jueves, 5 de octubre de 2017

Rusia compra oro a un ritmo récord ante las sanciones y el declive del dólar



© Sputnik/ Pavel Lisitsin



Rusia volvió a aumentar la compra de oro. Desde el comienzo del año, el ritmo de compra de metales preciosos ha batido los récords históricos, informa el diario VestiFinance.

CC0 / PIXABAY /

La alternativa al dólar que Rusia propone a sus ciudadanos

En el período de enero a septiembre, el Banco de Rusia compró 4,2 millones de onzas troy de oro por un total de más de 5.000 millones de dólares, según el Banco Central. De esta manera, Rusia compró un 15% de oro más que en el mismo período del año pasado. Al mismo tiempo, elmedio señala que el precio del oro ha aumentado en un 10% desde el comienzo del año.

El Banco Central comenzó una compra activa de oro tras la introducción de las sanciones antirrusas. Desde ese momento, el regulador ruso adquiere alrededor de 100 toneladas de oro por año, más que cualquier otro regulador del mundo.

Los expertos señalan que la compra de metales preciosos es una estrategia en el caso de que EEUU introduzca unas sanciones duras. A diferencia de los activos de las cuentas, las barras de oro no pueden ser arrestadas.

Rusia ocupa el séptimo lugar en términos de reservas de oro (1.712 toneladas), adelantado por China que dispone de 1.842 toneladas de metal precioso.


CC0 / PIXABAY/GERALT /

China, lista para cambiar las reglas de juego de EEUU en el mercado petrolero

El aumento de las reservas de oro se produce además en el contexto de posibles cambios en el mercado del petróleo, indicados por China. Como resultado, el oro puede adquirir un nuevo papel en las operaciones comerciales.

Anteriormente se informó que China se está preparando para lanzar un contrato de futuros de petróleo denominado en yuan chino con una posible conversión en oro. De hecho, esto permitirá a los exportadores de materias primas evitar el uso del dólar.

Teniendo en cuenta el hecho de que China es el mayor importador de petróleo del mundo, este contrato puede convertirse en un nuevo punto de referencia basado en Asia para los comerciantes. Actualmente, en el mercado mundial hay dos contratos de referencia de crudo —WTI y Brent—, ambos nominados en dólares estadounidenses.

Lea más: China empuja a la economía mundial a una 'fiebre del oro' que acabará con el dominio del dólar

El diario observa que la aparición de los futuros, nominados en yuan chino, permitirá a los exportadores, como Rusia e Irán, evitar el uso de dólares y, si es necesario, evitar sanciones. Además, será posible convertir el yuan en oro en las bolsas de Hong Kong y Shanghái, lo que impulsará el desplazamiento del comercio hacia Asia.

Anteriormente se informó de que Irán y Turquíadecidieron abandonar el dólar y realizar pagos recíprocos en monedas nacionales.

domingo, 1 de octubre de 2017

Mercury pollution watchdog to set up in Geneva

Geneva will play host to the body responsible for implementing a global convention to reduce mercury pollution. Some 150 countries voted in favour of the Swiss city at the first conference of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which was also staged in Geneva.

The conference also agreed on a range of measures to limit the impact of mercury extraction and industrial usage. This included guidelines to regulate artisanal gold mining and the reduction of mercury emissions. Another guideline specifies how the atmospheric mercury emissions generated by coal-fired power plants, waste incineration plants and cement plants can be reduced.

Switzerland is an important legal trader in mercury and recycler. Switzerland exported 30 tonnes of mercury last year - down from 110 tonnes per year between 2011-2015 - the government said in June.

Geneva is a centre of expertise for hazardous chemicals and waste. It is already home to the secretariats for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP), the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, and the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal.

On Saturday, at the end of a six-day conference, the Minamata Convention's secretariat was added to the list of agencies that Geneva will host.

Regulation changes

"The arrival of the Secretariat of the Minamata Convention will be a boost for Geneva as center of the international environment governance," said Marc Chardonnens, Director of the Federal Office for the Environment.

"The measures for reducing mercury emissions that pose a risk to health and the environment can begin," he added.

The Swiss government is expected to lay out its position by the end of the year on how to amend legislation to match the convention's objectives of reducing pollution. It will have to steer a line between environmental groups advocating a complete ban on mercury trading and the industry that is lobbying against strict regulation.

The Minamata Convention, named after a Japanese fishing town where mercury was discharged into the bay by a large chemical company between 1932 and 1968, entered into force on August 16, 2017. It was initiated by both Switzerland and Norway. So far, 79 states have ratified the convention, including the United States, China, Brazil, Indonesia, Peru and Switzerland (on May 26, 2016).

Mercury

Mercury is a highly toxic heavy metal considered by the World Health Organization to be one of the top ten chemicals of major public health concern.

The chemical element occurs naturally and can be released into the environment via the weathering of mercury-containing rocks, forest fires, volcanic eruptions or geothermal activities. But according to the United Nations, 90% of the 5,500-8,900 tons of mercury currently emitted or re-emitted each year to the atmosphere is man-made. It is released unintentionally from industrial processes such as coal-fired power stations, cement production, mining, waste incineration, and metallurgic activities.

Mercury is extensively used to extract gold from ore in artisanal and small-scale gold mining. It is contained in electrical switches, relays, measuring control equipment, fluorescent light bulbs, batteries and dental amalgam. Mercury is also used in laboratories, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, vaccines, paints and jewellery.

jueves, 13 de julio de 2017

Mercury-Free Gold: How You Can Protect The Future By Buying This Ethical And Sustainable Jewellery

Gold mining’s association with poor health and environmental damage has been unearthed over the years - but it’s still something many of us know little about.

