This is what an albino squirrel looks like
ARTICLE FAILS TO INCLUDE PICTURES!

Pete Warner, 
Bangor Daily News, Maine
Thu, December 30, 2021

Dec. 30—Doug and Christine Chadwick had an unexpected visitor at their home on Christmas morning.

The Chadwicks were treated to a rare sighting: an albino gray squirrel.

"It showed up at our bird feeder on Christmas morning. Quite a surprise and a really nice gift from Mother Nature," the Chadwicks said in an email.

It has been a gift that keeps on giving.

"It is really enjoyable watching it, as it has been coming every day since Christmas along with about 10 other squirrels," they said.

While many Maine wildlife sightings involving white or mostly white animals and birds are a treat, the squirrel appears to be special.

"Albinism and leucism are inherited conditions that are caused by lack or reduction of pigments in the skin, fur, feathers or scales [yes, birds and reptiles can be white, too!]," said Shevenell Webb, furbearer biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

"Albino animals tend to be completely white, whereas leucism can result in patchy white areas, pale colors, or the entire body being white," Webb said. "These conditions are difficult to tell apart, especially at a distance."

We recently published a photo of a piebald deer, one that was mostly white with some subtle patches of tan hair. And we also showed you Larry Gooding's video of a cow moose with a large patch of white fur along its back.

But the squirrel appears to be a true albino animal.

"It actually is a full albino because it does have pink eyes, even though they don't show up in the photos," the Chadwicks said. "This is the first one we have ever seen."

Webb said the eyes are the detail that makes the albino identification more definitive.

"Pink or pale eyes are a red flag for albino, whereas dark eye color points to leucism," Webb said.

Being an albino definitely has short-term advantages for the squirrel, but also poses some dangers.

"Camouflage is pretty good in the snow and we are hoping it survives after the snow leaves because we have several hawks and eagles in the area," the Chadwicks said.

Webb agreed that the lack of pigmentation likely could be problematic for the squirrel next spring.

"Most animals have fur or feathers that provide camouflage with their environment. The white squirrel may match his snowy background now, but being white is a big disadvantage to hide from predators during other times of year," Webb said.

We greatly appreciate Doug and Christine Chadwick sending along the photos of the albino squirrel and many thanks to Shevenell Webb for continuing to enlighten us about Maine wildlife!

SO HERE YA GO...

Demystifying the Illusive White Squirrel

4/15/2019

 

For many of us on the West Coast of North America the existence of a white squirrel is difficult to imagine, but it is not as uncommon as you may think! Populations of white squirrels can be found in places across the United States and sightings of these mystical creatures are becoming more common.  🦄🐿👀

​The white squirrels we see in North America are the result of various rare genetic variants or mutations. However, in Thailand and other parts of East Asia there is a sub-species of tree squirrel, the Finlayson's squirrel (Callosciurus finlaysonii), in which a white coat is characteristic of the species. White coats may be common place amongst this group, but broadly speaking it is still a vary rare squirrel color. There are over 200 species of squirrels and only one subspecies is found to have white as a primary color morph! 🌈🐿

Finlayson's squirrel (Callosciurus finlaysonii)

There are two primary forms of white squirrels in the United States- albino squirrels and a rare morph of the eastern grey squirrel. ​

The easiest way to know if the white squirrel you spotted is albino or a rare morph is by its eye color. Albino squirrels are completely white with red or pink eyes.  This unique eye color is found in all albino animals and is a result of a lack of melanin​ pigments that produce eye and coat color. Albinism is a genetic condition caused by a recessive gene. This means that both the mom and dad squirrel have to be carriers of this gene in order to produce albino offspring. This is what makes it so rare!  It is estimated that 20-30% of white squirrels in North America are albino.

