Closely followed potash mine developer Sirius Minerals Sirius Minerals PLC (LON:SXX) was in focus as the week ended - saying it was confident production of polyhalite at its York Potash project will start on time and budget.
A quarterly update indicated there had been some delay to excavation of the mine, called Woodsmith, due to the weather in Yorkshire, but Sirius is confident it can make up the time lost.
The mine is estimated to host to an estimated 2.6bn tonnes of fertiliser rich in potassium, calcium and magnesium.
First production is expected to get underway in 2021.By 2024 Woodsmith is expected to be producing 10mln tonnes of POLY4 fertiliser with output eventually expected to rise to 20mln tonnes a year.
It was one of a number of releases from the mining sector this week. Here are some highlight.
Kibo Mining PLC (LON:KIBO) has been busy over the past 12 months.
Its flagship Mbeya thermal power station project in Tanzania is ready to go once a power purchase agreement (PPA) can be agreed with the country's electricity company.
Katoro, the company's gold assets, were spun out in May with a separate listing, while in November it acquired a power station development in Botswana to leverage the knowledge acquired from Mbeya.
The group also picked up an 85% stake in Mabesekwa from Sechaba, a subsidiary of Shumba Energy, for about ?9mln to be paid in shares.
Speaking of power, Oracle Power PLC (LON:ORCP) is to take full ownership of the company that owns the mining lease for the Thar coal to power project in Pakistan, it emerged this week.
Anthony Scutt, Oracle's chairman, said: "The move to 100% ownership of SCEL is a material development for Oracle, clearing a significant hurdle as the company moves to financial close.
"Sindh Koela Limited now stand to benefit alongside existing Oracle shareholders as the project advances and the current disparity between the market valuation and that of the project narrows."
Oracle will pay ?3.6mln to Sindh Koela Limited (SKL) for the outstanding shares in Sindh Carbon Energy (SCEL).
To Portugal and lithium, where Savannah Resources (LON:SAV) said it has secured a very "exciting project"
"It could be the best lithium project in Europe," said David Archer.
It's a bold claim to make, given the strength of the competition from the likes of European Metals Holdings and European Lithium.
"Our Mina do Barroso project in Portugal is in spodumene," he explains. "Hard rock spodumene is a demonstrably successful mode of producing lithium from mines. The product is highly sought."
In other news, Goldplat plc (LON:GDP) made a breakthrough in its dispute with Rand Refinery, as the pair have agreed a proposed full and final settlement.
"We are very pleased to have been able to progress discussions with Rand Refinery to this point and to have agreed terms for a settlement of the dispute," said Gerard Kisbey-Green, chief executive of the gold recovery specialist, after the memorandum of understanding was signed.
"While the proposed amount is less than the full amount claimed by us, we believe that the proposed settlement and expected consequent expeditious conclusion of the arbitration process will not only alleviate the time and costs of the agreed legal process and free up valuable management time, but it also will allow business between the two parties to resume on the basis of a fresh start with renewed energy and focus in all areas to further strengthen and build the long standing relationship that exists between the two companies."
Elsewhere, Connemara Mining Company PLC (LON:CON) saw its shares advance this week as it reported high gold grades from one of three holes drilled recently at its Mine River prospect in Wicklow and Wexford in Ireland.
Assay results from the hole at the Tombreen target indicated an 8m section grading 4.53 g/t gold, which included 2m at 16.1 g/t.
Mineralisation ranging from 0.17 g/t to 0.25g/t over several intersections was also confirmed in a hole at nearby Gibbet Hill, while surface samples from the surrounding area contained grades as high as 5.08 g/t.
Supply shortages helped Aussie-based mineral sands miner Base Resources Limited (LON:BSE) achieve record prices for its spread of base metals.
Base produces ilmenite, zircon and rutile from the Kwale mine in Kenya and a combination of two bulk rutile sales and higher zircon prices increased the average revenue per tonne to a record US$323 per tonne (US$271) in the three months to December.
Base added it has also secured significant price rises on its zircon contracts for the current (March) quarter.
"Operationally, the quarter was characterised by consistent production and continuing improvement in zircon markets, variable ilmenite prices and a positive outlook for rutile," said the company.
To exploration news and Asiamet Resources Ltd told investors it has continued to unearth high grade base and precious metal mineralisation at the BKZ project in Kalimantan, Indonesia.
The company, in a statement, noted that the mineralisation has been confirmed over a 300 metre strike length and across 110 metres of width.
Five drill holes have now intersected high grade copper-silver mineralisation, underlying a high grade polymetallic mineralisation. The mineralisation remains open to the south, east, west and down-dip.
The company highlighted that new assays included up to 7.9% copper over 1-metre sample intervals.