“People have heard about ‘blood diamonds’, but not many realise that their gold could be responsible for one of the world’s top toxic threats – mercury,” says Richard Fuller, the President of Pure Earth – a New York-based charity that helps to clean up pollution in the poorest communities in developing countries that are affected by toxins.

Mercury poisoning can cause many unpleasant symptoms including brain malfunction, slurred speech, memory loss and loss of balance.

Artisanal small-scale gold mining is the largest source of human-caused mercury pollution in the world (even more than the burning of fossil fuels), according to the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

Gold has long been coveted. But as our lust for the material goes unabated the industry has been steeped in accusations of exploitation, child labour and poor wages.

In turn, artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) has attempted to provide an ethical overhaul by implementing hallmarks for Fairtrade and Fairmined gold to guarantee a more ethical process.

And now a spotlight has now fallen on mercury-free gold – and it’s jewellery designers who are helping to lead the way.

Miner in Burkina Faso mining for mercury-free gold.

One such designer is Kimberly McDonald, a fine jewellery designer based in New York City, US. From gemstones to diamonds and metals, she consistently demands traceability for every material she uses within a piece of jewellery.

“In this market it is no longer enough to have a beautiful one-of-a-kind product,” she told HuffPost UK.

“People want to feel comfortable with the knowledge that what they spend their money on does not come at a larger cost to the planet.

“As a brand, Kimberly McDonald could not knowingly produce pieces that originate from something that is destructive to the environment.

“We also have seen increasing interest from our clientele about how the materials we use are mined and where our pieces are manufactured.”

Gold mines are mainly situated in developing countries – such as Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Indonesia – and they can be a dangerous environment to work in.

Due to a lack of high-tech equipment available in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), the danger here can be even higher due to the use of toxic chemicals like mercury to extract the gold.

Mercury use in Nigeria.

“The largest source of global mercury emissions comes from artisanal gold mining, which produces up to a quarter of the world’s gold,” said Fuller.

“Because mercury travels, it is everyone’s problem. From poor miners and their communities who are directly poisoned, to families eating contaminated fish living half a world away.

“But the good news is that we are all part of the solution.”

The detrimental effects of mercury on the human body can be extensive.

“We’ve learned a lot about how this mercury effects us and our children from reported exposures to mercury over the last 100 years,” wrote physician Mark Hyman, in a blog hosted on HuffPost in 2011, entitled ‘Mercury: How To Get This Lethal Poison Out Of Your Body’.

“The symptoms and diseases these exposures have caused are varied and mimic many other conditions. Nervous system toxicity can cause erethism (‘mad hatter syndrome’) with symptoms of shyness; laughing, crying, and dramatic mood swings for no apparent reason; nervousness, insomnia, memory problems, and the inability to concentrate.

And the list continues: “Other neurologic symptoms may include encephalopathy (non-specific brain malfunction), nerve damage, Parkinsonian symptoms, tremor, ataxia (loss of balance), impaired hearing, tunnel vision, dysarthria (slurred speech), headache, fatigue, impaired sexual function, and depression.”

An amalgam of mercury mixed with gold.

The process involved in using mercury to extract gold has been linked to causing health issues for miners. According to a report by The Artisanal Gold Council (AGC), 10 to 15 million people are directly involved with ASGM.

However, sourcing a strong statistic of how many people are truly involved in ASGM hasn’t been easy.

“Estimating the number is not a simple task because it is largely an informal or poorly understood economic sector - often with little government contact and occurring in many remote regions,” explains Dr Kevin Telmer, executive director of Canada’s Artisanal Gold Council - who work to improve the health, economy an environment in AGSM.

“ASGM is a big and important livelihood. It’s a 20 billion dollar primary economy.

“It is practiced directly by 10 million people and supports a population of 100 million people in more than 80 countries.

“Every time we have had the opportunity to look more closely and collect more robust information, the estimate has risen.

“This is not because there are necessarily more and more people involved but also because of better information and understanding.”

Due to a lack of high-tech equipment, miners may use a dangerous method for extraction: the process of amalgamation – which is when gold comes in contact with mercury and the two mix to form a compound called an amalgam.

After the gold dissolves into the mercury, small gold particles are left. During this process, the burning of mercury releases harmful chemicals into the air which are not only toxic for humans, but also the environment and wildlife.

But changes are being made for a safer process.

“The biggest development to change the practice of using mercury to mine gold is the Minamata Convention on mercury - a UN Environment treaty signed by the world’s governments,” explains Dr. Kevin Telmer.

“Under the Minamata Convention, countries have agreed to introduce mercury-free technology to assist artisanal and small-scale miners to use alternative and more profitable techniques.

“This serves the double purpose of eliminating mercury pollution while still providing what is broadly recognised by world bodies as an important livelihood supporting around 100 million poor people in more than 70 countries.”

Shaking table introduced by AGC in Burkina Faso to recover gold without the use of mercury.

But with consumers – specifically millennials - demanding change, some jewellery designers are already actively sourcing mercury-free gold.

Kimberly McDonald is not the only designer who shares that pioneering mindset.

Pamela Love, a fine jewellery designer from New York City, has visited Suriname in South America to meet with their government and policy makers – who are working to restructure their gold mining industry.

“In Suriname, there were medium scale mines and small scale artisanal mines who were working in the rainforest and releasing mercury into the environment,” explained Love.

“The goal was, and is, to move these artisanal miners out of the virgin rainforest and into areas that are zoned for gold mining.

“They also are working to educate small-scale miners on the dangers of mercury in gold mining, to their health, as well as to the rainforest, and provide them with alternative methods of mining that are safer for them, the environment and ultimately yield more gold.

“This type of education is so important to our health, and our planet’s health.”

