L' argent (silver)

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 3 dec 2022 viewtopic.php?p=2359030#p2359030

Aya Gold & Silver closes $100m financing for Morocco mine expansion
The Zgounder is considered as the country’s second most important silver mine after the Imiter mine.


The new Zgounder process plant’s 3D model. Credit: Aya Gold & Silver.

Aya Gold & Silver has closed a $100m project financing facility to fund the construction of the Zgounder Silver Mine expansion project in Morocco.

The facility comprises a $92m loan provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and an $8m tranche by the Climate Investment Funds through its Clean Technology Fund (CTF).

Aya Gold & Silver president and CEO Benoit La Salle said: “This project financing, along with the recently completed and very successful equity offering, corroborates our positive view on Morocco and provides Aya financial flexibility as we continue with the Zgounder Silver Mine expansion.

“For this, we would like to thank our funding partners, who have worked diligently to close this facility, and we look forward to delivering value for all stakeholders and achieving the operational and ESG milestones set out by this partnership.”

Located 260km east of Agadir, within the Proterozoic Siroua Massif of the Anti-Atlas range, the Zgounder underground mine is owned by a joint venture between Aya (85%) and state-owned enterprise the Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM) (15%).

The Zgounder is considered Morrocco’s second most important silver mine after the Imiter mine.

According to the 2022 feasibility study for an expanded mine operation, the mine’s throughput can be increased to 2,700tpd from 700tpd by constructing a 2,000tpd flotation-CIP plant to produce silver ingots.

This expansion project is planned to be completed in 2024.

In 2021, Aya Gold & Silver secured seven new exploration permits within its properties in the Zgounder Regional and Azegour areas in Morocco.

https://www.mining-technology.com/news/ ... occo-mine/

[energy_isere]

la derniére fiche usgs pour l' argent : https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs20 ... silver.pdf



ce que j' avais posté l'an dernier : viewtopic.php?p=2336878#p2336878

[energy_isere]

Un prospect d'Argent en Arizona :

SILVER ONE OBTAINS PERMIT TO DRILL ITS HIGH-GRADE PHOENIX SILVER PROJECT, ARIZONA

By NS Energy Staff Writer 03 Mar 2023

Overall, Phoenix Silver is a highly prospective property that is in the earliest stages of exploration. The bulk of this underexplored property hosts multiple other silver and potential base metal targets awaiting evaluation.
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https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/news/s ... t-arizona/

[energy_isere]

Maroc : les revenus d’Aya Gold & Silver à Zgounder ont augmenté de 11 % en 2022

Agence Ecofin 29 mars 2023

La mine d’argent marocaine Zgounder est l’actif phare du canadien Aya Gold & Silver. En 2022, la production y a augmenté de plus de 17 % par rapport à l’année précédente pour atteindre 1,88 million d’onces. La compagnie veut faire mieux en 2023.

La compagnie minière canadienne Aya Gold & Silver, active au Maroc sur la mine d’argent Zgounder, a publié le 29 mars ses résultats opérationnels et financiers pour l’année 2022. Elle annonce une hausse de 11,5 % en glissement annuel de ses revenus, à 38,2 millions de dollars.

Cette progression est soutenue par des ventes d’argent qui ont atteint 1,94 million d’onces, en hausse de 28 % par rapport à 2021. Pour y arriver, la société a pu compter sur une production plus forte que prévu à Zgounder. La production d’argent a en effet augmenté de 17,5 % en glissement annuel pour atteindre 1,88 million d’onces.

« Les actions de 2022 nous ont permis de mobiliser près de 200 millions de dollars de fonds au premier trimestre de 2023, de produire des résultats records et de commencer l’agrandissement de la mine Zgounder », a ajouté Benoit La Salle, PDG de la compagnie, à propos des autres faits marquants de l’année écoulée.

