In the news today…
Minerals:
- Mining.com reports Cypress Development‘s Clayton Valley lithium project in Nevada could produce 27,400 tons lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) per year over a 40-year mine life, according to a pre-feasibility study released this week.
Coal:
- Washington Post and Mining.com report Arch Resources has changed its name in a rebranding effort.
- The Wall Street Journal reports Murray Energy Corp. acknowledged Wednesday that it has defaulted on its $440 million bankruptcy financing package.
- Power reports GenOn Holdings, which owns a coal-fired power plant in Maryland, announced it will retire the facility’s three generating units, which have been in operation for about 60 years.
- The Waterways Journal Weekly reports Warrior Met Coal announced in February plans to develop a new long-wall mine near its existing mines.
Energy:
- Argus reports U.S. electricity generation is increasing moderately as states start to reopen economies following Covid-19 shutdowns, giving a small boost to coal in key parts of the country.
- Argus reports the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) expects COVID-19 to slow power demand growth on the state’s grid through 2024.
Carbon Capture:
- Inside EPA reports adopting state-of-the-art CCS technologies at coal-fired power plants could overcome the long-running problem of CCS worsening water scarcity in certain geographical regions and instead make the facility’s water usage sustainable.
- Inside EPA reports a global think tank that supports carbon capture and storage (CCS) is touting a study showing the technology is vital for tackling climate change and achieving net zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2020, and that CCS can also drive significant economic growth.
WOTUS:
- Inside EPA reports a federal judge is asking California and other states challenging the Trump administration’s waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule to explain by May 22 why they would face “irreparable harm” from letting the policy take effect June 22 before he rules on whether to stay it, saying it is unclear that the states would suffer such harm.
World News:
- Mining Technology reports the coronavirus pandemic has upturned global mining supply chains.