Artisanal gold produced in Burkina Faso.

A jewellery manufacturer – who wishes to remain anonymous - explained to HuffPost UK the need for traceability – from mine to manufacturer.

“To ensure that we are actually using mercury-free gold, as a manufacturer, we use suppliers that are independently certified,” the manufacturer explained.

″We work with vendors that have received certifications from their suppliers, verifying that they only source and manufacture metals and alloys from ‘DRC-Conflict Free’ mines or other domestic U.S. Sources.

“Mercury-free techniques to recover gold are safer for miners, their families and local communities.

“Mercury-free may also help miners market their gold at higher prices as awareness and consumer requests grow. Many are becoming ‘Fairminded-Certified’.

“Being a small manufacturer, we source our raw materials (precious metals, diamonds and gemstones) from suppliers that are certified. Design, assembly and finishing are done at our facility.

“As jewellers it is important for us to use more sustainable and ethical materials as it not only protects the environment, but also has a positive impact on the communities and lives of workers.”

Artisanal small-scale gold mining provides families with an opportunity to escape poverty. To completely remove or halt the process would be ineffective.

What miners need is access to better technology and working conditions. It is possible to create beautiful pieces of jewellery in a way that isn’t harmful to our planet and people.

“With Pure Earth, the UN and other organisations are training artisanal miners to go mercury-free, and with consumers and the industry demanding mercury-free artisanal gold, we will begin to see a difference,” concluded Fuller.

viernes, 21 de abril de 2017

Autorizan ingreso de las FF.AA. a Madre de Dios para luchar contra minería ilegal

Por la Resolución Suprema suscrita por los ministros del Interior, Carlos Basombrío y de Defensa, Jorge Nieto, el Gobierno Central autorizó el ingreso de las Fuerzas Armadas (FF.AA) a la región de Madre de Dios para apoyar a la Policía Nacional en su lucha contra la minería ilegal.

La autorización busca que las fuerzas militares brinden apoyo a los efectivos policiales frente a las movilizaciones que los mineros ilegales han anunciado para los próximos días. El permiso será por 30 días desde hoy viernes 21 de abril.

En la resolución se explica que en todo momento será la Policía Nacional la responsable de mantener el control del orden interno en Madre de Dios, agregando que la presencia de las FF.AA. será solo de apoyo.

“La actuación de las FF.AA. estará dirigida a contribuir y garantizar la plena vigencia del derecho a la libertad y seguridad personales, a la libertad de tránsito por las vías y carreteras (…), facilitando de este modo que los efectivos de la Policía Nacional concentren su accionar en el control del orden público”, señala la resolución publicada en El Peruano

domingo, 9 de abril de 2017

Peru wants to sell dirty smelter but has to lower air standards

La Oroya - Peru's La Oroya polymetallic smelting plant has been for sale since the company who owned it went bankrupt in 2009. So Peru is proposing to loosen air quality standards in some parts of the country to attract buyers, despite the plant's dirty past.

The decision by the Andean country's Environment Ministry late Saturday is actually nothing new. In January 2017, a proposed auction of the La Oroya smelter, supported by President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, drew the interest of five companies.

But the interested parties were turned off by Peru's air quality standards. At the time, the prospective buyers were aware of the possibility of changes to the regulations and decided to hold off on bidding until they could see for themselves what would come of the new standards.

However, according to Reuters, the government's new proposal is serious and would include changing several parts of the country's environmental quality standards, including raising the sulfur dioxide emission limit to levels in line with other countries in the region including Chile, Colombia, and Mexico.

The country is desperate to sell the plant, as well as a small copper mine. The government is planning a new series of auctions before an August deadline for selling the facility. The proposed standards have been pre-published and are now open for a 10-day public comment period.

Of course, the proposed standards change does not mention the need to sell the smelter, but to some environmentalists, it looks like Peru is putting the environment second over economic growth, something President Trump has done in the United States.

Pollution problems with the La Oroya smelter

La Oroya was bought by Doe Run, (whose parent company was The Renco Group, Inc.), in 1997 for US$247 million. The company also bought a small copper mine, the Cobriza copper mine, south of La Oroya, for US$7.5 million. Until Doe Run took bankruptcy in 2009, they owned 99.97 percent of La Oroya.

La Oroya was made up of a copper and lead smelter and zinc refinery. The plant also dealt with 'dirty concentrates' produced by a number of local mines They included gold and silver, antimony, arsenic trioxide, bismuth, cadmium, indium, selenium, tellurium, sulfuric acid, and oleum.

Under the leadership of its coordinator, Congressman Casio Huaire Chuquichaico, the Junin Parliamentary Group held a meeting in which legislators expressed concerns about the Doe Run case affecting the population of La Oroya and the modernization of the Jauja airport. (Translation by Google Translate). Congreso de la República del Perú

Problems started right away with Doe Run. Until their purchase of the company, La Oroya had been run without any concern for the environment, and consequently, the landscape around the plant looked like a moonscape because of the sulfur dioxide residues.

Doe Run signed an environmental contract with the government that gave them 10 years to install remediation measures to curb emissions from gasses, particulates, and polluted water and clean up around the smelter and its waste dumps. Well, it never happened.

jueves, 30 de marzo de 2017

EE.UU., puerto final del oro ilegal peruano




El encarcelamiento de dos peruanos, acusados de lavado de activos, fue el inicio de una extensa y complicada red de comercio de oro ilegal cuyo principal comprador es una empresa metalúrgica de EE.UU.

Las capturas de Pablo Granda y Pedro David Pérez Miranda pusieron en evidencia una red de minería ilegalcuyo principal comprador está a kilómetros, en EE.UU.