En 2023, Aya Gold & Silver vise une production située entre 1,7 et 1,9 million d’onces d’argent.

https://www.agenceecofin.com/metaux/290 ... 11-en-2022

[energy_isere]

Prospect d'Argent dans le Nevada :

American Pacific Mining Announces the Commencement of Drilling at Gooseberry Silver Project

By NS Energy Staff Writer 05 Apr 2023

The CSAMT data were collected by Reno-based Zonge Engineering technicians in the summer of 2022 and interpreted by a licensed geophysicist, based in Elko, Nevada
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https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/news/a ... r-project/

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 8 sept 2019 viewtopic.php?p=2287464#p2287464

la construction de la mine d'argent de Bowdens en Australie pourrait débuter en 2024.

Silver Mines gets final development approval for Bowdens silver project
According to Silver Mines, the Australian mine will have a project life of 23 years with silver production lasting 16.5 years

By NS Energy Staff Writer 04 Apr 2023

Silver Mines has received approval to proceed with the development and production of the Bowdens silver project in central New South Wales (NSW), Australia.

The Australia-based silver exploration company has been granted approval by the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) of NSW, which will be subject to conditions of consent.

Silver Mines stated that the final development approval comes after extensive processes by the company and various government authorities including the NSW Department of Planning and Environment and eventually the IPC.

Located nearly 26km east of Mudgee, the Bowdens silver project is said to be the largest undeveloped silver deposit in Australia.

The silver project contains mineral tenements covering 496,000 acres.

According to Silver Mines, the mine will have a project life of 23 years with silver production lasting 16.5 years. The project will also yield zinc and lead as by-products.

Silver Mines managing director Anthony McClure said: “The IPC’s decision is the most significant milestone for the Company since we took over the Project in mid-2016.”

“Our team has delivered a technically reliable and environmentally responsible project.

“This decision recognises the significant long-term economic and social benefits the Project will deliver for our shareholders, the State of New South Wales and also the local communities across the Mid-Western Regional Government area.”

Silver Mines acquired the mining property in June 2016 and is developing it with a capital investment of A$250m ($168.7m). The project is said to have significant opportunities for potential expansion.

Construction of the open-cut silver mine is anticipated to begin in 2024 and is expected to generate 320 direct construction jobs.

Besides, the Bowdens silver project is anticipated to create 228 ongoing operational jobs along with indirect jobs for local businesses and the community throughout its lifetime.

https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/news/s ... r-project/

[energy_isere]

Record demand pushes silver into new era of deficits, Silver Institute says

Reuters | April 19, 2023

Global demand for silver rose by 18% last year to a record high of 1.24 billion ounces, creating a huge supply deficit, the Silver Institute said on Wednesday, predicting more shortages in the years to come.


The silver market was undersupplied by 237.7 million ounces in 2022, the institute said in its latest World Silver Survey, calling this “possibly the most significant deficit on record”.

It said 2022’s undersupply and a 51.1 million ounce shortfall in 2021 had wiped out cumulative surpluses from the previous decade and predicted further undersupply of 142.1 million ounces this year.

“We are moving into a different paradigm for the market, one of ongoing deficits,” said Philip Newman at consultants Metals Focus, which prepared the Silver Institute’s data.

But he said this wouldn’t necessarily cause prices to shoot higher because while visible silver inventories are falling, huge amounts of metal held by individuals and investors can still fill supply gaps.

Silver prices have drifted mostly lower since 2020 as interest rates rose, discouraging investment in precious metals, which don’t offer interest.

Silver should average $21.30 an ounce this year, below last year’s average of $21.73, the institute said.

Demand for silver rose to record highs from all major users — jewellers, industry and buyers of silver bars and coins, according to the institute.



Silver is used in many industries including electronics and solar panels, and demand is expanding as the world moves away from fossil fuels.

India also imported huge amounts of silver last year, though demand there should cool somewhat in 2023, according to Newman.

Over the longer term, Newman said, “there is not a great deal of movement (in silver supply), whereas on the demand side we generally have that doing quite well … industrial demand in particular.”

https://www.mining.com/web/record-deman ... tute-says/

[energy_isere]

update de la courbe de début janvier 2023 viewtopic.php?p=2360605#p2360605



http://www.kitcosilver.com/charts.html

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 30 dec 2022 viewtopic.php?p=2359906#p2359906

Suite à la mise en service fin 2022, la mine d'argent de Juanicipio au Mexique fait ses premières ventes commerciales.
Le taux de récupération de l'argent dans le minerai est de 88 %.