---

The rare white morph of the eastern grey squirrel has black eyes and can have a mix of white and grey coat. Similar to albino squirrels, white eastern grey squirrels owe their unique coat color to their genes. But, unlike albino squirrels who have a mutation on the gene coding for pigmentation, western grey squirrels actually have a gene that codes for a white coat! Despite having this 'white coat' gene, it still only occurs very rarely because being so brightly colored makes a squirrel less able to blend in amongst the trees and thus more visible to predators.
​
Here are some examples of the diversity seen amongst white morph squirrels:  ​

Squirrels that are white due to this white coat color gene are more common than albino squirrels and account for roughly 70% of the white squirrel population in the United States. 

Lastly, if you know me you know I have a special affinity for the eastern fox squirrel. 🐿💕💁🏻‍♀️ White coat color has also been spotted in these guys. However, fox squirrels do not have the gene that western grey squirrels have that codes for a white coat. White eastern fox squirrels occur due to a condition called leucism. Unlike the mutation that causes albinism which prevents the production of melanin, leucism is caused by a decrease in several different types of pigments. Fox squirrels with leucism will not have pink or red eyes but may have patches of white or pale fur. 

Take a look! 👀

​Where can you see a white squirrel? 🐿👀

Catching sight of these rare variations of squirrels is tough unless you know where to find them. There are five main cities that claim to be the official ‘home of the white squirrel’. 
1. Olney, Illinois
2. Marionville, Missouri 
3. Brevard, North Carolina 
4. Exeter, Ontario Canada 
5. Kenton, Tennessee
​
Traveling to one of these locations will greatly increase the success of your white squirrel sighting adventure! 

Below is map of sightings in the United States created by researcher Rob Nelson and Roland Kays a zoologist at North Carolina State University. You can help them keep track of white squirrel populations by logging your sightings! 

Log Your White Squirrel Sightings Here! 

​Want to learn more about white squirrels? Check out this video from the awesome biologists at Untamed Science  and their white squirrel sighting adventure across the Eastern United States! 

SOUTH CAROLINA
Midlands keep shaking as seventh quake is confirmed. Here’s when, where the latest hit.

David Travis Bland
Fri, December 31, 2021

United States seismologists confirmed that the Midlands had its seventh earthquake in four days Thursday afternoon.

The 2.4 magnitude earthquake happened around 2:15 p.m, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Like the six other quakes, its epicenter was near Elgin about 20 miles from Columbia.

The first earthquake in the recent string happened Dec. 27. With magnitudes of 2.5 or less, most of the earthquakes have been minor. Thursday afternoon’s quake was the second of the day. The first occurred about 7 a.m.

Tremors might not even be felt with magnitudes of 2.5 or less though they are picked up by seismic activity detecting devices. But over the last four days people have reported feeling their homes shake and hearing loud booms caused by the quakes.

The first quake on Dec. 27 reached 3.3 magnitude which is still relatively weak, according to seismologists. Anything less than 5.5 isn’t likely to cause damage.

Seismologist say that earthquakes can happen in clusters.

This map from the USGS shows a cluster of earthquakes that have happened in the Midlands in late December.

England hospital staff absences double as virus surges


NHS England has already started building temporary field hospitals to contain a possible overspill of inpatients if beds in main hospitals become full

 (AFP/JUSTIN TALLIS)

Fri, December 31, 2021

Hospital staff absences due to Covid have more than doubled in a month in England as the virus surge puts strain on beds, according to data published Friday.

The number of hospital staff ill or self-isolating due to the virus rose from 11,375 on November 29 to 24,362 on December 26, NHS England said.

The "sharply increasing staff absences" coincide with "a 10-month high for the number of patients," warned national medical director Stephen Powis.

The number of patients in hospital with Covid in the UK reached 11,898 on Wednesday, the highest level since early March, and a rise of 40 percent in a week.

"We don't yet know the full scale of rising omicron cases," Powis acknowledged.

The National Health Service (NHS) "is on a war footing and staff remain braced for the worst," he added.

The UK is one of Europe's worst-hit countries with a death toll of 148,421. It reported 189, 846 new cases on Friday, slightly above Thursday's figure and a new record.

