A Happy New Year everyone, hope you have had, or are already having, a great holiday.
This time last year I bid a cautious welcome to 2016, little expecting the momentous global events that would take most of us by surprise. I was cautiously optimistic of the long awaited revival in the fortunes of the mining industry, and towards the end of the year there was a definite upturn in trading on base metals, although precious metals suffered badly after a good start to the year.
So with seasonal glasses half full, let's look forward to what we have in store this year. Apart from four MEI Conferences, commencing with Process Mineralogy '17 in a couple of months' time, MEI is a media partner to various major events around the world.
We will miss next month's African Mining Indaba this year, which takes place in Cape Town next month. Last year's event attracted around 6000 delegates, considerably less than in the previous year, so it will be interesting to see what happens this year.
I will be representing MEI in Denver in February, for the Annual SME Meeting. Last year's registrations in Phoenix were well down on the previous year's attendance in Denver, but Denver, the home of SME, always attracts high numbers, so I am hopeful for this year.
We are media parners for ALTA 2017 in May, and the AusIMM's MetPlant 2017 in September, both being held in Perth, Australia, but we will not be represented at these events, nor at the International Mine Water Association Congress in Finland, or the SAIMM's Uranium 2017 Conference in Namibia. We wish them well.
Amanda will be representing MEI at MEC 2017 in Poland, and the International Biohydrometallurgy Symposium in Germany in 2017.
And somewhere and sometime in 2017 I hope to be presenting the 2016 recipient with the MEI Young Persons Award, for which nominations should be submitted by 3rd February.
I look forward to catching up with as many of you as possible this year.
Twitter @barrywills
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I also wish "good days" to mineral industry and more progress on "relevant research" which will help industry to cut down costs/consumption of water/power and methods of practice which would be more environmentally friendly.
ReplyDeleteAll the best, Barry . Keep motivating the youngsters and keep MEI vibrant.
Rao,T.C.
I am optimistic that 2017 can be a good recovery Year for the global Mining and exploration world - it will be critical to see how the first three months unfold.
ReplyDeleteSteven Williams, Pasinex Resources Limited, Canada
Happy New Year Barry and the MEI Team!
ReplyDeleteDave Middleditch, Blue Coast Research
I think so
ReplyDeleteMy opinion is that during this year we will see a slight improvement but that everything will continue very similarly to 2016. I don't foresee metal prices going up for more than 20% in average. For example if we start Cu at 2.4 then we may see it going to 2.6-2.7, Nickel may end at 5.5, gold at 1350. I wish I would be wrong and that we would see the metal prices go higher so at the end of 2017 everyone would tell me , you were wrong. i wish you all the best for this year
ReplyDeleteJuan J. Anes, Canada
It will be interesting to come back to your comment at the end if the year, Juan
DeleteLooking bright so far with increasing price trend of metal and oil...hopefully it will outshine 2016👍...keeping fingers crossed
ReplyDeleteDave Prashant, Unimin Corp., Canada
The future expected to be better for mining industries than what it was before. Taking case of iron ore, in India there has been growth of 22% , with 9 fold increase in exprot to 9 Mt during Ari-Sept 2016, 150-200blocks for auctioning to increase activities of exploration and more production which will add to growth of GDP. Price has also has increased form $40 to 70 $/t as per Geonessis . There is alos plan for mega largest iron ore project of 20Mt/yr in Brazil with new technologies which will show revival of mining industries in big way.
ReplyDeleteD.K. Satpathy, India
I don’t think it's time to retire the drills to storage just yet - it's clear to see that at least oil and gas is seeing a pick up these last few weeks although the reason for the pick up is quite questionable. If all things go well, their good fortune will spill into coal and other forms of mining in due time.
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