Juanicipio Achieves Commercial Production

By NS Energy Staff Writer 06 Jun 2023

MAG Silver Corp. is focused on becoming a top-tier primary silver mining company by exploring and advancing high-grade, district scale, precious metals projects in the Americas


uanicipio achieves commercial production. (Credit: Dominik Vanyi on Unsplash)

MAG Silver Corp. is pleased to announce that commercial production has been achieved at the Juanicipio Project (56% / 44% Fresnillo plc (“Fresnillo”) and MAG, respectively) effective June 1, 2023.

Following a successful commissioning period, the Juanicipio mine, processing facility and other vital systems are operating in line with, or rapidly approaching design capacity. The Juanicipio mill is operating at approximately 85% of its design capacity of 4,000 tonnes per day (“tpd”) with silver recovery consistently above 88%. On a 100% basis, approximately 3.2 million ounces of silver have been produced from the Juanicipio processing facility from March 2023 to the end of May 2023, and production is expected to continue to increase steadily through Q3 where it is envisioned the plant will be running at design capacity. All major construction activities have now been completed and Juanicipio is demonstrating its ability to sustain ongoing production levels. The operations team is continually seeking opportunities to improve and optimize the mine, plant and other critical systems to achieve and potentially exceed design capacities.

“Reaching this important milestone of commercial production at Juanicipio completes our transformation from developer to producer,” said George Paspalas, President and CEO of MAG Silver. “Today marks the beginning of a very exciting and dynamic growth phase for MAG as we combine stable, high-margin silver production with the ongoing high-grade exploration potential that has made and continues to make MAG so unique.”

https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/news/j ... roduction/

[energy_isere]

Le canadien Trigon obtient sept permis pour explorer le plomb et l’argent au Maroc

Agence Ecofin 29 juin 2023

Avec 8,5 millions d’onces livrées par ses mines en 2022 d’après les données du cabinet de recherche Metal Focus, le Maroc est le premier producteur africain d’argent. Le pays attire chaque année de nouveaux investissements dans ce secteur.

La compagnie minière canadienne Trigon Metals, déjà active dans l’exploration de l’argent au Maroc, étend son empreinte dans le royaume chérifien avec sept nouvelles licences d’exploration pour l’argent et le plomb. C’est ce qu’elle a annoncé dans un communiqué publié le 28 juin, précisant que ces permis, regroupés sous le projet Addana, couvrent 112 km² dans le sud du pays.

D’une durée de validité de trois ans, avec possibilité de renouvellement, les permis constituant le projet sont situés dans une région où les deux métaux susmentionnés sont exploités depuis des centaines d’années. « Le projet Addana est un autre exemple du potentiel des projets de classe mondiale au Maroc. Les sept permis comportent d’importants chantiers artisanaux qui révèlent la présence de veines de plomb argentifère », a commenté Jed Richardson, PDG de la compagnie.

Rappelons que Trigon Metals détient 100 % d’intérêts dans le projet Silver Hill au Maroc, un actif prometteur pour le cuivre et l’argent, mais beaucoup moins grand qu’Addana. Les travaux d’exploration sur son nouvel actif doivent démarrer dans un délai de six mois. En cas de découverte d’un gisement économiquement viable sur l’un ou l’autre des sites, la compagnie pourrait développer une mine et contribuer à maintenir le royaume chérifien parmi les grands producteurs mondiaux d’argent.

Selon les données du cabinet de recherche sur les métaux précieux Metal Focus, le Maroc est le 16ème producteur mondial d’argent en 2022, et le seul membre africain du top 20. L’offre d’argent au niveau mondial est dominée par le Mexique, suivi de la Chine et du Pérou. Ces trois pays totalisent en effet 418 millions d’onces en 2022, soit plus de la moitié de la production mondiale.

https://www.agenceecofin.com/metaux/290 ... t-au-maroc

[energy_isere]

suite de ce post du 12 fev 2023 viewtopic.php?p=2362689#p2362689

Maroc : Aya enregistre un nouveau succès dans le projet d’agrandissement de la mine d’argent Zgounder

Agence Ecofin 30 aout 2023

La production annuelle de la mine Zgounder devrait être quadruplée d’ici 2024, par un projet d’agrandissement en cours depuis quelques mois. Une facilité de crédit de 100 millions de dollars a été obtenue pour les travaux et le premier tirage vient d’être effectué.