El Departamento de Seguridad estadounidense inició una investigación penal por compra de oro ilegal contra Northern Texas Refinery (NTR) explica a RT el periodista peruano Oscar Castilla, quien ha desarrollado una extensa investigación sobre la minería ilegal en su país.

Según los fiscales estadounidenses, trabajadores de NTR, entre los que se encontraba Granda, compraban oro, procedente de la Amazonía peruana, a minas ilegales, reseña 'Gestión' citando a Bloomberg.

El proceso revela además que la oficina de NTR en Miami presuntamente lavó miles de millones de dólares de las mafias que controlaban las minas, donde además hay trata de personas, daños ambientales y esclavización moderna.

"Soy como Pablo (Escobar) yendo a Ecuador para conseguir la coca“.
Pablo Granda, encarcelado por acusación de lavado de activos.

Debido a los movimientos y registro en la aduana estadounidense, el Departamento de Seguridad y el FBI consideran que hay "fuertes indicios" de que NTR inició sus operaciones en Perú en 2012.

La demanda contra esa empresa metalúrgica arroja que el contrabando de oro ilegal en varios países mineros de América Latina fue de 3.600 millones de dólares de 2012 a 2015.

"Por todos los miles de millones de dólares enviados desde América Latina a NTR en Miami, NTR envió miles de millones de dólares en pagos electrónicos a América Latina desde Estados Unidos", escribió Colberd Almeida, del Departamento de Seguridad, en una declaración jurada del 10 de marzo.

NTR ha cambiado de nombre y ha dejado de operar en Perú, agregó Castilla.

Los tentáculos latinoamericanos

Los nombres de Pablo Granda y Pedro David Pérez Miranda saltaron al ámbito noticioso al conocerse las investigaciones que se les habían abierto y sus condenas a la cárcel por su relación con el enriquecimiento ilícito producto de la minería ilegal. Uno de los principales operadores de NTR en Perú era Granda, según Castilla.

Un helicóptero patrulla durante una operación policial para destruir campos ilegales de extracción de oro en La Pampa, en Madre de Dios.Stringer PeruReuters

Granda fue detenido el 10 de marzo en Miami bajo la acusación de lavado de dinero en EE.UU., reseña 'Perú 21'. Este hombre de 35 años, debe demostrar ante la aduana la información falsa que proporcionó, en la que declaraba el oro en su poder como 'no refinado', lo que disminuía el valor en 50%.

Según la investigación, se alió a dos vendedores de NTR y otras personas que sabían del tipo de negocio irregular que llevaba a cabo.

"Crimen organizado, contrabando de oro e ingreso de mercancías en EE.UU. por medios y declaraciones falsas, minería ilegal, y narcotráfico", escribió Almeida citado por Bloomberg.

Las pesquisas policiales arrojan que Granda trabajaba directamente en las selvas de América del Sur, donde operan la minería ilegal y sus mafias.

El 'Pablo Escobar moderno'

Granda se autodenominó como el 'Pablo Escobar moderno', según la información cifrada hallada en los mensajes de un chat de celular que tenía con sus cómplices.

"Soy como Pablo [Escobar] yendo a Ecuador para conseguir la coca", recoge su expediente judicial y cita 'El Comercio'.

Perú: La política, bañada de oro ilegal

Entre las comunicaciones también hallaron comentarios y fotos sobre sus 'mulas' de oro, que correspondían a jóvenes que transportaban el metal precioso en mochilas.

La forma de captación de los potenciales clientes se basaba en relaciones, visitas a NTR para ver las instalaciones y promesas de obtención del oro en menos tiempo que otras refinerías, arrojó la causa penal.

Posteriormente se hacía el comercio ilegal a través de muchas empresas falsas que exportaban el oro en pequeñas cantidades a una corporación más grande.

'Peter Ferrari'

Tras la detención de Granda, se hallaron evidencias que vinculaban a Pedro David Pérez Miranda, alias 'Peter Ferrari' con el contrabando de oro proveniente de Madre de Dios, en la Amazonía peruana.

Pérez Miranda, capturado el pasado 4 de enero por fuerzas policiales en Lima, es investigado por "presuntamente haber exportado de forma ilegal 14 toneladas de oro valorizadas en más de 660 millones de dólares" recoge 'Perú 21'.

En la amplia residencia de 'Peter Ferrari' encontraron ocho autos de lujo y armas de fuego. Además se hizo un allanamiento de 10 propiedades que presuntamente le pertenecían. La captura se realizó por orden de la Fiscalía de Lavado de Activos y Pérdida de Dominio peruana.

Oficiales de la policía peruana participan en una operación para destruir campos ilegales de extracción de oroJanine CostaReuters

Tras la pista

En mayo de 2014 la justicia peruana abrió la investigación contra 'Peter Ferrari' por lavado de activos, pues se detectó que empresas relacionadas con él habían exportado ilegalmente a compañías estadounidenses "más de 14 toneladas de oro por un valor de 660 millones de dólares, según consta en la Carpeta Fiscal Nº01-2014", informa 'Perú 21'.

Estas exportaciones se hicieron entre 2012 y 2013 a través de empresas falsas, a nombre de testaferros.

Luego de meses de pesquisa, la fiscalía estableció que 'Peter Ferrari' era "el presunto financista y cabecilla de una organización criminal dedicada a la exportación de mineral aurífero procedente de la minería ilegal" según 'Perú 21'.

El oro salía ilegalmente de Perú, y se distribuía a través de empresas falsas hasta llegar a EE.UU.Pexels / Pixabay

El registro de la Unidad de Inteligencia Financiera y la Superintendencia Aduanera y Tributaria peruanas arrojó que la empresa Minerales La Mano de Dios, relacionada con Pérez Miranda, a través de testaferros y familiares, realizó "39 operaciones de exportación por 2,1 toneladas de oro por un valor de 107,5 millones de dólares" a NTR.

