Mining magnate Robert Friedland is looking to make another potentially massive base metals discovery about 80 kilometres south of his famous Voisey’s Bay find from 1993.

Friedland’s privately held US-based firm Ivanhoe Electric Inc. (IVNE) has put up funding to conduct a low-temperature superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) moving loop transient electromagnetic survey on the South Voisey’s Bay (SVB) nickel-copper-cobalt project in Labrador, Canada.

The survey is being conducted by Discovery International Geophysics, headquartered in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

“Very low-frequency SQUID surveys are a relatively new tool being used in the hunt for highly conductive massive sulphide nickel deposits,” said Fjordland CEO James Tuer in a media release Wednesday.

The technology has been successfully applied in finding and expanding nickel deposits in Western Australia. In Canada, during the year, BHP-Midland and Wyloo Metals-Orford have also announced SQUID surveys on their nickel projects in northern Quebec.

The survey is expected to help classify the large number of graphite-related conductors that have complicated drill targeting in the past. Survey grids are also being prioritized over gravity anomalies, which may indicate high-density massive sulphide zones.

The SVB Pants Lake Intrusive complex is analogous to the Voisey’s Bay discovery. The proponents have already amassed a substantial project data set, including gravity, UTEM, pulse EM, Megatem, Radarsat and lithogeochemistry.

The SVB project is located 260 kilometres north-northwest of Goose Bay, Labrador, and 80 kilometres south of the Vale’s Voisey’s Bay nickel-copper-cobalt mine.

It covers most of the Pants Lake Gabbro Complex, which comprises several gabbro phases that are said to be similar to the ore-hosting gabbro at Voisey’s Bay nickel mine.

Drilling in 2017 and 2018 was centred on modelled conductors derived from re-processed historical UTEM-3 surveys conducted in 2002 and 2014 and incorporated the current geological concepts developed at Voisey’s Bay.

It was determined that geological structure plays an essential role in ore control at SVB, and that massive sulphide accumulations may also occur in wall rock structures. As a result, minor accumulations of nickel-copper sulphides in the drill core could indicate larger nearby massive bodies.

Results to date have encountered several stacked Gabbro sills comprising multiple magma pulses. The best results to date were from hole 17-2 which returned 0.8 metres grading 0.63% nickel, 0.30% copper and 0.1% cobalt and hole 17-6 which returned 3.9 metres grading 0.37% nickel, 0.27% copper and 0.1 % cobalt.

According to Fjordland, once in a system like SVB, the idea is to look for conduits where the nickel-bearing magma has flowed back into structural traps and accumulated into economic volumes.

Positive survey results are expected to lead to a drill program in 2022.

Fjordland optioned 100% of the Pants Lake Intrusive Complex from Commander and then brought in Friedland’s other private exploration firm, High Power Exploration (HPX), to earn 65% of the project. HPX uses advanced in-house proprietary exploration and geophysical technologies to uncover hidden targets over previously explored areas.

According to Vale data, as of 2018, Voisey’s Bay resources are 29 million tonnes at 0.1% nickel, 0.9% copper and 0.1% cobalt, for 328,600 tonnes nickel, 145,700 tonnes copper and 19,380 tonnes of cobalt in the proven and probable reserve categories.

Fjordland will have earned a 75% interest in the SVB project under its option with Commander Resources (TSXV: CMD), subject to Commander receiving a C$40,000 option payment and an additional Fjordland 400,000 shares. Fjordland can increase its interest to 100% by funding an additional C$5 million ($3.9m) in exploration expenses by October 2024.

Under its agreement with Fjordland, IVNE can earn a 65% interest in the project by funding these commitments leaving Fjordland with a residual 35% interest. Following the survey, IVNE will have spent C$3 million of the C$8 million required under the Fjordland-Commander option agreement.

Fjoirdland shares last traded up more than 5% in Toronto at C$0.10 apiece, capitalizing it at C$7.53 million ($6 million).

At its regular meeting today, the Cabinet has decided to withdraw the bill to amend the Law on Excise Tax, which was formulated in relation to the Bill on State Budget 2022 that was submitted to the Parliament.

Rather than supporting the domestic production of imported petroleum by-products through tax policy, it is considered necessary, in present situation, to improve the quality and standards requirement in Mongolia, monitor the activities of licensed companies, tighten the accountability system, and take management and regulatory measures as a matter of priority.

The Ministry of Health reported that 2,237 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the past 24 hours. Specifically, 1,107 cases were confirmed in Ulaanbaatar city, with 1,130 cases in rural regions and one imported case.

As of today, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Mongolia stands at 319,247. 6,500 patients have made recoveries in the past 24 hours.

Furthermore, 15 new COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, raising the country’s death toll to 1,318. Currently, 22,110 people are receiving hospital treatment for COVID-19 whilst 57,064 people with mild symptoms of COVID-19 are being isolated at home.

At the Cabinet’s regular meeting today, October 6, the following decisions were made.

