million on the Toronto big board. The study envisions an open pit and underground operation that would have life-of-mine average annual production of 329,000 oz of gold and 497,000 oz of silver. In the first four years of the 13-year mine-life, the average cash cost net of silver credits is estimated at $417/oz of gold generating over $1.6 billion free cash flow at current metal prices.

Reuters reports the US move to put off a decision on TransCanada Corp's proposed $7 billion Keystone XL pipeline for 18 months is a significant blow for Ottawa, which has strongly backed the project. The Canadian government and the Alberta oil industry will now turn their attention to the 1,170km Northern Gateway pipeline project from Alberta to a new marine terminal in northern British Columbia to serve Asian markets. But the $5.5 billion project which has significant Chinese backing, is already almost a year behind schedule and would not go into operation in 2017 at the soonest. Even this schedule is optimistic: starting in January, an unprecedented 4,000-plus people – mostly greens – will speak for a collective 650 hours at public hearings.

Treasury Metals (TSE:TML) failed to generate excitement this week from news that it has doubled the resource estimate at its Goliath gold project near Dryden, Ontario. The stock barely moved on Wednesday, opening and closing at $1.05. It was down around 5 cents in mid-day trading on Thursday.

The Alberta oilsands has a new kid in town. Calgary Herald reports that Grizzly Oil Sands, a privately-owned company, has been approved for an 11,300 barrel-per-day, in-situ oilsands project southwest of Fort McMurrray: Cabinet approval for the project was given this week after approval was sought last year but chief executive John Pearce said the process of engineering and ordering equipment is already well underway. The company expects first production by early 2013, and to grow production at its other property to 60,000 bopd by 2020 reports The Herald.

Mining Review reports the decision last week to allow Zimbabwe to resume diamond exports from the controversial Chiadzwa and Marange alluvial fields is being questioned, after the country's mines minister admitted on Thursday that smuggling was still rife. The comments are in stark contrast to his previous insistence that the country's diamond industry was meeting international trade standards. Zimbabwe is set to earn over $2 billion per year from exports with current diamond output estimated to be in excess of 25% of world production. Rough diamond prices have dropped by more than 10% over the last two months and is set to fall further as the first Marange diamonds come onto the market by the end of this month.