AUSTRALIA - Resources drive future growth
澳大利亚的矿产资源推进未来发展
多年以来,澳大利亚一直是全球市场可靠的矿产供应商,这种状况可能会持续很多年。
在澳大利亚的资源继续推动许多国家的发展的同时,中国成为一个新的焦点。
中国矿业大会上,来自澳大利亚地球科学局在岸能源与矿产分部的矿产勘探促进小组的Lisa Worrall称,澳大利亚矿产供应的能力正在不断增加,以满足不断增长的供货需求。
她说,截至2009年4月,40个矿产项目和能源项目已经开始投入生产,67个项目处于深入开发的后期阶段。
在产量方面,铝土矿居世界第一,黑煤居第四,褐煤居第五,铜居第五,金居第四,铁矿石居第三,铅居第二,锰居第三,镍居第四,银居第四,钽居第一,铀居第二,锌居第二,钛铁矿、金红石和锆石矿物沙居世界第一。
勘探发展迅速,2008-09财政年的支出约1.85亿澳元,令人鼓舞的钻探结果、新的及更新的资源评估定期发布。
在1976年-2008年期间,总共发现了1471.44亿吨黑煤资源, 开采总量为75.12亿吨。其他资源的相应数据是:铜的发现量为1.27亿吨,开采量为1600万吨;金的发现量为18,043吨,开采量为5861吨;铁矿石发现量为245亿吨,开采量为50亿吨;镍发现量为4600万吨,开采量为370万吨;锌发现量为7200万吨,开采量为3000万吨。
Lisa Worrall称,由于澳大利亚大部分地区仍然处在勘探中,更多的资源将会被发现。煤矿项目共有58个处在草根勘查阶段,41个处在勘查阶段,98个处在深入勘查阶段,56个处在可行性研究阶段;铜矿项目共有562个处在草根勘查阶段,514个处在勘查阶段,148个处在深入勘查阶段,95个处在可行性研究阶段;铁矿石项目共有236个处在草根勘查阶段,129个处在勘查阶段,112个处在深入勘查阶段,98个处在可行性研究阶段;铅-锌矿项目共有267个处在草根勘查阶段,247个处在勘查阶段,91个处在深入勘查阶段,52个处在可行性研究阶段;锰矿项目共有29个处在草根勘查阶段,20个处在勘查阶段,7个处在可行性勘查阶段,2个处在可行性研究阶段;镍矿项目共有351个处在草根勘查阶段,255个处在勘查阶段,90个处在深入勘查阶段,60个处在可行性研究阶段;磷酸盐项目共有55个草根勘查阶段,28个处在勘查阶段,10个处在深入勘查阶段,3个处在可行性研究阶段。
她说,澳大利亚联邦、州和领地政府为矿产勘探提供地球科学方面的信息及咨询。地质和地球物理图、报告和数字数据集以及来自勘探公司许可拥有者的大量勘探结果存档,大部分这类信息都发布在互联网上,一般可以可以免费察看。
新的数字地质图、重力图、地磁图及放射性测定图可以用来协助国内勘探过程的进行。澳大利亚地球科学局的门户网站www.geoscience.gov.au中有指向所有澳州政府所拥有的地球科学及采矿地籍册信息的连接。
Lisa Worrall称,澳大利亚欢迎外商在勘探和采矿上进行投资。
“中国在澳大利亚矿产资源领域的投资正飞速增长。在澳大利亚2008-09年间批准的投资中,中国有可能成为第三大投资国,仅次于美国和英国,在过去18个月中,中国在澳大利亚获批的90个项目中共投资了340亿澳元。例如:中钢集团、五矿集团、科瑞集团、华东有色地勘局及云南锡业。”
AUSTRALIA has been a reliable supplier of minerals to global markets for many years and this looks set to continue for many years.
While Australian resources continue to drive development in many countries it has been China that has become a new focal point.
In a presentation at China Mining, Lisa Worrall, who is working in the Mineral Exploration Promotion team in the Onshore Energy and Minerals Division of Geoscience Australia, says Australia is well placed to continue delivering resources as capacity is expanding to meet the growth in demand.
She says in the year to April 2009, 40 mineral and energy projects started production while another 67 were at an advanced stage of development.
In production terms bauxite ranks first in the world, black coal fourth, brown coal fifth, copper fifth, gold fourth, iron ore third, lead second, manganese third, nickel fourth, silver fourth, tantalum first, uranium second, zinc second and for the mineral sands of ilmenite, rutile and zircon it is first.
Exploration has grown rapidly with around Aus$185 million spent in the 2008-09 financial year, encouraging drill results, and new and updated resource estimates being presented regularly.
In the period from 1976 to 2008 a total of 7.512 billion tonnes of black coal was mined while resources discovered totalled 147.144 billion tonnes. Corresponding figures for other resources were: copper 16 million tonnes mined and 127 million discovered; gold 5861 tonnes mined and 18,043 discovered; iron ore 5 billion tonnes mined and 24.5 billion discovered; nickel 3.7 million tonnes mined and 46 million discovered; and zinc 30 million tonnes mine and 72 million discovered.
Lisa Worrall says more discoveries will be made as large parts of the country are still being explored. There are 58 coal projects at grassroots prospect stage, 41 at exploration stage, 98 at advanced stage and 56 at feasibility stage; for copper there are 562 grassroots, 514 exploration, 148 advanced and 95 feasibility; for iron ore 236 grassroots, 129 exploration, 112 advanced and 98 feasibility; lead-zinc 267 grassroots, 247 exploration, 91 advanced and 52 feasibility; manganese 29 grassroots, 20 exploration, 7 advanced and 2 feasibility; nickel 351 grassroots, 255 exploration, 90 advanced and 60 feasibility; and phosphate 55 grassroots, 28 exploration, 10 advanced and 3 feasibility.
She says governments at federal, state and territory levels support exploration by providing geoscience information and advice. There are geological and geophysical maps, reports and digital data sets as well as large archives of exploration results from exploration company licence holders, and most of this information is on the internet, usually free of charge.
To assist in the exploration process nationally, new digital geology, gravity, magnetic, radiometrics and geochemical maps are available. The Australian Geoscience Portal www.geoscience.gov.au contains links to all geoscience and mining cadastre information held by governments in Australia.
Lisa Worrall says Australia also welcomes foreign investment in exploration and mining.
“Chinese investment in Australia’s mineral resources sector is growing rapidly. It is likely to be the third largest source of approved investment in Australia in 2008-09 behind the US and UK and Chinese investment of Aus$34 billion in 90 projects has been approved in the past 18 months. Examples include Sinosteel, Minmetals, Great Group, East China Exploration and Yunnan Tin.