Exploraberg

Expomin and Cesco pushes Chile into global mining

admin — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:59:00 +0000

It’s not surprising: Chile’s stable economic conditions over long period and worldwide big appetite for copper, gold, iron and associated metals pushes Northern part of the country into global interest. Actual mining fair EXPOMIN from 9 to 13 of April show first signs of limitation to expand territory. Industrial providers from Australia, Canada, Germany, UK, Brasil and China are there to offer their equipments, machinery and services. In my opinion it’s a good sign to do things better, in quality and environment.

Latinamerica is worldwide consolidated in mining exploration

admin — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:45:05 +0000

Latinamerica is still the most popular exploration district with its 25% 0f total money spent in the world, recently informed by Metals Economic Group (MEG) in Corporate Exploration Strategies (CES). Six states represent the bulk of this region: Mexico, Chile, Peru, Brasil, Colombia and Argentina.

The global budget, estimated by the organism. yields a record about 18.200 millions US$ for non-ferreous in exploration, 50% mora than 2010, the double of 2009, with 8.400 Million US$. Regarding all regions of the planet, exploration budgets reaches records in 2011, with best results in Latinamerica and Africa. – Chile is still in the middle of the top ten, and mantains 5% of global budget during last three years. Peru lowered from 5% in 2010 to 4% i. 2011, in this comparism. Newcomer is Colombia, with 2% (= Argentina) in 2011, whereas in 2010 has not been figured in the world-wide-ranking.

Tolerance for risks: CES-report analyzes the rapid “fall” in exploration activities during 2009, those industry recovers itself, more rapid than ever expected, during time span 2010-2012. At the same time span metal prices climbed up too, even in those volatile periods, mantaining tendency for long time. Paralel to that, the companies raised their exploration budgets significant. Therefore global exploration budgets raised up from 44% in 2010 and 50% in 2011. MEG analyzes a period for more risk, even accepting political troubles, royalties and lack of security in most territories. Indeed, 23% of 121 studied nations are classified as “high risk”, whereas in 2010 has been about 15%. [Information processed by MEG is based on 3.500 reports from mining and exploration companies around the globe.]

Extract origin / Latinominería 12/03/2012

Investigation in Chile to develop lithium batteries

admin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:56:26 +0000

US$1 million assigned to Lithium Innovation Center for projects aimed at improving quality, storage, and production costs.

It is estimated petroleum reserves will be run out of in about 40 years, so lithium is considered the fuel of future. Chile, notwithstanding being the largest producer of lithium in the world by concentrating 37% of offer, has addressed its efforts to export instead of developing a value-added industry as it could be the energy storage which is estimated to represent US$25 billion by 2015.

However, a few days ago an important signal was given to modify that situation after Lithium Innovation Center (LIC) headed by SQM, Chemetall, Marubeni and University of Chile – which is also considered as the first great effort of private companies and University on this matter – approved the first four projects for high investigation and development aimed at generating technologies to enable the leap in batteries technology value chain. Batteries are the main product using this mineral to provide energies mainly to notebooks, cellular phones or smart phones, amongst others.- However, there is a new niche increasing demand: electric cars, with current production reaching 143,000 units worldwide and great growth perspectives: Production forecast for 2015 is around 1.7 million for fabrication investments. Furthermore, although use of lithium batteries in electric cars is still low, it is also foreseen it may reach 100% in a three-year term. On the other side, its use in large-scale accumulators for NCRE like wind and solar energy is also being noticed. - The problem is that in spite of its huge potential, these are expensive-to-produce systems (A battery price is about US$18 thousand and an electric car is at approximately US$40 thousand). Those are the three challenges Chile should target to with technology development aiding to overcome said difficulties.