Además, la empresa Minerals Gold MPP SAC, relacionada también con Pérez Miranda, tuvo 40 operaciones de exportación de oro por 2,9 toneladas por 138 millones de dólares importadas por NTR.

Pérez Mirada ya había sido encarcelado en 1998 por lavado de dinero producto del narcotráfico. Después de cinco años de prisión fue liberado.

"El agua le ganó al oro": El Salvador prohíbe la minería metálica






El Congreso aprueba una ley que prohíbe las actividades de exploración, extracción, explotación y procesamiento, ya sea a cielo abierto o subterráneo

El país más pequeño de Centroamérica, El Salvador,aprobó este miércoles una ley que prohíbe la minería metálica, al considerar que es una industria que crea impactos negativos sobre el medio ambiente y la salud de las personas. "Hoy es un día histórico para El Salvador. Es un día histórico para el mundo entero",aseguró la ministra de Medio Ambiente, Lina Pohl, tras la votación.  

La nueva ley, aprobada con el voto de 69 de los 84 diputados, prohíbe las actividades de exploración, extracción, explotación y procesamiento, ya sea a cielo abierto o subterráneo. Además, pone fin a la utilización de químicos tóxicos, como el cianuro y el mercurio, en cualquier proceso de minería metálica.

Una medida para asegurar los recursos de agua

"Es un día importante para el país porque aprobamos la ley. La ley no es cualquier ley. Esta normativa está bañada con sangre", aseguró el presidente de la Comisión de Medio Ambiente y Cambio Climático, el diputado Guillermo Mata (FMLN), en referencia a todos los ciudadanos que "fueron asesinados por luchar contra la minería metálica, por defender el medio ambiente" y que denunciaron "que la minería era una industria de lucro que no beneficiaba a El Salvador".


Según datos de la ONU, el nivel de contaminación medioambiental en el país es uno de los más elevados de la región y la disponibilidad de agua potable es muy baja. "Hoy hemos visto más allá de los intereses partidarios, y tomamos una decisión unánime para asegurar las fuentes del agua. Es deber del Estado proteger los recursos naturales para garantizar el desarrollo sostenible del medio ambiente", afirmó el diputado John Wright Sol (ARENA), que subrayó: "¡Este día el agua le ganó al oro!"

La normativa se ha aprobado a pesar del interés en el oro y la plata de las mineras multinacionales. De hecho, el pasado mes de octubre, un tribunal de arbitraje del Banco Mundial dio la razón a El Salvador en un litigio contra la minera australiana-canadiense OceanaGold Corporation, que reclamaba al país 250 millones de dólares pornegarle un permiso de extracción en el 2009. Además, el organismo condenó a la minera a pagar ocho millones de dólares por los costos del litio y el pasado martes ordenó también a la compañía pagar los intereses sobre esa deuda.

sábado, 25 de marzo de 2017

Perú: La política, bañada de oro ilegal

Actualidad

Publicado: 25 Mar 2017 | 15:30 GMT

Reuters Janine Costa

A pesar del impacto negativo en el ámbito social y ambiental, la minería ilegal comienza a colarse en el escenario político de ese país.

La minería ilegal en Perú comienza a tener influencia en la política, afirma el exviceministro de Gestión Ambiental, José de Echave. El sector de la explotación minera ilegal, que ha causado daños en 17 áreas protegidas del país, "controla territorios, impone sus condiciones y tiene poder político", agrega.

Un gobernador y un congresista, con nexos en la minería ilegal

De Echave explica que tanto el gobernador como un congresista del departamento de Madre de Dios, en el sur del país y dedicado 90 % a la minería ilegal, tienen nexos públicamente conocidos con esa actividad ilícita.

El gobernador del departamento amazónico, Luis Otsuka (2015-2018), admitió tener dos concesiones de minería en la zona en una entrevista hecha por Ojo Público. Además fue presidente por dos años de la Federación de Mineros de Madre de Dios, tiene abierta una investigación por parte de la Fiscalía Especializada en Materia Ambiental y alentó protestas en contra de la legalización de los pequeños mineros en 2012 y 2014 según 'El Comercio'.

Una instalación ilegal de dragado de oro arde en un río cerca de la ciudad amazónica de Puerto Maldonado en PerúJanine CostaReuters

En esa región amazónica, que se han destruido 50.000 hectáreas (500 km) por la acción minera, el tema ambiental no pareciera ser la prioridad de su principal autoridad, quien se opone a la declaración de emergencia de 11 distritos de la región.

No son pobres, son mafias

"Deberíamos estar tan preocupados porque haya autoridades que han sido elegidas y que estén tan vinculadas a esa actividad ilegal", alerta De Echave.

El exviceministro considera que la opinión publica cree que la actividad ilícita, en las que participan unas 600.000 personas, según cifras no oficiales, es realizada por sectores empobrecidos que no tienen otra alternativa.

"No son pobres, son mafias que tienen poder económico, social, político; controlan los territorios e imponen condiciones muy duras", sostiene.

Un congresista del partido de Keiko

Modesto Figueroa Minaya (2016-2021), el único congresista del partido Fuerza Popular, de Keiko Fujimori, electo por Madre de Dios, fue denunciado por la Procuraduría Pública del Ministerio del Ambiente en 2014 ante la Fiscalía de Delitos de Lavado y Activos de ese país por el lavado de activos vinculados a la minería ilegal.