NHS England reported that only 67 percent of Covid patients were receiving treatment primarily for the virus, however, with others testing positive after being admitted with other conditions..

NHS England has already started building temporary field hospitals to contain a possible overspill of inpatients if beds in main hospitals become full.

It plans to make available as many as 4,000 "super-surge beds", in some cases using existing hospital facilities such as gyms or education centres.

It is also trying to free up hospital beds by sending medically fit patients to care homes, hospices and even hotels.

Despite the surge in cases, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has opted not to increase virus curbs over the festive period in England, unlike the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The prime minister is focusing on encouraging the public to take up booster jabs, so far administered to more than 33 million.

In a New Year's Eve message he urged people to "make it your New Year's resolution -- far easier than losing weight or keeping a diary."

The UK medical regulator MHRA also announced Friday that it has approved Pfizer's new antiviral pill for over-18s.

The Paxlovid pill for high-risk people with Covid was authorised last week by the US Food and Drug Administration for those aged 12 and over.

Pfizer says clinical trials prove the pill reduces hospitalisation and deaths among at-risk people by almost 90 percent.

The UK government announced earlier this month that it had signed deals to buy more than 4 million courses of Pfizer's Paxlovid and US rival Merck/MSD's molnupiravir.

am/pvh

In exodus from Lebanon, the well-off find new home in Cyprus






1 / 6
Cyprus Lebanese Emigres Nadine Kalache Maalouf, center, Celine Elbacha and Elbacha's daughter Morgane, right, sit at a seaside restaurant in the eastern coastal resort of Paralimni, Cyprus, Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. They are among the thousands of Lebanese, including teachers, doctors and nurses who have left the country amid a devastating economic crisis that has thrown two thirds of the country’s population into poverty since October 2019. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)More

MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS
Tue, December 28, 2021

PARALIMNI, Cyprus (AP) — Many well-off Lebanese who escaped their country’s economic tailspin for a new life in the nearby island nation of Cyprus say the transition has been a whirlwind of emotions.

They are grateful they did not have to turn to human smugglers and embark on risky Mediterranean crossings to reach European shores. But they also feel guilty for leaving family and friends behind to struggle with Lebanon’s unprecedented crises — a failing economy, political uncertainty and social upheaval.

The feelings are intense for Celine Elbacha, an architect who moved with her family of four to the Mediterranean island nation in August 2020, and Nadine Kalache Maalouf, who arrived with her husband and two children four months ago.


They are among more than 12,000 Lebanese who have left their homeland in the past two years for Cyprus — less than a 50-minute flight from Beirut — enrolling their kids in schools, setting up businesses and snapping up apartments on the island.

“We were fortunate to be able to come,” Maalouf said. “We’re doing our best here as a Lebanese community to help ... our families, our friends back home. So it’s not like we just moved and we turned our backs and we’re not looking back.”

Thousands of Lebanese, including teachers, doctors and nurses have left the country amid a devastating economic crisis that has thrown two thirds of the country’s population into poverty since October 2019. That brain drain accelerated after the massive explosion at Beirut’s port last year, when a stockpile of improperly stored ammonium nitrates detonated, killing at least 216 people and destroying several residential areas.

The exodus is telling about the state of Lebanon, where not only the poor are seeking a way out, but also a relatively well-off middle class that has lost faith in the country turning itself around.

For those who can afford it, Cyprus, a member of the European Union, is an attractive option for its proximity and the facilities it offers — including residency for a certain level of investment in real estate and businesses. As Lebanese banks clamped down on deposits, many sought to open bank accounts in Cyprus or buy apartments as a way to free up their money.

The island has a history of taking in Lebanese, who first came in the 1980s, at the height of Lebanon's 15-year-civil war, and again in 2006, when Cyprus served as a base for evacuating civilians during the monthlong war between Israel and Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group.

