Barrick takes dispute over Porgera mining rights to PNG Supreme Court
Canada’s Barrick Gold (TSX: ABX) (NYSE: GOLD) will take a dispute over mining rights to the Porgera gold mine in Papua New Guinea to the country’s Supreme Court after a lower court dismissed the company’s attempt to regain its license.
The world’s second-largest gold producer and its Chinese partner, Zijin Mining, became embroiled in a dispute with the PNG government in April, when Prime Minister James Marape rejected their application for a lease extension.
The companies temporarily halted operations in response. They also served Marape with a dispute notice arguing the refusal of the Porgera license extension violated a bilateral investment treaty between PNG and Australia. The move, they said, also infringed international law governing foreign investment.
Barrick said at the time that if the parties were unable to settle the row through negotiations, it would take PNG to international arbitration.
PNG’s National Court dismissed this week Barrick’s request for a review of Marape’s decision, which the miner now plans to take to the country’s top court.
“The company disagrees with numerous grounds outlined in the ruling,” Barrick Niugini Ltd. (BNL), which operated Porgera, said in a statement.
It also said that the government’s move last week to grant a 20-year lease for the mine to state-backed firm Kumul Minerals Holdings (KML) was “unlawful” and “invalid.” BNL added it was unaware of any consultation with local owners about the “non-transparent” and “rushed” decision to cut the company out.
The Toronto-based gold giant said it would will challenge that move, too, and it has launched a separate complaint with the World Bank’s International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes.
Kumul Minerals said on Wednesday that it is open to talks with Barrick.
“My hope is that we can engage quickly and find a way forward,” Kumul Minerals chairman and acting managing director Peter Graham told The National newspaper in PNG.
Kumul Minerals is seeking to restart operations while negotiating a longer-term deal that would see Barrick and Zijin as equity participants and operator, Graham told the paper.
The fight over the Porgera’s lease keeps the mine, which last year produced almost 600,000 ounces of gold, in complete halt. It comes at a time when fears of global economic collapse triggered by the covid-19 pandemic have sent gold prices to record highs.
Settlement attempts
Barrick offered in May an extra 15% stake in the Porgera mine to local landowners, in a fresh attempt to break the impasse with the government over the mine’s future.
PNG later threatened Barrick with criminal proceedings, claiming the company’s joint venture in the country was planning to illegally export $13 million in gold and silver to Australia. BNL refuted the allegations.
The ongoing dispute has done to Barrick what the pandemic did not — dent its expected output for the year. It now expects to produce between 4.6 million and 5 million ounces of gold this year — 200,000 ounces lower than its previous estimate.
Barrick revealed at the time that PNG was also asking the company and Zijin to pay $191-million in back taxes, arising from tax audits conducted between 2006 and 2015.
Marape, who claims the lease was not extended owing to environmental and community concerns, said this week he wanted to reopen the mine “at the earliest.” He also added that the country was not “a banana republic” and that it was up to Barrick to get on a plane and discuss how they could remain in PNG under KMHL’s lease.
Tier one potential
Barrick’s president and chief executive officer, Mark Bristow, said in March that Porgera had “tier one potential” but faced many challenges in the form of “legacy issues and an unruly neighborhood.”
The gold mine, located in PNG’s northern highlands region, is a joint venture between Barrick and Zijin Mining. Each owns 47.5% of the mine, with the remaining 5% held by landowner group Mineral Resources Enga.
Porgera contributes to about 10% of the nation’s exports and employs over 3,300 Papua New Guinea nationals.
The open pit and underground gold mine sits at an altitude of 2,200-2,600 metres in Enga province, and is about 600 km (370 miles) northwest of Port Moresby.
Other mining companies operating in PNG, including Australia’s Newcrest (ASX: NCM), have not been impacted by the decision regarding Porgera. The miner has “welcomed” the Prime Minister’s support for its Wafi Golpu gold and copper asset, adding that its special mining lease at the Lihir operations remains in good standing, with a renewal not needed until 2035.