Según un documento legal publicado por el diario 'Correo', Figueroa Minaya tiene nexos con la familia Baca Casas, acusada de ser la principal productora de oro ilegal en Madre de Dios. "Existen fundadas sospechas para sostener que el denunciado brinda un especial servicio de comercialización de hidrocarburos para la minería ilegal, desplegando la conducta prevista en el tipo penal de Financiamiento de la Minería Ilegal", recoge el texto legal.

Un área deforestada por la minería ilegal en la zona Mega 14, ubicada en la región amazónica de Madre de Dios (Perú). Enrique Castro-MendivilReuters

La investigación abierta arroja además que Figueroa Minaya actúa como testaferro y comerciante de hidrocarburos del llamado clan Baca Casas.

También el protagonista del partido de Keiko Fujimori, que se enfrentó con el actual presidente Pedro Pablo Kuczynski en las pasadas elecciones de 2016, podría tener lazos con los mineros ilegales. Keiko "firmó un acuerdo, con fines electorales, con los mineros ilegales para desmantelar todas las leyes que los estaban afectando", expresa José de Echave.

Un marco legal desdibujado

En su opinión, las autoridades ligadas con la minería defienden sus intereses a través de "estrategias para tener poder político, y llegar al Congreso, donde se debaten las leyes".

De Echave considera que hay un retroceso en el aspecto legal, a pesar de que en 2012 se aprobó el Decreto Nº 1100, que incluyó en el Código Penal el delito de minería ilegal, y en 2010 se había declarado de interés nacional el ordenamiento minero en Madre de Dios.

"Ese marco legal, con el poder político que tienen, unido a que son un bolsón electoral importante, ha comenzado a retroceder, flexibilizarse y pienso que la minería ilegal difícilmente pueda ser controlada", concluyó el exviceministro.

jueves, 12 de enero de 2017

In Peru, a smelter's future stirs fears of its toxic past

Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski's efforts to revive a nearly 100-year-old smelting complex could overcome a crucial hurdle at a coming auction where five companies have shown interest in placing bids.

But celebration is far from universal given the sprawling smelter's toxic legacy and Kuczynski's criticism of environmental rules.

Reviving La Oroya, nestled in a destitute region in Peru's central Andes at nearly 3,800 meters (12,500 feet), would mark an early victory in Kuczynski's plan to ramp up the country's smelting capacity to wring more value from mineral shipments that make up at least half of overall export earnings.

    Such exalted goals are of little comfort to some La Oroya residents like Sonia Ponce, who worries the government will not do enough to prevent a repeat of the smelter's dirty past. Its smokestacks once spewed so much smoke that midday sometimes appeared to be evening, lacing the soil with heavy metals to a depth of two feet (60 cm) in some parts of town.

Hundreds of children in La Oroya have been found to have dangerous levels of lead in their blood, including Ponce's grandchildren, who once had to spend their days in a different town to reduce their exposure and today cannot keep up with schoolwork. "They're constantly fatigued," Ponce, 56, said from her home in a hillside slum in La Oroya, blaming the smelter. "It's very sad to see young people grow up sick. No one can give them their health back."

At the same time, scores of La Oroya residents have been agitating for a full revival of the smelter, which ground to a halt in 2009 but has since restarted some zinc production.

Dismissing pollution concerns as exaggerated, they say the town, which has already lost a quarter of its population, will wither away without it. "It's terrible to live like this," said Marisela Perez asshe waited for customers in her grocery shop. "There's no workand businesses are closing."

Finding a new owner for the smelter while ensuring a cleaner operation will be a key test for Kuczynski, 78, who once ran a mine in West Africa for Alcoa Corp, as he seeks to "modernize" the Andean country to cap an illustrious career in finance and public administration.

OBSTACLE TO INVESTMENTS

Five companies, including Chinese-owned steel waste recycler GreenNovo Environmental Technology, have signaled interest in buying the smelter in three days of auctions starting March 10, said Luis Castillo, a workers' representative in the group of creditors overseeing the sale.

Kuczynski said last year the smelter would be able to process copper concentrates from Chinese miner Chinalco's nearby Toromocho mine that contain arsenic levels that surpass Chinese import limits, forcing it to pay special fees. When the smelter's most recent owner, Doe Run Peru,controlled by New York billionaire Ira Rennert's Renco Group,operated La Oroya, sulfur dioxide emissions sometimes surpassed the daily limit of 365 micrograms by a factor of 10, according to a report by the environment ministry. "It used to import highly contaminating material to feed the smelter ... that ended up in the city and in residents," said Luis Egocheaga, the former manager of state clean-up agency Activos Mineros that is still working on removing pollution from soil in La Oroya. Doe Run Peru went bankrupt without finishing mandatory environmental upgrades, saying it had invested heavily to try to transform a creaking unit that had previously been under state control for decades.

A 2015 auction failed to draw any bidders as potential buyers fretted over liability for lingering pollution, labor contracts for some 2,200 workers and an estimated $700 million needed to clean up copper smelting, said Pablo Peschiera, the director of consulting firm Dirige, which is in charge of the bidding.

But Kuczynski, who declined requests to be interviewed, has said it would be cheaper to revive La Oroya if emission limits were looser, calling current standards an obstacle to investment in smelters.

While Peru's national sulfur dioxide limit is far stricter than Canada's, current law allows La Oroya to comply with a looser standard until 2029.

Kuczynski's government has said it is revising environmental rules.

