The prospect of China’s magnesite mining sector coming under state ownership accompanied by consolidation of major players into one entity is looking increasingly likely to come to fruition this year.
Further to our recent report on Chinese mineral supply shortages (see Newsfile 28 July 2017: China minerals supply squeeze: hangover to 2018 likely), on Monday 31 […]
• Environmental and explosives controls impact output, prices increase
• Magnesite supply reform: state control of raw magnesite sales
• Bauxite/BFA supply also challenged
Just when traders thought they could breath a sigh of relief as China waved goodbye to export quotas on 1 January 2017, along comes a double whammy set to impact supplies of magnesia, bauxite, […]
SepFluor kickstarts Nokeng as Doornhoek awaits green light
Core values: logging core at SepFluor’s Nokeng project, where 12.2m tonnes of ore have been measured at an average of about 27% CaF2. Courtesy SepFluor
The emergence of a new era of South African fluorspar production may have been heralded by SepFluor Ltd subsidiary Nokeng Fluorspar […]
Despite a decline in world fluorspar demand in 2016 owing to weak demand particularly for metallurgical-grade material, the outlook remains strong for fluorine in the steel, aluminium, and fluoropolymer markets as prices firm during 2017.
This was the essence of a review of the fluorspar market by Peter Huxtable, Huxtable Associates, UK published in Mining Engineering, […]
MagForum 2017 analyses latest issues and spotlights potential newcomers and markets
Key takeaways
China: supply impact issues to beset 2017-18; controversial trade reforms proposed
New supply sources and capacities: Saudi Arabia (DBM+CCM), Australia, Canada
Refractories: steady growth in steel demand; good cement outlook for certain regions
Market opportunities in hydrometallurgy, flame retardants, environment, cement board, welding, and pulp and paper.
Crazy […]
IMFORMED interviews Peter Huxtable & Alison Saxby
Plus Fluorine Forum 2017 Programme Update
“It’s a very interesting time. There is an awful lot happening, and a lot of uncertainty”.
So says Peter Huxtable, consultant and specialist in fluorspar with over 40 years’ experience in the industry, including 20 years at the Glebe fluorspar mine in the UK.
Together with […]
Oilfield Minerals & Markets Forum 2017 Review
This year there was definitely something to smile about, and we are not just referring those intrepid delegates braving the “bucking bronco” at the Monday reception (more on that later).
The oilfield minerals industry is feeling its way out of the doldrums of 2015/16, as drilling activity recovers, hydraulic fracturing […]
Industry heads to MagForum 2017 Kraków for answers and latest outlook
Accounting for about 70% of world magnesite production and just over 60% of world magnesia production, China has a strong influence over the global magnesia market.
But even by its normal, and frequently unpredictable standards, China has ensured that the magnesia industry will already remember 2017 as […]
The phrase “building on sand” has an unfortunate ring of reality to those ceramic proppant suppliers striving to attain some purchase on the wave of recovery currently sweeping the North American hydraulic fracturing market today.
Proppant producers and oilfield service companies are enjoying a most buoyant recovery period from the oil price decline doldrums of 2015/16, […]
As the year’s First Quarter reports start to roll in it is already clear that 2017 is going to turn out to be a marker in the recovery of the proppants industry of North America.
Frac sand producers and oilfield service companies alike are all pointing towards a ramping up of activity, proppant consumption, and revenues.
Increased […]