Mining & Metals: The week in 10 stories

ARGENTINA

Patagonia Gold secured a US$15mn loan facility to fund an updated mineral resource estimate and a feasibility study for the Calcatreu gold project in Rio Negro.

BRAZIL

Inspection company Tractebel, a subsidiary of French Engie, expressed reservations about certifying the safety of Brazilian Vale's Brumadinho dam – and was promptly fired.

Gerdau Operator Series: With assets sales concluded, the company earmarks capex of US$1.88bn.

CHILE

Antofagasta region's environmental evaluation service recommended the approval of Chilean fertilizer and non-metallic group SQM's extension of the Salar del Carmen lithium plant.

Chile's supreme court started Monday to hear supporters' arguments for Andes Iron's US$2.5bn Dominga iron ore-copper project. The court is expected to issue a ruling in four or five months.

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

Mid-tier and smaller producers are not likely to jump on the merger bandwagon for the time being, an expert told BNamericas.

Newmont Mining's board unanimously rejected a takeover bid by Barrick Gold as "egocentric," and proposed merging the companies' Nevada operations instead.

MEXICO

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador will block Invecture Group's US$250mn Los Cardones gold project due to environmental risks.

PERU

The government plans fresh talks with protesters in a bid to end blockades at a key road to La Bambas copper project.

The Zafranal copper-gold project in Peru's southeastern Andes could see production start up by 2023, a senior company official said.