-The movement of international transport crossing the Altanbulag checkpoint of the Mongolian-Russian border was resumed from October 1, 2021.

-As of October 5, 65.5 percent of the total population of Mongolia was fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and 323,940 people received the third dose. Therefore, it was instructed to pay attention to involve more people in the third dose and increase the number of vaccination points.

- The Cabinet deputed the Minister of Mining and Heavy Industry to finalize the draft cooperation agreement between Erchis Oil LLC and RN-Aero LLC and submit it for the Cabinet consideration.

- Minister of Justice and Home Affairs Kh.Nyambaatar briefed on the progress of the working group that aims to reduce the Corruption Perceptions Index.

- The Minister of Finance briefed on the process of drafting the Bill on Accelerating Economic Recovery and the establishment of the container terminal at the Gashuunsukhait border crossing. Since the bill was drafted, 257 proposals have been received from the private sector and over 280 -- from government agencies. These proposals will be incorporated into the bill on accelerating economic recovery.

Mongolia’s Ministry of Education and Science and Facebook, the global technology and social media company have entered a new partnership to train 1,000 professional teachers in Mongolia to implement digital literacy education at their own schools.

The new partnership came after Facebook in April 2021 launched “We Think Digital”, a multi-phased awareness and educational campaign to help Mongolia internet users navigate the online world safely and responsibly, and cultivate responsible digital citizens with complete digital literacy. The “We Think Digital” program was developed and implemented in Mongolia in partnership with Faro Foundation Mongolia, and in support of the Ministry of Education and Science, Communication and Information Technology Authority, UNICEF and Mongolian Fact-Checking Center. “I want to express my deep gratitude to Facebook and Faro Foundation for investing in Mongolia’s education. We have had a lot of challenges in the past two years and our youth experienced much education loss. We are willing to extensively invest in our youth’s education and make up for the time we have lost. The Ministry and myself are more than happy to be working with Facebook to invest in the future of education,” quoted His Excellency the Minister of Education and Science Enkh-Amgalan Luvsantseren.

“Facebook is proud to have the opportunity to partner with the Ministry of Education and Science to train 1,000 teachers in Mongolia with the latest knowledge and resources of digital literacy through our ‘We Think Digital” program. We truly believe in early-stage education of digital literacy for the better and safer internet tomorrow. The first batch of 1,000 teachers will be the pioneers trainers in Mongolia to scale up such meaningful educational efforts in dealing with new technologies for the years to come,” said George Chen, Director of Public Policy, Greater China, Mongolia and Central Asia at Facebook.

As a response to the urgent need for stronger digital literacy and digital citizenship, Facebook brought the global program “We Think Digital” to Mongolia for the first time in April 2021. The program aims to teach people how to navigate their privileges and obligations in today’s evolving digital space, how they should decipher and share information online, and most importantly, and how they should interact with other people in online communities. Facebook’s We Think Digital Program is the expansion of Digital Literacy Library, which was also developed by Facebook and launched in Mongolia in 2019.

We Think Digital is an extensive training program composed of eight modules covering topics such as digital citizenship, online safety, hate speech and bullying, privacy and cyber security, as well as misinformation. Faro Foundation effectively launched the initiative in Phase I through robust and energetic social media advertisements and campaigns. In addition, the Faro Foundation had the distinction of organizing a series of panel discussions with notable public figures, political leaders, and influencers. The initiative is reaching out to people in the community to raise awareness about digital literacy challenges. In Phase I, Faro Foundation also held a series of We Think Digital workshops and handed out “Digital Citizen” certificates to nearly 1,000 people. Facebook is delighted to be partnering with the Ministry of Education and Science on Phase II of the initiative to educate 1,000 professional teachers to reach out to our communities and promote digital literacy.

Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia reported 2,409 new COVID-19 cases and 14 more deaths over the past 24 hours, bringing the national caseload to 317,010 and death toll to 1,303, the health ministry said Wednesday.

One of the latest confirmed cases was imported from abroad, and the remaining ones were local infections, said the ministry.

Currently, 22,158 COVID-19 patients are being hospitalized across the country, while 55,363 patients are receiving home-based care due to a shortage of hospital beds and medical staff, according to the ministry.

Although over 65 percent of the country's population of 3.4 million have received two COVID-19 vaccine doses, the resurgence of the pandemic has continued due to the Delta wave, with more than 2,000 infections and more than 10 deaths reported every day.

Mongolian health authorities have urged the public to strictly follow all relevant health guidelines and receive the booster or a third dose of vaccines.

So far, 323,940 Mongolians have received the booster. The ministry has said that at least 50 percent of the population should receive the booster.

MOSCOW, October 6. /TASS/. Russia and Mongolia wrapped up the active phase of the Russian-Mongolian tactical exercise, Selenga, held at the Doityn Am training range, the Eastern Military District’s press service told TASS on Wednesday.