Maalouf, 43, who made the move to Cyprus with her husband and two kids, said she was pleasantly surprised by how “easy” the relocation process was. She hasn’t found work yet but has connected with Cyprus’ close-knit Lebanese community.

“We were scared about this step," she said, but Cypriot immigration authorities “made that very smooth and very easy.”

Cyprus' Interior Ministry spokesman Loizos Michael confirmed to The Associated Press that the government has “simplified procedures” for Lebanese nationals who wish to immigrate lawfully, “as part of humanitarian assistance” to Lebanon.

Additionally, incentives are offered to Lebanese businessmen who wish to transfer their businesses to Cyprus, Michael said, without elaborating.

Maalouf said her primary motivation was to shield her children from Lebanon’s dire economic situation — runaway inflation has seen the Lebanese pound lose more than 90% of its value in less than two years — and provide them with a chance for a better future.

“It’s scary when you’re a parent, you’re scared and you say, OK, I need to save my kids,” said Maalouf.

The transition was easier for 47-year-old Elbacha and her family. They had bought a vacation home in Cyprus years ago in the town of Paralimni on the island's east coast and felt they already had a footing here.

Her elder daughter, Stephanie, has been studying at a university in Paris for two years now. Her younger daughter, 17-year-old Morgane, was fortunate to get into Cyprus’ only French-speaking school in Nicosia, the capital.

Elbacha and her husband, also an architect, have set up a company in Cyprus and are both working. They have a sense of obligation to the country that has welcomed them, she said.

“We want to be feeling like we are not illegal in the country," she said. Cyprus has helped them “in every sense, and it’s like we have to return this.”

Elbacha is lucky, she says, especially when she remembers how powerless many Lebanese feel in the face of constant feuds and bickering among the political elite. Her home in Beirut sustained minor damage in the Aug. 4, 2020 port explosion, mostly broken glass. None of the four of them were hurt but some of her friends and relatives fared much worse.

Later that month, the family moved to Cyprus. The first five months here, she remembers feelings of guilt, like she was “betraying my country,” she said.

Maalouf, who also ended up with her family in Paralimni, has little faith things will turn around in Lebanon anytime soon, despite upcoming general elections. “I’ve been hearing this since I was a teenager. Things will get better. We’ll see and things never get better,” she said.

For its proximity to Lebanon, Cyprus is in many ways ideal for both Maalouf and Elbacha. They can easily visit family and friends back in Beirut.

“The people of Cyprus are very warm and welcoming," said Maalouf. “We don’t feel like strangers here.”

'Opt for cycling': French car ads must back alternatives

French car advertisements will soon have to include messages such as "Consider carpooling," "For day-to-day use, take public transportation," or "For short trips, opt for walking or cycling" (AFP/DOMINIQUE FAGET)


Fri, December 31, 2021

Car advertisements in France will have to include messages encouraging people to consider less-polluting travel alternatives from 2022 as part of the government's drive to rein in CO2 emissions.

The requirement, set to come into force in March, was confirmed in the government's Official Journal this week after years of lobbying from environmental groups -- many of which seek an outright ban on automobile ads.

Similar to mandatory reminders to eat healthy on food and drink ads, the standardised messages will suggest that drivers adopt more environmentally responsible options when possible.


Carmakers will have three choices: "Consider carpooling," "For day-to-day use, take public transportation," or "For short trips, opt for walking or cycling."

They will be required for all media -- print, TV, radio or internet -- and must also include the hashtag "#SeDeplacerMoinsPolluer" (Move and Pollute Less).

The ads will also have to include a vehicle's CO2 emission class, a new ranking system to inform consumers about the environmental impact that is part of a widespread climate action law approved by lawmakers in July.

So far automakers appear ready to comply, if not enthusiastically.

"It means that overall, we have to find alternatives to the automobile. It's the first time we've had such a direct message from the government," Lionel French Keogh, the head of Hyundai France, told AFP.

