ARM earmarks R10bn for growth, output to double by 2018/19 (31/08/11)

African Rainbow Minerals, which has an interest in platinum, chrome, coal, iron ore, manganese and nickel, plans to double production by 2018/19, the firm's outgoing chief executive officer Andre Wilkins has said.

"We are talking aggressive growth in the next three to four years, taking our iron-ore production up to 16 million or even 18 million tonnes, doubling manganese production, doubling platinum production, improving on coal production and ramping up copper," he said.

The miner has already seen its output double since 2005, diversifying operations into other African countries.

For example, it has signed an agreement with Rovuma Resources, a Mozambican exploration company, to look for platinum group metals.

North American Palladium Provides Palladium Exploration Update: Offset Zone Continues to Deliver Good Results (14/09/11)

North American Palladium (NAP) has provided a new update on its exploration programme at its Lac des Iles (LDI) palladium mine in Canada.

Highlights include "positive" infill drill results in the Offset Zone, including 26 m at 6.0 g/t palladium.

Meanwhile, surface drilling on the Offset Zone intersected "significant" mineralisation close to the deepest limit of the current resource wireframe, which NAP said supports the exploration potential beyond the current resource wireframe.

Exploration drilling following the possible extension of the upper north Roby Zone also encountered palladium mineralisation.

"Exploration at LDI continues to deliver good results, and we have therefore increased our 2011 drill programme from the 52,000m overall budget to 78,000m," said William J Biggar, the firm's president and chief executive officer.

Platinum potential in the Longwood hills (21/09/11)

Up to one million troy ounces of platinum group metals could be under the Longwood Range in New Zealand.

GNS Science geologist Dr Nick Mortimer said the area has a "layered gabbro" similar to those found in platinum-rich areas of South Africa and the US.

Commercial and operational reasons have prevented the Longwoods from being properly explored, but Dr Mortimer believes global miners will now look at the area.

"We shouldn't make big claims [but] clearly New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals want to see increased interest in the Longwoods," he said.

Wallbridge provides updates for Sudbury holdings, feas study for Broken Hammer expected next year (21/09/11)

Wallbridge Mining has provided an update on exploration work at its properties in the Sudbury metals basin.

At the Broken Hammer deposit, which contains platinum and palladium, the firm said 30,500t of bulk sample has been processed with results due later this year.

At the Parkin Offset dyke property, wedge-cuts were carried out on the Milnet Mine property to test the electromagnetic conductors on the up-plunge projection of the Milnet 1500 zone - a high-grade nickel, copper, platinum and palladium sulphide zone.

Meanwhile, on the East Range of the Sudbury basin, about 2,000m of drilling is continuing to follow up on the platinum, palladium, and gold mineralisation discovered at the Amy Lake deposit on the Frost Lake property.

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