In fact, Eduardo Morales, General Manager for Chemetall holding 16% of production worldwide explains that when market requires a cell phone battery to last for several days or a notebook not to run out of battery power in spite of intensive use, “demand changes and special requirements are submitted to us for us to meet them. This is the point where nanotechnology, for example, has become a means to improve development, he explains, also adding that there is a reason for companies such as Toshiba, Sony, Altair, and Samsung to be already working on projects involving lithium use, “this is a sign of a competitive market”. Jaime Alée, LIC Director, explains that being part of this business is a one-time opportunity each 20 years. For this reason, after working for more than one year, the first four projects were selected with US$1 million allocation. From this amount, US$ 600,000 came from private contributions, US$ 300,000 was provided by University of Chile, and US$ 100,000 by Corfo. Notwithstanding this is considered a strategic mineral for the country, “the State has had little participation. Any of these projects in countries like Japan or USA would have received US$1 million each. However, we expect that when we reach tests stage we may also be assigned additional funds from the same companies that are currently involved and this becomes a product for them also”, he explains. Then he added that USA has assigned US$ 300 million to develop lithium-ion-batteries.

Extract from Diario Financiero – Noticias, 6th february 2012

Chilean scientists discover mineral detecting cancer

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:43:23 +0000

Chilean scientists Ramiro Arratia und Rodrigo Ramírez-Tagle from Chemistry Science Department of Andrés Bello University, Santiago explain the characteristics of rhenium salts. Mineral composition created by them to detect and attack cancerous cells (Link below, in Spanish). 52% of worldwide Rhenium-produktion came from Chile.

http://noticias.unab.cl/investigacion/el-mercurio-cientificos-chilenos-descubren-que-un-mineral-detecta-el-cancer/

On-site discoveries with EXPLORA+

admin — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:01:34 +0000

Only way to ‘survive’ following financial crisis with success is to innovate in smart technology and specialized professionals. For instance, in Chilean’s mining & exploration sector, where upcoming problems in water and energy supply will struggle traditional decision making, seriously.

We offer our EXPLORA+ product like multiple service PAC, to lower costs of your actual exploration budget. Offering technical and practical solutions:

Since a couple of years our geologists are drawing their maps in field digital, with overlays all-in-one for further exploration. Equipment is rugged-tech, GPS-online, and supported by national software XILAB from Geomintec. Really fast and userfriendly to handle for data interpretation.
Since a couple of months we use XRF-handheld analysis for real-time decisions in field. For instance, using significant pathfinder elements during drilling help you to manage your drill programs, instant decision making to extend or halt drilling at the bottom of the hole. Apart of classic or sophisticated exploration, our mobile XRF-analysis can reduce costs y in process control of plants and early detection of environmental problems.

GENERA+ supports local energy solutions

admin — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 03:44:44 +0000

Chilean’s fast growing mine business and related industry needs stable energy supply and prices, clean produced and certified in front of carbon footprint (OECD-convention). Imported gas, oil and coal is not a long-termed solution. Whereas the Atacama-desert is prime region for renewable energy projects:

Eolic energy at the coast and other favorable sites more inland.
Geothermal energy from volcanic fields and hot dry plutonic rocks in High Cordillera areas.
Solar energy is everywhere in excess, with best places in the precordillera (~1.500 – 3.000 m.a.s.l.).

Our service product GENERA+ supports regional energy planning, similar like urban planning, in spite of cost optimization and efficiency. In our presentation are three important steps:

Identification of favorable areas, preselected by computer models.
In-field prospective assessments
Siting of best technical energy potential and social conditions

Funds for early stage mine exploration

admin — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 23:00:57 +0000

I’m talking about grassroot and greenfield exploration. It’s not easy to explore with persistence and continuity in a volatile world, where constant funding is rare. Financial partners will see the result in days or weeks, but not in months (or even years). Discoveries as a must, at the first sight.

Exploraberg is specialist in this professional area, since 2004. We present here three important steps to be done for success:

Generate new targets and prospects: You needs strategic concepts like ‘mine clusters’, geologic models, infrastructure and environment, etc. to claim new mine concessions.
Reconnaissance Studies: To develop geology by digital exploration mapping, for instance to delineate mining potential.
Follow up’s and recommendations: There exist are variety of options, for instance other disciplines before you start to drill (test and prove) the prospect, like geochemistry, petrography and/or geophysics. It’s up to you, and depends of the budget of your client.

