ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF COPPER-NICKEL DEVELOPMENT IN NORTHEAST MINNESOTA

Computer simulations of industry gross output, employment and earnings changes associated with alternative copper-nickel development scenarios are presented in this report. The direct and indirect economic effects of seven development scenarios are projected for a mining impact Study Area in St. Louis County, Minnesota.Community/Rural/Urban Development, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Alaska-Canada Rail Link Economic Benefits

Construction of the 1,740 km Alaska-Canada Rail Link (ACRL) between Fort Nelson, BC and Delta Junction, Alaska to join the North American rail system to the Alaska Railroad will result in tremendous economic benefits for Canada and the US. The ACRL will provide valuable additional east-west rail capacity and tidewater access to the Pacific, hugely benefitting not only the Yukon and Eastern Alaska regions, into which it will introduce rail transport for the first time, but throughout both countries. The economic benefits of ACRL construction are consistent with Canadian government’s desire to promote Northern development and comparable in significance to those of Canadian Pacific Railway in the 1880’s and the St. Lawrence Seaway in the 1950’s. Construction of the ACRL alone will bring unprecedented economic stimulus to the region in terms of job creation, wages and income tax revenue over multiple years. Table 7-1 below summarizes the benefits from ACRL construction for the Yukon, BC and Canada as a whole. However, these estimates are conservative as they exclude benefits associated with pre-construction activities, railway operation post-construction, sales taxes and corporate taxes as well as all such benefits that will accrue to Alaska and the US

ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF MINERAL RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT IN NORTHEAST MINNESOTA

The economic effects of mineral resource development addressed in this paper are the changes in employment, population and income in the State of Minnesota and in Northeast Minnesota. These include the present mining, processing and shipping of natural ores and taconite pellets and the potential copper-nickel development.Community/Rural/Urban Development, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

THE INVESTMENT PROJECT PIPELINE COST ESCALATION, LEAD-TIME, SUCCESS, FAILURE AND SPEED1

As they involve expectations about the future and long lead times for planning and construction, the evolution of investment projects is usually complex and volatile. This paper analyses an important aspect of this volatility by studying the nature of the investment process, from the initial bright idea to the final construction and operational phase of a project. We refer to this process as the “project pipeline”. Using a rich source of information on recent Australian resource development projects, an index-number approach is employed to measure the escalation of costs of projects in the pipeline and the time spent there (the lead time). The determinants of the probability of ultimate success of projects is analysed with a binary choice model. Finally, a Markov chain approach is used to model the transitions of projects from one stage in the pipeline to the next, and to examine the implications of regulatory reform that has the effect of speeding up the flow of projects.

Conference Report on the Economics of Commodity Prices and Exchange Rates

This report contains information about the sessions, papers, speakers and participants in the conference on the Economics of Commodity Prices and Exchange Rates held at the University Club at UWA on 9 June, 2006.

Mining revival

In relation to its size the United Kingdom (UK) is remarkably well-endowed with mineral resources as a result of its complex geological history. Their extraction and use have played an important role in the development of the UK economy over many years and minerals are currently worked at some 2100 mine and quarry sites. Production is now largely confined to construction minerals, primarily aggregates, energy minerals and industrial minerals including salt, potash, kaolin and fluorspar, although renewed interest in metals is an important development in recent years

Assessing the critical material constraints on low carbon infrastructure transitions

We present an assessment method to analyze whether the disruption in supply of a group of materials endangers the transition to low-carbon infrastructure. We define criticality as the combination of the potential for supply disruption and the exposure of the system of interest to that disruption. Low-carbon energy depends on multiple technologies comprised of a multitude of materials of varying criticality. Our methodology allows us to assess the simultaneous potential for supply disruption of a range of materials. Generating a specific target level of low-carbon energy implies a dynamic roll-out of technology at a specific scale. Our approach is correspondingly dynamic, and monitors the change in criticality during the transition towards a low-carbon energy goal. It is thus not limited to the quantification of criticality of a particular material at a particular point in time. We apply our method to criticality in the proposed UK energy transition as a demonstration, with a focus on neodymium use in electric vehicles. Although we anticipate that the supply disruption of neodymium will decrease, our results show the criticality of low carbon energy generation increases, as a result of increasing exposure to neodymium-reliant technologies. We present a number of potential responses to reduce the criticality through a reduction in supply disruption potential of the exposure of the UK to that disruption