Au Maroc, la compagnie minière Aya & Gold Silver a annoncé le 29 aout un prélèvement initial de 35 millions de dollars sur la facilité de financement de 100 millions de dollars obtenue pour agrandir sa mine d’argent Zgounder. Les fonds seront utilisés afin de poursuivre les travaux en cours depuis quelques mois.

« Cette étape représente un grand pas en avant sur la voie de la création de valeur pour les parties prenantes, du renforcement de notre engagement en faveur de pratiques minières durables et de la mise en œuvre de notre vision stratégique visant à favoriser la croissance économique, la responsabilité environnementale et l’engagement communautaire », a commenté Benoit La Salle, PDG de la compagnie.

Pour rappel, la facilité en question est fournie à 92 millions de dollars par la Banque européenne pour la reconstruction et le développement (BERD) et à 8 millions de dollars par le Fonds d’investissement climatique. Une fois le projet achevé d’ici 2024, Zgounder pourra produire environ 8 millions d’onces par an, contre 1,88 million d’onces en 2022.

https://www.agenceecofin.com/investisse ... t-zgounder

[energy_isere]

Redémarrage d'une ancienne mine fermée en 1988 en Bosnie. Production d'Argent, et Plomb + ZInc.

Adriatic Metals plans to commission Bosnia silver mine in November
The company expects to produce around 65,000 tonnes (t) of lead-silver concentrate and 90,000t of zinc concentrate from the mine.

September 19, 2023

Mineral exploration company Adriatic Metals is planning to start production at its Vares Silver Project in central Bosnia in November 2023, reported Reuters, citing the company’s CEO, Paul Cronin.

Covering a 41km² concession area, the Vares silver project is located in the Vares municipality of the Zenica-Doboj Canton in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Vares project was a previously operating open-pit mine. It produced lead, zinc and barite concentrates prior to suspending operations in 1988.

The project comprises two mineral resources including the Rupice underground deposit and the Veovaca open pit deposit, which are located 11km apart.

Adriatic Metals determined the Rupice deposit’s potential economic viability in 2017 following its acquisition earlier in the same year.

The company now expects to produce 65,000 tonnes (t) of lead-silver concentrate and 90,000t of zinc concentrate from 800,000t of polymetallic ore from the mine.

Cronin was quoted by the news agency as saying at the company’s new offices in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina: “This project grows Bosnia’s GDP by 2%, that’s a huge increase.

“We currently have a resource of 21 million tonnes of polymetallic ore that includes copper, silver, zinc, lead and gold. Mining in Bosnia has a big future because you’ve got a huge potential for exploration that would lead to new mines.”

Cronin added that the company has so far invested $40m (£32.3m) on exploration work at the mine and an additional $30m has been approved to continue with the mine exploration work.

Adriatic Metals has decided to rebuild an old mining plant that will involve the construction of a 25km road connecting Vares with the town of Zenica. The decision is based on the mine’s environmental and health risks analysis.

Cronin noted: “The mine will be one of the lowest-impact mines in the world. We’ve built something that’s very small, designed to fit sympathetically in the environment.”

Furthermore, the company plans to restore a railway line to allow ore shipment via Sarajevo to the Croatian port of Ploce and further on to smelters in Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Spain and Italy.

Cronin added: “We specifically created products that suit European smelters because Europeans need to produce their own metals or Europe will always be at the mercy of places such as Russia or China.”

https://www.mining-technology.com/news/ ... r/?cf-view

[energy_isere]

Silver price to benefit from solar sector demand once rates peak

Reuters | September 29, 2023

Robust demand from the solar industry and limited supply growth from mines will buoy silver prices once the period of higher global interest rates is over, analysts said.


Silver is both an investment and is consumed in the manufacture of jewellery, electronics and electric vehicles, as well as solar panels which has been gaining traction amid the global green energy transition.