In Spanish we prepared a presentation, from where you can get all these features in a short list.

Ref.: KaBe

Solar industry in Chile! Why not?

admin — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 18:11:53 +0000

I am asked more frequently by foreign colleagues : Why doesn’t any solar power plant exist in Chile?

It’s common knowledge in Chile that climate conditions for Solar Power are ideal in the Northern Atacama Desert. Even better than in California or Spain, where solar plants are actually installed. Is here any lack of vision or the fear of blame, if it doesn’t work? 20 years before indeed (I can prove that), but nowadays there is no time to hesitate. Therefore, Chilean’s President Sebastián Pineira, known as a modern and visioned leader, proclaimed during his recent annual governmental report THE SUN as the most promising energy potential for Chile! [Parliament, Valparaiso, 21 of May 2011].

Exploraberg promotes all clean technologies for national energy supply. We invite our website users to read the white paper (in Spanish) from Xavier Martínez about global solar projects: “Como la energía solar conquista el mundo – a pesar de su elevado precio inicial” This proposes the Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) as preferable technology for Chile. There are more solar technologies available, but in Chile we have to include the high seismicity as risk factor, as in Japan, where high buildings are extremely expensive to construct. Economic reasons to freeze national solar projects is the opposite of the new way of energy independancy, and has to be planned by the authorities within an industrialization program for the next decades.

Renewable energy in not only clean, it also generates identity and a common sence of participation amoung people. An old friend from India told me a couple of years ago: “Only the technology really wanted by the people will grow.” I think he must be right, because his one-man-made-company is now one of the fastest growing energy firms for social solar cooking and heating.

Ref.: KaBe

Chile will be ‘developed’ by mix of renewable energy

admin — Mon, 02 May 2011 02:57:05 +0000

Chilean government will take an option for nuclear energy, perhaps similar like Japan (but before Fukushima meltdown in three reactors), or even France, USA, Belgium. It fears not to fullfill and complete the mission of 20% renewable energy in 2020. Everybody says: It’s too expensive. Looks true, at first sight, if we don’t put into the game all these negative effects by burning fossil energy, like coal, oil, gas or even uranium. Giant hydroelectric dams and plants becomes even more into twilight by environmental and social conflicts, if proper climate won’t fail by irregulary raining seasons.

To begin an early, peacefull and guided national discussion in Chile, we need concrete arguments for energy planning next future. Not only in Chile and South America, but also for the whole world. Xavier Martínez, Exploraberg’s energy expert open the debate with his statement: Future Energy Costs of Chile 2020-30 (in spanish, pdf), Escenario de costos energéticos a futuro en Chile 2020-2030 , comparing costs from different energy supply, fossil and renewable. Coming to the conclusion that Solar Energy for instance will be cheaper than nuclear energy for a seismic country like Chile.

So, our question is still here to the Government: Why we (Chileans) need to spend a lot of money in a high cost/risk technology, whereas the same money will better inverted to “cheapen” even more the renewable energies with inhouse innovation? Renewable energies are much more social than imported “black box” technologies, involving horrorfied mistakes, like in Fukushima and Chernobyl. The IPCC-organization came to similar results, recently.

Ref.: KaBe

First Chilean’s geopark ‘Kütralcura’

admin — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 22:44:59 +0000

In Melipeuco, Araucanian Region, South of Chile on 13 th of April 2011 first Chilean geopark was proclaimed by regional, local and native authorities. At same time a geocientific and cultural symposium about geoparks and geoturism was held for four days with excursions into the active volcanics and native forests. Seems that humanity on whole earth rediscovered the value of real impressive landscapes, formed by geological events and the strong relationship between vegetation, inhabitants and animals. There exist a global spirit of protection, but combined with comercial interests.

Chileans Geological Survey Sernageomin put this new project in advance. To develop Kütralcura (native “firerock”) geopark next two years for turism, education and science. If this project “works”, a couple of new claimed GeoSites from Chile will get the real chance to be transformed into ‘geoparks’ next years.

Ref.: KaBe