The Mining Industry: From Bust to Boom

The Australian mining industry experienced a remarkable turnaround during the 2000s. The rapid growth of emerging economies in Asia drove a surge in demand for commodities, particularly those used in steel and energy generation. With global supply unable to respond quickly, prices surged to historically high levels. In response, mining investment in Australia rose to record levels as a share of the economy by the end of the decade. The rise in commodity prices has boosted activity and incomes and encouraged the factors of production to shift towards the mining industry. The boom has also been associated with a large increase in the real exchange rate, affecting trade-exposed industries. Overall, Australia's macroeconomic performance during the decade was much more stable than during the earlier mining booms, reflecting a stronger institutional framework.Australian mining industry; commodity prices; structural change

The Effect of China on Global Prices

The dramatic growth in China's exports of consumer goods such as clothing, toys, and electronics, and imports of primary commodities such as oil and metals is having major effects on global supply and demand. In examining China's role in global relative price changes, Francis finds that downward pressure on the relative prices of consumer goods is likely to persist as China's large labour supply continues its migration into manufacturing. Likewise, China's size and growth will also remain key drivers of global commodities demand for some time. Despite these forces, inflation-targeting central banks have the tools to keep inflation close to target, thus offsetting any persistent upward or downward inflationary pressure.

Review of man-made mineral formations accumulation and prospects of their developing in mining industrial regions in Ukraine

