LME Lead to Trade at Highs (2016-3-4)

[SMM Gold Flash] A draft mining bill reviewed by Reuters on 30 September would let Ghana’s mines minister require companies to issue the state a free special share with consent rights over major transactions. It would retain the existing 10% free-carried state interest and limit mining leases to 15 years or the projected mine life, whichever is shorter. The draft would also allow future rules requiring local processing and restricting exports of unprocessed concentrates. None of these proposals has been enacted; Reuters did not establish when the draft was prepared. For Ghana’s gold miners, the proposed rights and shorter leases could affect financing, valuations and renewal decisions. Under the draft, existing rights holders seeking renewal would receive priority consideration for equivalent licences. Mining companies expect further consultation before parliamentary debate, Reuters reported. The final wording and timing remain uncertain.

[SMM PGM Flash] Platinum Group Metals said on 1 October that independent testing by the Battery Innovation Center had validated its Lion Battery subsidiary’s platinum- and palladium-based electrodes in prototype lithium-sulphur cells. Compared with cells without the catalysts, the prototypes showed better capacity and rate capability, with palladium-rich formulations performing best overall. Platinum Group and Valterra Platinum, which own Lion 52% and 48% respectively, have approved funding for the next phase. The result offers a possible new use for PGMs beyond vehicle exhaust catalysts, but remains a prototype milestone. Lion plans to make and test pouch cells, refine the catalysts and assess applications including drones. Commercial performance and demand for significant PGM volumes have yet to be established. The work is relevant to Southern African suppliers: Valterra produces PGMs in South Africa and Zimbabwe, while Platinum Group is developing South Africa’s Waterberg project.

[SMM PGM Flash] Sibanye-Stillwater announced on 30 September that workers at its East Boulder platinum and palladium mine in Montana had ratified a collective agreement with the United Steelworkers. The deal runs retroactively from 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2029, with a 4.5% wage increase in year one, the greater of 3.5% or CPI in year two and the greater of 3.0% or CPI in year three. Strike action at the separate Stillwater East mine and Columbus metallurgical facility continues, the company said. The East Boulder settlement fixes part of the labour-cost path for Sibanye’s US PGM business and supports its planned shift towards more mechanised mining and team-based incentives. It does not resolve the other strike or demonstrate a recovery in output; the company disclosed no revised production guidance in this release.