"We are going to adapt -- moving toward zero-emission vehicles is the course of history," he added.

"But there is an irony: they make no distinction between the type of motorisation. It's a bit counterproductive to the government's aim of promoting electric vehicles," he said.

Volkswagen, the third-biggest car seller in France, after Stellantis and Renault, said "We will comply with the legislation and analyse how best to comply with our advertising agency."

As part of the new French law, advertising for the most polluting vehicles -- those that emit more than 123 grammes of carbon dioxide per kilometre, including many popular SUVs -- will be completely outlawed from 2028.

jnd-tsz/js/lth

FORDISM WITHOUT FORD
Foreign carmakers interested in Ford plant in India - state minister

 A visitor is reflected as he takes pictures of a Ford Aspire car during its launch in New Delhi, India


Thu, December 30, 2021
By Sudarshan Varadhan

CHENNAI (Reuters) - Foreign automakers have indicated an interest to the government of India's Tamil Nadu state in acquiring Ford Motor Co's plant there, the state industries minister said on Thursday, after inconclusive talks with the Tata Group.

Ford India said in September it would wind down operations at a factory in Western Gujarat state by end-2021 and vehicle and engine manufacturing at the Tamil Nadu plant by 2022, as it did not see a path to profitability in the country.


"Early stage talks are going on," Thangam Thennarasu, industries minister of Tamil Nadu told Reuters, adding that he could not give details of which firms were interested.

"It is eventually up to Ford as it will be a commercial arrangement. We are merely facilitating talks between the companies," he said. Thennarasu said the Tata Group had also shown an interest in buying the Ford plant, having met the state's chief minister and visited the plant for a preliminary study but the state government had yet to hear from them about any deal.

"It is now up to them to make an official announcement," Thennarasu told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.

Ford, asked about which firms might be interested in buying the Tamil Nadu plant, told Reuters in a statement: "We continue to explore possible alternatives for our manufacturing facilities but have nothing further to share."

Tamil Nadu, a state of more than 70 million people and one of the country's most industrialised, is sometimes called the "Detroit of Asia". It is home to factories of companies including BMW, Daimler, Hyundai, Nissan and Renault.

Thennarasu said the state has been receiving interest from electric vehicle manufacturers and battery makers. Ride-sharing company Ola, which has started an electric scooter manufacturing facility in the state, has expressed plans to expand, he said.

(Reporting by Sudarshan Varadhan in Chennai; Editing by Robert Birsel and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)

Hyundai shutters engine development in shift to electric and hydrogen vehicles

Researchers focus on batteries, motors, fuel cells and semiconductors

JOHN BELTZ SNYDER

Dec 28th 2021 at 5:16PM

Hyundai is quickly pivoting into an era of electric vehicles. Shortly after announcing it would halve the number of internal combustion models, it launched its first EV on its dedicated Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), the supremely enjoyable Ioniq 5. Now, as The Korea Economic Daily reports, Hyundai Motor Group, which includes sister brand Kia and luxury brand Genesis, has closed its engine development division at its research and development center in South Korea to put those resources into electric powertrain development.

According to the report, researchers from engine design are moving to its electrification design center, but a few remain behind to continue to refine existing internal combustion engines. The powertrain system development center will become an electrification test center, and the performance division will focus on electric performance. The group has also established a battery development center, and the R&D Center will also focus on raw materials for batteries and semiconductors.

In an email, R&D boss Park Chung-Kook told employees, “Now, it is inevitable to convert into electrification. Our own engine development is a great achievement, but we must change the system to create future innovation based on the great asset from the past.”