"We want the metallurgical complex to be reactivated, but in an environmentally and socially responsible way," said La Oroya Mayor Carlos Arredondo.

martes, 10 de enero de 2017

Magellan Gold's Peruvian Niñobamba Exploration Venture Adds New Gold/Silver Concession with Promising Potential

Magellan Gold Corporation (OTCQB:  MAGE) ("Magellan" or "the Company") today announced that its Peruvian Niñobamba exploration venture with Rio Silver Inc. (TSX.V: RYO) ("Rio Silver") has applied for a new 553-hectare concession, bringing its consolidated land package to 36.53 square kilometers (9,027 acres). The new concession was the subject of an exploration program by Newmont Mining Corporation in 2009-2010, which yielded encouraging geochemical and geophysical anomalies and included an initial drilling program. One hole intersected 72 meters averaging 1.19 grams per tonne gold. Niñobamba is located in south-central Peru near infrastructure and with excellent access. Title to the new concession is expected to be granted by the Peruvian Ministry in the first half of 2017.

"This additional concession expands the extent of known silver-gold mineralization under our control to over six kilometers in an east-west direction", said Dr. Pierce Carson, CEO. "This extensively altered and mineralized trend contains a number of largely untested and open-ended silver and gold anomalies, several of which appear to represent excellent bulk mineable open pit targets. The newly acquired concession lies on the western portion of the trend. The main Ninobamba concession is located at the eastern end of the trend. We are particularly encouraged by results of historical drilling and surface trenching, which returned potential ore grade mineralization over substantial widths.  

"Currently we are compiling the extensive technical database, and are prioritizing targets for an aggressive exploration program planned for 2017."

In 2009-2010, Newmont Mining Corporation completed significant exploration within the area of the new concession and identified four prospective targets of which the Jorimina zone returned particularly encouraging results. Surface geochemical sampling identified a gold anomalous area of at least 700 meters by 1000 meters. Highlights of surface sampling include results from rock channel samples that returned 17.4 meters of 3.06 grams per tonne ("g/t") Au and 200 meters of 0.26 g/t Au. Geophysical induced polarization surveys showed four strong chargeability anomalies coinciding with gold-silver anomalies. Two of the four chargeability anomalies were defined as 680 meters by 150 meters and 700 meters by 200 meters.

Thirteen holes totaling 4,377 meters were drilled at Jorimina. Six of these holes drilled in the Jorimina Central area encountered significant Au-Ag-Zn-Pb mineralization in an area 700 meters by 300 meters. Drill hole JOR-001 returned 72.3 meters averaging 1.19 g/t Au starting at a depth of 53 meters. The Jorimina prospects exhibit promising potential for a significant discovery and additional exploration appears to be warranted.

On October 25, 2016, the Company announced it had concluded a Definitive Agreement with Rio Silver pursuant to which Magellan has the right to earn an undivided 50% interest in the Niñobamba Silver/Gold Project. To earn its 50% interest, Magellan must spend $2.0 million in exploration over three years.

In connection with the Rio Silver transaction, Magellan is required to complete two private placement unit financings in Rio Silver, each for aggregate proceeds of Cdn$75,000. The Company has completed the first unit private placement financing and expects to complete the second in January 2017.

About Magellan Gold Corporation

Magellan Gold Corporation (OTCQB: MAGE) is a US public enterprise focused on the exploration and development of precious metals. The Company's two mineral properties are located in Arizona and in Peru.

The 100% owned Silver District Property in southwest Arizona comprises over 2,000 acres covering the heart of the historic Silver District.  The property contains a near-surface historical drilled resource of 16 million ounces of silver and exhibits exploration promise for significant expansion. The Niñobamba Silver-Gold Property in southern Peru, on which the Company has the right to earn a 50% interest, covers 9,027 acres and demonstrates potential for one or more large, bulk tonnage, silver-gold deposits.

To learn more about Magellan Gold Corporation, visit http://www.magellangoldcorp.com.

Cautionary Statement

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission permits mining companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only those mineral deposits that a company can legally extract or produce. Under SEC Industry Guide 7 standards, a "final" or "bankable" feasibility study is required to report reserves. Currently we have not delineated "reserves" on any of our properties. We cannot be certain that any deposits at our properties will ever be confirmed or converted into SEC Industry Guide 7 compliant "reserves." Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of any "resource" estimates will ever be confirmed or converted into reserves or that they can be economically or legally extracted.

Forward Looking Statements

This release contains"forward-looking statements."  Such statements are based on good faith assumptions that Magellan Gold Corporation believes are reasonable but which are subject to a wide range of uncertainties and business risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, projected or implied by such forward-looking statements.  Factors that could cause actual results to differ from those anticipated are discussed in Magellan Gold Corporation's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

jueves, 5 de enero de 2017

Gold and Silver Stocks Regain Their Luster, but Will It Last?

Gold and Silver Stocks Regain Their Luster, but Will It Last? - The Motley Fool





Between Election Day and the end of the year, physical gold and silver, along with the miners that produce these precious metals, were absolutely clobbered. For instance, physical gold, which hit an overnight high of $1,340 per ounce once it appeared Donald Trump was on the path to securing a win, tumbled to the $1,120s per ounce in late December. In fact, gold wound up falling for seven straight weeks post-election, marking its worst downturn in 12 years.

However, the new year has brought new luster to physical gold and silver, as well as its underlying precious metals. Here's a snapshot of some of today's biggest moves:

• First Majestic Silver(NYSE:AG): up as much as 15%

• Coeur Mining(NYSE:CDE): up as much as 13%

• McEwen Mining(NYSE:MUX): up as much as 13%

• IAMGOLD(NYSE:IAG): up as much as 11%

• Northern Dynasty Minerals(NYSEMKT:NAK): up as much as 10%

• Alamos Gold(NYSE:AGI): up as much as 13%

Today alone, physical gold is higher by nearly $17 per ounce, to $1,180, which would mark a better than one-month high in the yellow metal. Silver's move is a bit more modest, with a $0.14 per ounce increase (just below 1%) to $16.55 per ounce.