"The active phase of the Selenga exercise, with the participation of the Eastern Military District’s troops and the armed forces of Mongolia has been completed in Mongolia. For the first time ever, practical maneuvering of the troops was observed by Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene and Defense Minister Gursediin Saikhanbayar. Also, the final stage of the exercise was attended by Deputy Commander of the Eastern Military District - Lieutenant General Mikhail Nosulev," the press service said.

The joint Russian-Mongolian drills are focused on fighting international terrorism. This year, the international exercise, which began on September 22, involved the personnel of a motorized infantry formation of the Eastern Military District’s combined arms army stationed in the Republic of Buryatia and units of the armed forces of Mongolia numbering about 1,500 service members and over 200 items of military hardware.

The drills were held in the run-up to the centenary of setting up the Mongolian armed forces and ahead of the 100th jubilee of establishing diplomatic relations between Russia and the republic.

Major construction projects transform the lives of thousands of Mongolians – whether they’re creating new plants, enabling better transport, or providing power to the surrounding area. Aside from creating thousands of jobs during the construction phase, they’ll bring in opportunities for the local economy that will continue to provide benefits for years to come.

Despite significant challenges facing Mongolia’s economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still several megaprojects either being built or being planned.

From Mongolia’s first ever oil refinery to hydro power plant to reconstruction of busiest road connecting capital city with the third largest municipality of Darkhan, we’re taking a look at the four biggest construction projects that will be carried by Mongolian Government. The mega projects—those that cost MNT 733.7 billion in 2020 State Budget.

MNT 150 billion for the Mongolia’s first ever oil refinery

To reduce its dependence on imports, the Government of Mongolia has commenced construction of the country’s own refinery, supported by a USD 1.24 billion soft credit line from India. The refinery with an initial capacity of 1.5 million tonnes per annum is being built in Dornogobi province.

According to officials, construction of the refinery will be completed in 2025. Currently, 13 American companies and eight Indian companies are participating in the construction which is running 30 percent of completion.

MNT 115.4 billion for the Erdeneburen hydropower plant

The 90-megawatt hydropower plant is considered crucial to ensuring long-term energy supplies to western Mongolia and laying the foundation for the development of renewable energy in the region. The Erdeneburen hydropower plant on Khovd River will be constructed in the coming five years, with USD 228.5 million soft loan from the Chinese government.

MNT 117 billion for 204 km road connecting Ulaanbaatar and Darkhan cities

204-km four-lane auto road connecting Ulaanbaatar and Darkhan cities are under construction. The cost of the renovation is largely being covered by the Asian Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD); a total of USD 83.8 million in loans has been allocated by the government for the renovation of what has been dubbed the “deadliest road in Mongolia”.

Built in 1970-1980, the 244 km Ulaanbaatar – Darkhan highway passes through major industrial towns, agricultural regions and tourist camps. The road is of strategic importance, because it is part of the north-south corridor, linking the capital with Russia. Darkhan is the country’s third-largest city.

MNT 92 billion for thermal power stations in 10 provinces

Mongolia has started constructions of thermal power stations in 10 provinces with Chinese soft loan of USD 148.7 million. Thermal power stations are crucial for Mongolia, the one of coldest countries in the world.

Mongolia has its own oil fields producing enough crude for its requirements. However, almost all of its crude oil is exported and all of its finished petrochemical products are imported. Mongolia imports more than 90% of the oil products from Russia and the remainder from countries such as China, Republic of Korea. To reduce its dependence on imports, the Government of Mongolia has commenced construction of the country’s own refinery, supported by a USD 1.24 billion soft credit line from India. The refinery with an initial capacity of 1.5 million tonnes per annum is being built in Dornogobi province.

According to officials, construction of the refinery will be completed in 2025. Currently, 13 American companies and eight Indian companies are participating in the construction.

Based on survey conducted between 2016 and 2019, approximately 60 percent of the refinery’s production of petroleum products will be diesel. For other fuels, the refinery will refine only gasoline AI-95.

Once ready, the refinery will produce 1.5 million metric tons per annum, with diesel and gasoline as the primary products and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), fuel oil and jet fuel being produced as secondary products.

According to the Digital Quality of Life (DQL) Index 2021, Mongolia is ranked 90th out of 110 countries in the world.

The DQL survey, which covers 90 percent of the world's population, is conducted by cybersecurity firm Surfshark and assesses countries based on the five main pillars of digital well-being – internet affordability and quality, e-infrastructure, e-security, and e-government.

Mongolia shows its highest rank in internet affordability (39th), surpassing economically affluent countries like Belgium, Italy, and Norway, but displays comparatively low results in Internet quality (107th), electronic infrastructure (82nd), electronic security (89th) and e-government (87th).

Moreover, the country is ranked 26th out of 32 Asian countries in the index, and lags behind in 4 out of 5 pillars of DQL. The country lacks the quality of the Internet, as it is about 40 percent lower than the global average. The country is at 107th in the world in the quality of the Internet. In terms of the stability of the mobile Internet, it ranks last in the index (110th).