Hyundai Motor Group is targeting one million EVs a year by 2025, and full electrification by the year 2040. In addition to the newly launched Ioniq 5, Hyundai is planning to launch the Ioniq 6 EV, based on the stunning Prophecy concept, in 2022, and we’ve already seen spy shots of that prototype in testing. That will be followed by the full-size Ioniq 7 SUV in 2024, which was recently previewed by the Seven Concept at the 2021 L.A. Auto Show. Kia is set to launch the EV6 in 2022, and Genesis recently revealed the GV60 electric crossover, both of which will use Hyundai’s E-GMP architecture. Genesis also recently revealed an electric version of the GV70 crossover in China. Of course, Hyundai is also invested in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, both commercial vehicles like its Xcient trucks, and passenger cars like the Nexo and the recently revealed Vision FK concept.

 

Ford Mustang Mach-E replacement battery exceeds the cost of the car in Canada

December 28, 2021 Darryn John 

In Canada the Ford Mustang Mach-E has a base MSRP of $51,495. That will get you the Select variant, which comes with a 397km (247 mile) range from the 68kWh battery pack.

If you are unfortunate enough that you have to pay out of pocket for a new battery, be prepared to pay more than the original cost of the car for the replacement.

And that’s before factoring in labour costs.

According to a photo of internal dealer pricing shared on Reddit, a Mach-E battery has a “list” cost of $54,685.80. Unfortunately the price the dealer pays has been removed from the image.

 

Credit: u/Terrh /Reddit

Ford does offer a battery pack warranty of 8 years or 160,000 km, so the number of Mach-E owners who will have to pay for a battery replacement should be low, but it won’t be zero.

The likely explanation for the high price is that Ford is attempting to discourage third-parties from purchasing battery packs. The automaker has severely underestimated demand for their EV offerings, delaying new models to increase production of the Mach-E.

Any battery pack sold is one less car they can sell, so they price it at around the same amount as the car to minimize their losses.

Ford Mustang Mach-E Battery Costs More Than a $22,000 Tesla Model S Battery

Home > News > Industry

29 Dec 2021, 06:51 UTC · 

by Stephen Rivers

It's been a weird week as battery costs have become a major topic, and now it's not just Tesla that is under the microscope. The Mustang Mach-E has a battery that costs even more. Of course, there's more to the story than the price of a specific part.

 6 photos

The Tesla we're talking about is the one owned by Finnish YouTuber Tuomas Katainen. He was quoted some $22,600 for a full battery replacement recently. Rather than fix the vehicle, he decided to blow it to kingdom come with explosives. Yet, he didn't specify the battery size for his car or if that price included the labor costs or not. But it still drew serious attention.

Now, Carscoops has found that the Ford Mustang Mach-E battery pack can cost up to $23,684. That's before the $5,000 core charge too. We get the feeling that the Mustang Mach-E pricing won't get near the same attention. Here's why.

First and foremost, Tesla just gets a lot more press even when they're far from the worst offenders. Second, there's a chance that this pricing has more to do with current conditions than it does with what Ford could sell the pack for.

Ford has made it very public that the Mach-E is selling like hotcakes. In fact, it's selling so well that they have had to make major changes to their business plan. Included in those changes are pushing back the development of the Explorer EV and the Lincoln Aviator EV.

In addition, they've decided to dedicate entire production facilities to the Mach-E so that they can try and meet demand. Despite all of that effort, they still may not actually be able to make as many as they're selling any time soon.

So, the $23,648 price tag on a Mach-E battery pack might be the price that Ford is willing to part with a battery pack for right now. Once production catches up, things could change dramatically. Only time will tell. 

Germany closes half its remaining nuclear power plants

The shutdowns of three plants take place as Europe faces one of its worst-ever energy crises and as support for nuclear as a low carbon energy is, once again, on the rise.



The Grohnde nuclear power plant is one of three being shut down on Friday

Germany is to shut down three nuclear power plants on Friday, as part of the country's phase-out of nuclear energy.

The closures take place as Europe faces one of its worst-ever energy crises and as nuclear power is, once again, gaining support as it produces significantly less carbon dioxide.

The plants in Brokdorf in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, Grohnde in Lower Saxony and Unit C at Gundremmingen in Bavaria in the south are being taken off the grid.