However, silver prices , at $23 per troy ounce, are down 4% so far this year as elevated global interest rates discourage investment in precious metals, which do not offer interest. The US Federal Reserve hardened its hawkish posture on interest rates last week.

“Once the peak of Fed tightening is confidently in place, silver should become attractive again,” said Ed Moya, senior market analyst at brokerage OANDA. He expects silver to finish this year above $24 per ounce.

“Silver might see its biggest deficit in over a decade as mining production cannot keep up with demand. The solar industry has seen surging demand,” he added.

The silver market was undersupplied by 237.7 million ounces in 2022, according to the Silver Institute, and deficits are set to continue in the years to come. However, huge above-ground stocks and quantities of metal held by individuals and investors fill the gap.

Demand for silver from photovoltaic cells (PV), which make up a solar panel, has shown a three-fold growth since 2014 and is expected to reach 161 million ounces in 2023, according to the Silver Institute.

The sector will be responsible for 14% of total demand for silver this year compared with 5% in 2014.

Demand from the sector could reach 170-180 million ounces if new PV installation exceeds 400 gigawatts (GW) by 2025, said Philip Newman at consultants Metals Focus.

However, solar panel manufacturers, having long been mindful of silver supplies after the price briefly hit $50 per ounce in 2011, will continue to reduce silver loadings through structural design improvements, Newman added.

Meanwhile, growth in mine production is largely beholden to other metals projects for which silver is a by-product, ANZ said in a note.

“We estimate the silver market is entering a period of tightness unseen for decades,” ANZ said, estimating demand from the solar industry at 225 million ounces in 2025.

https://www.mining.com/web/silver-to-be ... ates-peak/

[energy_isere]

Le plus gros dépôt d'Argent encore inexploité : le projet Cordero au Mexique. Avec un peu de Zinc aussi.

Discovery Silver’s Cordero project is in the big league

MINING.COM and Discovery Silver | October 5, 2023

Discovery Silver owns the largest undeveloped primary silver deposit globally by reserves and has attracted a tier one management team led by Tony Makuch, the former CEO of Kirkland Lake Gold.

With reserves of 265 million oz. silver, Discovery’s 100%-owned Cordero deposit in Mexico’s Chihuahua state surpasses Bear Creek Mining’s (TSXV: BCM; US-OTC: BCEKF) Corani deposit in southern Peru (225 million oz. silver) and Polymetal International’s Prognoz silver deposit in Russia (142 million oz. silver).

“There are very few of these large undeveloped silver assets and we’re at the top of the list,” says president and CEO Makuch. “To put its scale in context, Cordero is the equivalent of a gold mine that produces more than 400,000 ounce gold per annum with all-in sustaining costs of approximately $1,000 per ounce over a mine life of close to 20 years.” 

A prefeasibility study released in January outlined an open-pit mine life of 18 years producing an average of 33 million silver-equivalent oz. a year at all-in sustaining costs of $12.80 per silver-equivalent oz. in years one through 12 and $13.62 per silver-equivalent oz. over the life of mine.

Initial development capex of $455 million could be paid back in just over four years, and the study put Cordero’s after-tax net present value (5% discount rate) at $1.2 billion and its internal rate of return at 28%. 

The company submitted its Environmental Impact Assessment for Cordero at the end of August and plans to update the resource and complete a feasibility study in the first quarter of next year.
...................................

Proven and probable reserves at Cordero are 302 million tonnes grading 27 grams silver per tonne. Measured and indicated resources (inclusive of reserves) total 716 million tonnes grading 20 grams silver per tonne, 0.06 gram gold, 0.29% lead, and 0.54% zinc (49 grams silver-equivalent per tonne) for 467 million oz. silver, 1.3 million oz. gold, 4.5 billion lb. lead and 8.5 billion lb. zinc (1.1 billion oz. silver-equivalent). 

Inferred resources add 145 million tonnes grading 14 grams silver, 0.02 gram gold, 0.23% lead and 0.38% zinc (35 grams silver-equivalent) for 67 million oz. silver, 122,000 oz. gold, 726 million lb. lead and 1.2 billion lb. zinc (167 million oz. silver-equivalent).
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https://www.mining.com/joint-venture/jv ... ig-league/

[energy_isere]

Dans l'antiquité Grecques les mines de Plomb argentifère du Laurion à une cinquantaine de kilomètres au sud d'Athènes firent la richesse de la Grèce à l'époque.

