Nickel

Victory Nickel, the Toronto-based nickel producer, has received the first nine-railcar delivery of washed, concentrated sand, which is being sent to its Seven Persons frac sand plant (nicknamed the 7P Plant) near Medicine Hat, Alberta.

The global consumption of ferro-chrome had reached a record high of 9.8Mt in 2012, but at the end of 2013, prices remained near four-year lows due to the expansion in the Chinese ferro-chrome industry, low ore prices and currency depreciation in leading exporting countries.

The South American Country has plans to reduce production at one of its two nickel plants in order to carry out maintenance and other capital improvements. The cutbacks will take effect this year at the Ernesto Che Guevara processing facility located in the eastern Holguin province.

Indonesia has banned all exports of raw nickel ore, which has placed increased pressure on prices. It has also helped make investors more interested in Royal Nickel’s $1.2-billion mining project in Northwestern Quebec.

One of the largest suppliers of stainless steels, nickel, cobalt and titanium alloys, Rolled Alloys, has announced the expansion of their 17-4 stainless steel product line. Their 17-4 round rebar will now be available in sizes from 3/16” to 12’’ diameter in standard lengths or cut to size.

According to industry insiders, it is predicated that 2014 will be slightly better year for stainless steel, in both business volume and profitability, compared to 2013. Market participants have reported that activity has been coasting along the prolonged bottom in the business cycle that the situation is hopefully close to its end.

Duluth Metals Limited, an American mining company focusing on the Minnesota area, has announced that their pre-feasibility study of the Twin Metals copper-nickel mine near Ely is well under way and should be completed by mid-2014.

It has been announced that Vale, the Brazilian mining company, plans to produce 289,000 mt of nickel and 405,000 mt of copper this year, a substantial increase from the 192,000 mt of nickel and 275,000 mt of copper produced from January to September of last year.

Patrick J. DeCourcy has been named as Allegheny Technologies (ATI) new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Since July 15, 2013 he has been serving as the Interim CFO for the specialty metals company, which produces titanium, superalloys, stainless steels and other specialty steels and alloys.

This past November, Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. announced it was forever postponing its $3.3 billion project in a mineral-rich area of northern Ontario. The region, nicknamed Ring of Fire, is seen as one of the most promising Canadian mining opportunities in over a hundred years.