The decommissioning process will take two decades and cost €1.1 billion ($1.25 billion) per plant.

Where does this leave nuclear in Germany?

This means that in 2022, Germany will have just three nuclear power plants — in the states of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Lower Saxony.

They are due to cease production in exactly a year's time, cutting nuclear energy output by around four gigawatts — equivalent to the power produced by 1,000 wind turbines.

However, two plants that produce fuel and fuel elements for export may continue to operate.

The closures will officially end the nuclear phase-out for domestic energy production started under former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Merkel's government made the decision in 2011 after the accident at the Fukushima atomic power plant in Japan.

An earthquake and tsunami destroyed the coastal plant in the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl 25 years earlier.


The Brokdorf plant is one of three nuclear power stations in Germany being shut down on New Year's Eve

Since then, support for nuclear energy has been rising. According to the World Nuclear Association, nuclear produces no greenhouse gas emissions during operation and over its life cycle, has similar carbon emissions as wind power.
Berlin remains firm on nuclear phase-out

The new German government is sticking to the nuclear plan, despite softening public opinion.

A recent YouGov survey for Welt am Sonntag newspaper showed around half of Germans said they were in favor of reversing the nuclear shutdown due to the recent sharp rise in energy prices.

Monika Schnitzer, a member of the German Council of Economic Experts, told the Rheinische Post newspaper that it would make sense "economically and ecologically" to delay the shutdown.

But Economy and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck on Wednesday said he did not see the anti-nuclear consensus weakening.

Kerstin Andreae, the head of energy industry association BDEW, insisted the phaseout was irreversible.

Other EU countries, including France, are continuing to push nuclear energy and campaign for it to be included on the EU's list of sustainable energy sources eligible for investment.
Skyrocketing energy prices in Europe

With energy prices soaring across Europe, the timing of the closures could hardly be worse.

Earlier this month, Europe's reference gas price was 10 times higher than at the start of the year — and electricity prices are also soaring.

The spike has been fuelled by geopolitical tensions with Russia, which supplies one-third of Europe's gas, and stands accused of limiting deliveries to put pressure on the European Union over the Ukraine conflict.

Moscow also wants to start operating the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will supply more Russian gas to Germany. The project is, however, yet to be officially certified by Berlin.

mm/rt (AFP, dpa, Reuters, AP)

CHINESE IMPERIALISM
Zijin starts production at giant Tibet copper mine
Reuters | December 27, 2021 

Tibet. (Image by Göran Höglund (Kartläsarn), Flickr).

Zijin Mining on Monday said it had started production at its Qulong copper mine in Tibet, one of the largest in top metals consumer China, adding a new source of supply to the market for next year.


Zijin, a well-known copper and gold producer that is buying Argentina-focused lithium miner Neo Lithium, took control of the Qulong mine around 18 months ago when it bought a 50.1% stake in operator Tibet Julong Copper Co and swiftly resumed construction at the project.

Julong Copper is expected to produce 120,000-130,000 tonnes of copper in 2022, including volumes from Phase 1 of Qulong and the Zhibula mine, which is also in Tibet, Zijin said in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange.

“After Phase 1 reaches the designated production capacity, the annual copper production volume will be approximately 160,000 tonnes,” it added.

The tightness in the copper concentrate market seen in recent years is expected to ease in 2022 as more mine production comes on stream. Annual treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) agreed by miners and smelters have risen for the first time since 2015.

Zijin said Julong Copper had applied to merge the mining rights for the Qulong mine and the adjacent Rongmucuola mine, arguing they belong to the same copper ore body. Following the merger, the mine will be renamed as Julong and Phases 2 and 3 will be pursued, it added.

“If the project obtains the approvals of the relevant governmental authorities, a final mining and processing scale of approximately 200 million tonnes of ores per year can be reached, and it will become the copper mine with the largest mining and processing scale in the world,” Zijin said.

(By Tom Daly; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)