Chalice Mining has commenced drilling at its Hartog prospect within the Julimar nickel-copper-platinum group elements project in WA. Calidus Resources has established a new lithium exploration joint venture in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. BHP rode the WAIO train to near-record production in the second half of 2021 despite being overcome by COVID-induced labour constraints. The rise of Kirkland Lake Gold continues as the company experienced record annual and fourth quarter production from its operations in 2021. Rio Tinto experienced a drop in production across all its commodities in 2021 as the company was impacted by a range of disruptions. The nickel price has jumped to its highest mark since August 2011 as supply struggles to keep up with the demand for the sought-after base metal. Iron ore is bouncing back to start 2022, with seaborne prices reaching three-month highs last week. But will the surge remain? South32 is on track to develop its Hermosa project in the United States, after completing the pre-feasibility study for the Taylor deposit. OreCorp will focus its efforts on the Nyangaza gold project in Tanzania after announcing the demerger of its Western Australia assets. Iron ore is enjoying a positive start to 2022 as seaborne prices surpassed $US130 per dry metric tonne for the first time in three months this week. Keep up with the latest executive movements across the mining sector, including OZ Minerals, Vimy Resources, The Perth Mint and more. One of the most significant commodity trends to emerge in early-2022 has been the lithium price jump as producers struggle to keep up with demand.