Austenitic Manganese Steel Mill Liners
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This material used for grid liners, and generally smaller mills. Its great advantage is that it work hardens under stress, yet the substrate remains tough and can withstand extreme impacting without fracture. Its primary disadvantage is that it spreads with impact, so solid liners begin to squeeze together and become extremely difficult to remove, and can damage a mill shell if the stress is allowed to build up to an extreme level.
Austenitic manganese steel’s ability to work harden from impact loading along with its exceptional toughness make it the best wear material choice for many demanding applications.The hardness of manganese steel in the solution annealed and water quenched condition is normally around 220 HB. It is possible to strain harden this material to approximately 500 HB. In order to achieve this high hardness level, the impact loading must be high while the material wearing away from gouging abrasion is limited. It is typical in crushing applications were the main wear mechanism is gouging abrasion that the manganese steel will harden to some intermediate level, typically 350-450 HB.
Our Austenitic Manganese Steel Chemical Composition
| Name | Spec Available（%） | |||||||
| C | Si | Mn | Cr | Mo | Cu | P | S | |
| High Manganese Liner (Mn14) | 0.9-1.5 | 0.3-1.0 | 11-14 | 0-2.5 | 0-0.5 | ≤0.05 | ≤0.06 | ≤0.06 |
| Super Manganese Liner (Mn18) | 1.0-1.5 | 0.3-1.0 | 16-19 | 0-2.5 | 0-0.5 | ≤0.05 | ≤0.06 | ≤0.06 |
Our Austenitic Manganese Steel Mechanical Properties & Microstructure
| Name | Surface（HB） | Ak（J/cm2） | Microstructure |
| High Manganese Liner (Mn14) | ≤240 | ≥100 | A+C |
| Super Manganese Liner (Mn18) | ≤260 | ≥150 | A+C |
| C -Carbide A- Austenite | |||
Low Carbon Chrome Moly Steel Mill Liners
When it comes to low carbon chrome moly steel mill liners, H&G Mill Liners had focused to cast this material for our customer. Our low carbon chrome moly steel mill liners span life more than other foundries mill liners.
This material also called AS2074 L2B steel.This steel is generally used for mill liners (AG,SAG and Ball) prior to the movement to higher carbon content steels. It has excellent wear characteristics with some impact resistance, generally now used for discharge grates where slightly better impact resistance is required compared to the higher carbon chrome moly steels or for thinner section liners.
Chrome Moly Steel Chemical Composition
| Material Grade | C | Si | Mn | P | S | Cr | Mo |
| AS2074 L2B | 0.55-0.65 | <0.75 | 0.50-1.00 | <0.06 | <0.06 | 0.80-1.50 | 0.20-0.40 |
| AS 2074 L2C | 0.70-0.90 | <0.75 | 0.50-1.20 | <0.06 | <0.06 | 1.30-2.40 | 0.20-0.40 |
Features
- Used for AG/SAG and ball mills ;
- Excellent wear characteristics and some impact resistance ;
- Metallographic structure of AS2074 L2B Steel is Pearlitic;
- Good for discharge grates;
- The hardness of AS2074 L2B is HB310-HB380.
High Carbon Chrome Moly Steel Mill Liners
When it comes to high carbon chrome moly steel mill liners, H&G Mill Liners had focused to cast this material for our customer. Our high carbon chrome moly steel mill liners span life more than other foundries mill liners.
This material also called AS2074 L2C steel.This steel is now considered the main material used for SAG mill liners. There are a number of variations with either different carbon or chrome contents. The variations tend to have a bearing on the size of the liner and its section thickness. There is ongoing development within this area as the size of the liners are outstripping the properties provided by the standard high chrome moly steels.