Why gold and silver are surging higher

What's responsible for gold's and silver's surging per-ounce prices? For starters, a falling U.S. dollar helps. The dollar tends to move hand in hand with the U.S. economy, meaning a rising dollar denotes strengthening GDP growth prospects in the United States. Since gold tends to do well when there's economic uncertainty, a falling dollar inflates gold's prospects, and silver usually follows suit.



Image source: Getty Images.

We've also witnessed a sizable pullback in Treasury yields over the past couple of weeks. On Dec. 16, the U.S. 10-year note hit a yield of 2.60%. As of 2:30 p.m. EST, the 10-year note had a yield of just 2.37%, implying that bond buyers have returned. Remember, bond prices and yields head in different directions. As with the movement in the dollar, this dip in yields could just be a breather after yields moved more than 80 basis points higher in a matter of a few weeks.

The reason Treasury yields matter is because of opportunity cost. Opportunity cost is the act of giving up a near-guaranteed return in one asset, such as a U.S. Treasury bond, in favor of an asset with a higher return potential, like gold or silver. The thing is, neither gold nor silver pay a dividend. This means the yields of interest-bearing assets, like bonds, CDs, and savings accounts, need to remain unattractively low to spur gold and silver buying. As long as this trade-off remains low, gold and silver should do well.

It's also quite possible that weak holiday sales figures from retailers like Macy's and Kohl's could be sparking today's rally in gold. Both behemoths reported weaker-than-expected year-over-year sales slumps, with Macy's announcing the layoff of more than 10,000 workers in the coming months. Since the U.S. economy is more than 70% consumption-driven, weakness on the retail front could be great news for gold and silver.

Lastly, there's still uncertainty surrounding Donald Trump's upcoming presidency. With no political or military background, there are clear concerns that his policies and trade negotiations could hurt, rather than help, the American economy.



Image source: Getty Images.

The rally could last for these mining companies

While precious-metal investors are undoubtedly enjoying today's rally, the big question remains: Will this rally last? I believe the answer to that can be found in the fundamentals of the aforementioned biggest movers today. Many of them have done an admirable job of cutting costs, and in some cases, boosting production. A few, though, are still best avoided, even with a nice rally to begin the year.

First Majestic Silver, Coeur Mining, Alamos Gold, and McEwen Mining belong to the first column of companies that could motor higher.

First Majestic's most recent quarterly report featured a 27% increase in silver equivalent production to 4.5 million ounces, all while all-in sustaining costs (AISC) fell 27% to $10.52 per payable silver ounce. Aside from favorable currency movements, First Majestic Silver benefited from renegotiated smelting and refining agreements and record silver production, on the aggregate, from its six producing mines. The star continues to be Santa Elena, which, with by-product costs included, produced silver at an AISC of just $1.82 per ounce in Q3 2016.

Silver miner Coeur Mining wasn't able to deliver the cost-cuts of First Majestic Silver because of a number of ongoing projects, but it certainly impressed in other areas. For example, Coeur managed to reduce its outstanding debt by 21%, or $109.3 million, during the third quarter, pushing its total debt to adjusted EBITDA ratio down to 2 from 5.5 in the year-ago period. Even though its adjusted AISC rose 17% year over year in Q3, Coeur is expected to initiate production at Jualin in 2017 and ramp up Independencia throughout 2017, meaning higher production seems imminent (as does an eventual reduction in AISC).



Image source: Getty Images.

Alamos Gold, on the other hand, has only seen modest production growth, but it's really made a dent on the cost side of the equation. In the third quarter, Alamos reported an AISC of $979 per ounce, which was down from $1,155 per ounce in the prior-year period. Much of this was achieved through cuts in capital expenditures at its three producing mines. However, Alamos did announce in September that its developing La Yaqui mine has nearly twice as many resources as first believed, so there's reason for shareholders to be excited about the future.

Even McEwen Mining could continue to scamper higher despite its reliance on just two mines. Lower-than-expected costs at its El Gallo mine helped push the midpoint of the company's gold AISC down to just $780 in the third quarter from a previous midpoint of $857.50 per ounce. What's more, McEwen has no debt, and it's on track to potentially bring two new mines online over the next two-to-three years. Sometimes these small treasures can offer the greatest rewards.

Be wary of these precious-metal miners

On the other hand, precious-metal investors would be wise to keep their distance from Northern Dynasty Minerals, and perhaps IAMGOLD, as well.

IAMGOLD, as I discussed recently, isn't necessarily a bad company. Gold production rose by 7% in its most recent quarter, primarily a result of rapid growth at its Essakane mine in Burkina Faso. However, IAMGOLD's exposure to higher labor costs and political instability in West Africa make it a risky bet in the gold industry. The company is currently forecast to generate an AISC of $1,075 per ounce, which means it has one of the smallest margins relative to spot gold of its peers. It wouldn't take much to push IAMGOLD to a quarterly loss at this point, which is why I'd be a bit skeptical of this rally until gold prices are considerably higher and its AISC a bit lower.



Image source: Getty Images.

However, Northern Dynasty Minerals is a company I'd suggest avoiding at all costs. Northern Dynasty is a developmental-stage company, and the Pebble Project essentially represents the bulk of its valuation. The problem is this: Developing Pebble may not be economically feasible, regardless of its measured and indicated resources. Even if Northern Dynasty Minerals finds a path to develop Pebble, it has nowhere near the hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars it would take to make Pebble a top-producing mine. There's no guarantee Northern Dynasty Minerals has what it takes to survive over the long run, which is why I'd call this latest rally fool's gold, with a lowercase "f."

I believe there are reasons to expect gold and silver to move higher, but you've got to be pickier with the companies you choose to include in your portfolio, or you could be disappointed.