Purpose. Analysis of the man-made mineral formations of ore mining and smelting, fuel and energy complexes development accumulation, location and prospects amount in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Methods. Comprehensive approach, including analysis of state statistics, waste handling sites (WHSs), regional environmental report, environmental passport of the region, as well as data from other information sources is used in the work. Aerial photographs of man-made formations were obtained using the Google Earth 7.1.8 satellite program. Findings. The analysis of the main man-made mineral formations of ore mining and smelting, fuel and energy complexes accumulation in Ukraine (coal and mining industry waste heaps, tailing dumps, ash dumps, smelter slag dumps) was conducted, their amount and occupied areas were estimated. According to the densest location of man-made formations, they are divided into 4 regions: the Prydniprovsk region, the Kryvyi Rih region, the Nikopol region, the Pavlohrad region. According to information sources, the content of some valuable components in man-made formations has been established. Based on the world market prices of technogenic deposits components research, it was proposed to grade them according to the cost of valuable components. The promising directions have been proposed for the use of mineral resources in various economic sectors. It is noted that from the perspective of development of mineral and raw materials potential, the bulk formations are of interest because of their large reserves in the minimum area. But from the perspective of environmental protection and the interests of the Ukrainian people, the bulk technogenic formations occupying significant areas of agricultural land and having smaller mineral reserves are of great interest. Originality. The conception of man-made raw material mineral fund for further industrial development as an alternative to natural deposits is extended and systematized. For the first time, an integrated and detailed analysis has been performed of technogenic waste of the largest waste storage region in Ukraine, as well as the grouping has been proposed of mining and energy sector waste by density of location and by the contained components value. Practical implications. A sketch-map of the man-made objects location was drawn up and their gradation was carried out according to the preliminary prospects of their development. This will provide a more objective approach to the concept of industrial waste development and planning the strategy for the development of mineral and raw materials potential both at the state and regional levels.утворень гірничо-металургійного й паливно-енергетичного комплексів Дніпропетровської області. Методика. У роботі використано комплексний підхід, що включає аналіз даних державної статистики, місць видалення відходів (МВВ), регіональної доповіді про стан навколишнього середовища, екологічного паспорта регіону, а також даних інших інформаційних джерел. Аерофотознімки техногенних утворень отримані за допомогою супутникової програми Google Earth 7.1.8. Результати. Проведено аналіз накопичення основних техногенних утворень гірничо-металургійного та паливно-енергетичного комплексів України (породні відвали вугільної й гірничорудної галузей, хвостосховища, золошлаковідвали, відвали металургійних шлаків), оцінені їх об’єми та займані площі. За найбільш щільним розташуванням техногенних утворень їх запропоновано розділити на 4 райони: Придніпровський, Криворізький, Нікопольський і Павлоградський. За даними інформаційних джерел встановлено вміст деяких цінних компонентів у різних техногенних відходах. На підставі вивчення світових ринкових цін компонентів техногенних родовищ запропоновано районувати їх за вартістю цінних компонентів у 1 т відходів. Запропоновано перспективні напрями використання мінерально-сировинних ресурсів у різних галузях економіки. Відзначено, що з позиції освоєння мінерально-сировинного потенціалу інтерес представляють насипні відходи в силу їх значних запасів на мінімальній площі, а з позиції охорони навколишнього середовища та інтересів українського народу – наливні техногенні відходи, що займають значні площі сільськогосподарських угідь і мають менші запаси мінеральної сировини. Наукова новизна. Розширено та систематизовано уявлення щодо мінерально-сировинного фонду техногенної сировини Дніпропетровської області для подальшого освоєння як альтернатива природним родовищам. Вперше здійснено комплексний та детальний аналіз техногенних відходів найбільшого регіону-накопичувача України і запропоновано групування відходів гірничодобувного та енергетичного сектору за щільністю розташування й вмістом цінних компонентів. Практична значимість. Складена схематична карта розташування техногенних відходів та проведена градація за попередньою перспективністю їх освоєння. Це дозволить більш об’єктивно підходити до концепції промислового освоєння техногенних відходів і планування стратегії розвитку мінерально-сировинного фонду на державному та регіональному рівнях.Цель. Анализ объемов накопления, мест расположения и перспектив промышленной разработки техногенных образований горно-металлургического и топливно-энергетического комплексов Днепропетровской области. Методика. В работе использован комплексный подход, включающий анализ данных государственной статистики, мест удаления отходов (МУО), регионального доклада о состоянии окружающей среды, экологического паспорта региона, а также данных других информационных источников. Аэрофотоснимки техногенных образований получены с помощью спутниковой программы Google Earth 7.1.8. Результаты. Проведен анализ накопления основный техногенных образований горно-металлургического и топливно-энергетического комплексов Украины (породные отвалы угольной и горнорудной отраслей, хвостохранилища, золошлакоотвалы, отвалы металлургических шлаков), оценены их объемы и занимаемые площади. По наиболее плотному расположению техногенных образований их предложено разделить на 4 района: Приднепровский, Криворожский, Никопольский и Павлоградский районы. По данным информационных источников установлено содержание некоторых ценных компонентов в разных техногенных отходах. На основании изучения мировых рыночных цен компонентов техногенных месторождений предложено районировать их по стоимости ценных компонентов в 1 т отходов. Предложены перспективные направления использования минерально-сырьевых ресурсов в различных отраслях экономики. Отмечено, что с позиции освоения минеральное-сырьевого потенциала интерес представляют насыпные отход по причине их больших запасов на минимальной площади, а с позиции охраны окружающей среды и интересов украинского народа – наливные техногенные образования, занимающие значительные площади сельскохозяйственных угодий и имеющие меньшие запасы минерального сырья. Научная новизна. Расширено и систематизировано представление о минерально-сырьевом фонде техногенного сырья Днепропетровской области для дальнейшего промышленного освоения как альтернатива природным месторождениям. Впервые осуществлен комплексный и детальный анализ техногенных отходов наиболее крупного региона-накопителя Украины и предложено группирование отходов горнодобывающего и энергетического сектора по плотности расположения и ценности содержащихся компонентов. Практическая значимость. Составлена схематическая карта размещения техногенных отходов и проведена градация по предварительной перспективности их освоения. Это позволит более объективно подходить к концепции промышленного освоения техногенных отходов и планирования стратегии развития минерально-сырьевого фонда на государственном и региональном уровнях.This work has been performed in the framework of tasks of a research project funded by the state budget by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (GP-500), and is also consistent with the “Dnipropetrovsk Regional Complex Program (Strategy) on Environmental Safety and Prevention of Climate Change for 2016 – 2025”