Il y a un long article Wikipedia sur le sujet : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mines_du_Laurion

Au total, la production des mines du Laurion à l'époque antique a été estimée, avec une large marge d'erreur, à 3 500 tonnes d'argent et 1 400 000 tonnes de plomb146.

vidéo de reconstitution , 15 mn : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TCPAxbLZcw ,
ou en plus condensé 4 mn : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu3Yu6amjr4

article du Monde de 2008 :

En Grèce, la mission Perséphone explore les tréfonds des mines du Laurion
Son sous-sol a procuré l'argent de l'expansion d'Athènes.

Par André Moissé Publié le 07 avril 2008 à

La pointe de l'Attique, souvent limitée à une visite touristique éphémère, recèle encore des trésors insoupçonnés. La montagne du Laurion est pourtant un site exploité depuis la haute Antiquité et l'époque mycénienne (XIVe siècle avant notre ère). Son sous-sol a procuré l'argent de l'expansion d'Athènes. C'est ici que le siècle de Périclès a forgé sa puissance. Pour repousser les Perses lors des guerres médiques (Ve siècle avant J.-C.), Thémistocle fait construire une flotte de 200 trières. Comment ? Grâce à l'argent du Laurion. Eschyle, auteur de la tragédie Les Perses, en témoigne à l'occasion de la victoire de Salamine, en 480 av. J.-C. : plus qu'une armée, les Grecs ont "une source d'argent, un trésor que leur garde la terre"...

Depuis 2002, une équipe franco-grecque travaille à la compréhension des mines du Laurion. Sur près de 120 km2, un incroyable labyrinthe de galeries fut creusé pour extraire le cuivre et le minerai de plomb argentifère. "Un véritable complexe proto-industriel", dit Denis Morin, chercheur au CNRS et spécialiste de l'histoire des sciences et des techniques, qui conduit sur place, depuis le 4 avril, la mission Perséphone. Ici se trouve concentré tout le processus du minerai au métal : extraction, tri, concassage, broyage, lavage, fusion...

Mais comment, dans l'Antiquité, perforer le marbre du sous-sol et exploiter un gisement aussi complexe ? Comment identifier, jusqu'à 120 mètres de profondeur, la présence de filons métalliques ? Bien avant 480 avant J.-C., les ingénieurs athéniens élaborèrent les techniques de forage, de fonçage (creusement des puits) et d'abattage (chantiers de galeries). Ils ont maîtrisé l'éclairage, l'aérage et l'évacuation des matériaux.

En plus d'un indéniable savoir-faire technique, les Athéniens avaient mis sur pied une organisation du travail huilée, exploitant quelque 20 000 esclaves qui se relayaient dans les galeries et les ateliers. Les auteurs anciens en attestent, Callias, Nicias et autres Nicoboulos firent fortune en exploitant ces forçats encadrés par des garnisons d'hoplites.

CARTE MINIÈRE

La victoire de Sparte sur Athènes, à la fin du Ve siècle avant J.-C., mit un terme provisoire à cet âge d'or. Bien plus tard, la Compagnie française des mines du Laurion comprit l'intérêt de ce site polymétallique, en quête, cette fois, de plomb, et l'exploita jusqu'en 1977. Mais la géologie du Laurion n'avait jamais été mise en carte. C'est l'un des objectifs de la mission Perséphone, qui associe des chercheurs du CNRS, des spéléologues, le géologue Patrick Rosenthal et l'équipe d'Adonis Photiades, de l'Institut d'exploration géologique et minière de Grèce.

Pour tracer cette carte minière et tâcher de restituer les techniques de l'Antiquité, ils ont adopté l'appareil respiratoire isolant des sapeurs-pompiers. Ils vont également équiper des puits de capteurs qui enregistreront pendant un an un certain nombre de paramètres thermiques et gazeux, ce afin de valider leurs hypothèses sur la circulation de l'air sous terre. Là où étouffaient les esclaves de la cité-Etat.

André Moissé

https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/ ... _3244.html