U.S. Midwest, Rocky Mountains to See $3 Billion-Plus in Metals & Minerals Kickoffs this Summer

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The Rocky Mountains region is a historical haven for mining and mineral-related projects. But the neighboring U.S. Midwest is showing some of its own strength in those markets, given the rising demand for products such as cement. Industrial Info is tracking nearly $3.2 billion in active Metals & Minerals projects that are set to begin construction in the Midwest and Rocky Mountains regions this summer.

Click on the image at right for a graph detailing Metals & Minerals Industry kickoffs in the U.S. Midwest region in the summer of 2018, by state.

The U.S. Midwest region includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. The Rocky Mountains region includes Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming.

Among the highest-valued mining projects in the area is Western Fuels Colorado's (Westminster, Colorado) proposed, $200 million Colowyo Coal Mine expansion in Meeker, Colorado. The company plans to add another 19 years of life to the 2.4 million-ton-per-year surface coal mine, which supplies a power plant in nearby Craig, Colorado, with two more open pits. The current pit is expected to be exhausted by the end of 2020.

Western Fuels Colorado is a subsidiary of Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association (Westminster, Colorado). The Colowyo expansion is a positive sign for Tri-State Generation, which announced it would idle the 100-megawatt (MW) Nucla Power Station and the mine that supplies it, both in Colorado, by 2022. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report and April 9, 2018, article - CMA Conference: Colorado Coal Coming Back.

Nevada is home to two other large mining projects: Nevada Copper Corporation's (TSX:NCU) (Vancouver, Canada) $182 million Pumpkin Hollow Copper Mine and Mill in Yerington and Kinross Gold Corporation's (NYSE:KGC) (Toronto, Canada) $45 million expansion at its Round Mountain Gold Mine and Mill in Round Mountain. Nevada Copper plans to restart the development of two deposits as its 5,000-ton-per-day mine to extract 53 million pounds per year of copper, 9,200 ounces per year of gold and 179,000 ounces per year of silver concentrate, over a 13-year mine life; Kinross plans to reduce its leach pad solution inventory to extract 253,000 ounces per year of gold until 2027.

Exploration at the Pumpkin Hollow copper deposit has been proposed and pursued on and off for decades, since US Steel Corporation (NYSE:X) (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) discovered a large deposit in the early 1960s, according to Reno Gazette Journal. A local official told the newspaper that once operational, the mine will be the largest taxpayer in the county. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on Pumpkin Hollow and the Round Mountain expansion.

The largest non-mining project in the Metals & Minerals Industry that is set to begin construction in the area before the end of the summer is the $400 million expansion of a cement plant in Hannibal, Missouri. Continental Cement Company LLC, a subsidiary of Summit Materials (NYSE:SUM) (Denver, Colorado), plans to add another production line, doubling capacity to 2.5 million tons per year. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

The cement plant might be arriving at the right time, as the Portland Cement Association puts domestic cement demand growth at 2.8% this year and next, rising to 4% in 2020, according to World Cement.

Also in Missouri, Spartan Light Metal Products Incorporated (St. Louis, Missouri) is planning a $25 million magnesium die-casting plant in Mexico, Missouri. The company plans to construct a state-of-the-art facility behind its existing aluminum plant and install up to four die-casting machines, each with a 3,500-ton capacity. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

In addition to the above-mentioned projects, Industrial Info is tracking about $57 million in maintenance-related projects in the Rocky Mountains and Midwest's Metals & Minerals Industry that are set to begin construction this summer.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com/.