Features
- The material of SAG mill liners are low C or high C Cr-Mo Alloy steel,which depends on the specific working condition of the SAG mill;
- Chromium and molybdenum both individually increase the hardenability of low alloy steel. Important synergistic effects, not yet fully defined, can also occur when Cr and Mo are used in place of single elements;
- Metallographic structure of AS2074 L2C Steel is Pearlitic;
- Chromium brings resistance to corrosion and oxidation, high temperature strength and abrasion resistance. Molybdenum helps maintain a specified hardenability and increases high temperature tensile and creep strengths. These grades are generally heat-treated to specified properties;
- This material hardness: 325 to 380 BHN
Chrome Moly White Irons Mill Liners
When it comes to chrome moly white iron mill liners, H&G Mill Liners had focused this material for long time. Our chrome moly white iron mill liners span life more than other foundries mill liners.
This cast material is considered to be the ultimate developed and used to date for abrasion resistance in Milling. It is commonly used in cement mills and some of the largest Ball Mills in the world and where performance has not been bettered to date.
The Features
- 600 to 700 BHN white iron
- Large ball mills
- Malleable Iron: cast as white iron,then malleabilised, or heat treated, to impart ductility. Consists of tempered graphite in an a-ferrite or pearlite
matrix - Common in cement mills
- Used for abrasion resistance
Nihard Iron Mill Liners
When it comes to Ni-hard iron mill liners, H&G Mill Liners had focused to cast this material for our customer. Our Ni-hard iron mill liners span life more than other foundries mill liners.
Ni-Hard Cast Iron is well known for its durability and quality. The materials made of up Ni-Hard are wear resistant and have extended life as compared to other cast iron or mild steel. Nickel content increases with section size or cooling time and prevents pearlitic transformation of the cast iron.
This material The use of this type of material generally began with Rod Mills and Ball Mills, where impacts were considered low enough for this brittle yet highly abrasive resistant wear material to perform well. However, it is now considered obsolete in light of the use of high chrome irons and chrome moly white iron.
Features
- Chromium usually included between 1.4-4% to ensure carbon phase solidifies to carbide, not graphite. (Counteracts the graphitizing effect of Ni) ;
- Abrasion resistance (usually desired property of this material) increases with carbon content, but toughness decreases;
- Consists of martensite matrix, with nickel alloyed at 3-5% in order to suppress transformation of austenite to pearlite;
- Abrasion resistance (usually desired property of this material) increases with carbon content, but toughness decreases ;
- Various grades class I type A abrasion resistant; class I type B toughness;
- Applications: Because of low cost, used primarily in mining applications as ball mill liners and grinding balls;
- This material hardness: 550 BHN
Rubber Mill Liners
When it comes to rubber mill liners, H&G Mill Liners had focused to cast this material for our customer. We cooperation with our friend foundries to supply high quality polyurethane rubber mill liners.
The polyurethane is a polymer composed of organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. While most polyurethanes are thermosetting polymers that do not melt when heated, thermoplastic polyurethanes are also available.Polyurethane polymers are traditionally and most commonly formed by reacting a di- or triisocyanate with a polyol. Since polyurethanes contain two types of monomers, which polymerise one after the other, they are classed as alternating copolymers. Both the isocyanates and polyols used to make polyurethanes contain, on average, two or more functional groups per molecule.
Qiming Mill Liner offers a complete polyurethane mill liners solution including lifter bars, plates and grates. Alloys and profiles are selected based on your specific application and operating conditions. Different lining materials such as rubber, metallic and polyurethane mill liners can be combined in the same mill to achieve optimal performance. Design and material selection is executed using High Fidelity Simulation (HFS) and experience from thousands of real-world cases. Qiming Mill Liners invented the polyurethane mill liners concept over 30 years ago, and our linings are still the world’s most widely-used today. The reason is simple, we offer our customers solutions that improve grinding efficiency and lead to increased profitability.
Advantages
- Polyurethane rubber mill liners’s working life 5-10 times than normal metal mill liners in some work conditions;
- Polyurethane rubber mill liners weight less than metal mill liners, which easy to carry;
- Because the no-load load is reduced, the power saving effect is obvious. Under the normal load condition, the new polyurethane liner can save 15% -30% of power;
- 15% reduction in ball mill media consumption;
- Ball mill working noise is greatly reduced
@Nick Sun NICK@XZHUAGANG.COM
Post time: Sep-04-2020