Thursday, 29 July 2010

One big snowjob (Thursday, 29 July 2010) A VERY angry Sydney Mining Club chairman has given Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s Minerals Resource Rent Tax compromise, and several other mining identities, both barrels. Full Story... Narrabri wins NSW approval for longwall mining (Thursday, 29 July 2010) WHITEHAVEN Coal has received New South Wales government approval to start the $A300 million stage two development of its Narrabri mine in the Gunnedah Basin. Full Story... Massey sheds light on UBB in tough quarterly (Thursday, 29 July 2010) MASSEY Energy posted a net loss of $US88.7 million for the June quarter as the company attempts to overcome the fallout from the Upper Big Branch mine disaster which claimed the lives of 29 West Virginian workers in April. Full Story... Gloves off again at Tahmoor (Thursday, 29 July 2010) INDUSTRIAL action is returning to Xstrata’s Tahmoor colliery in New South Wales with six-hour rolling stoppages today and tomorrow as the union challenges management to let Fair Work Australia decide what should be in the next enterprise agreement. Full Story... Valley Longwall International recalls PA99 Air Movers (Thursday, 29 July 2010) VLI Conveyors has withdrawn its PA99 Air Movers from sale as a Fire Resistant and Anti-static (FRAS) certified product because they do not comply with Australian electrical and fire-resistance codes. Full Story... Damp conditions lead to dangerous misfires (Thursday, 29 July 2010) A SERIES of misfired detonators were recently discovered in an underground coal mine in Queensland, prompting an industry-wide government safety alert. Full Story... Patriot’s portrait continues improvement (Thursday, 29 July 2010) DESPITE second-quarter challenges including two longwall moves, the closure of an operation and an increase in regulatory activities, Patriot Coal reported a revenue increase on higher sales prices. Full Story... Downer EDI lands contracts worth $2B (Thursday, 29 July 2010) DOWNER EDI has won $A2 billion worth of five-year service contracts for BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance’s Goonyella Riverside and Norwich Park open cut mines in Queensland’s Bowen Basin. Full Story... Gloucester continues expansion efforts (Thursday, 29 July 2010) GLOUCESTER Coal had up to 16 drill rigs operating in the June quarter while coking coal sales were up 64% year-on-year. Full Story... QRN to resolve Collinsville concerns (Thursday, 29 July 2010) QUEENSLAND Rail National managed to put an end to a protest which blocked coal deliveries by rail between Collinsville and the Abbot Point Coal Terminal for two days. Full Story... Production dives for Wesfarmers (Thursday, 29 July 2010) WESFARMERS stitched up deals with Western Australian government-owned Verve Energy to be its sole supplier of thermal coal, but lower demand from the utility cut production from the Premier mine by 12% year-on-year for the June quarter. Full Story... Qld coal mines are some of Rio’s safest (Thursday, 29 July 2010) RIO Tinto has dished out top global safety awards to its Hail Creek and Blair Athol mines in Queensland. Full Story... Striking Colombian miners reach new deal (Thursday, 29 July 2010) AFTER a five-week walkout, workers from Glencore’s La Jagua operation have reached a two-year deal with the operator. Full Story... EDMS starts necessary business overhaul (Thursday, 29 July 2010) EVERY Day Mine Services has warned it will post a “disappointing” full-year result as it was hit by management and project interruption issues in the recent half year. Full Story... NAG Mine No. 2 ready to roll (Thursday, 29 July 2010) CANADIAN producer North American Gem has received a fully approved mine permit for the North American Gem No. 2 operation in Knox County, Kentucky, allowing production to begin immediately. Full Story...

Wednesday, 28 July 2010

Nitrogen: membrane or cryogenic? (Wednesday, 28 July 2010) THE only thing that stays the same is constant change. The coal industry is certainly subject to fluctuations and companies have to adapt and innovate to compete. Full Story... Canada’s first highwall on the move (Wednesday, 28 July 2010) Private producer First Coal is making progress in leaps and bounds as the Vancouver-based company works towards opening Canada’s first highwall operation in 2013. Full Story... Downer EDI lands contracts worth $2B (Wednesday, 28 July 2010) DOWNER EDI has won $A2 billion worth of five-year service contracts for BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance’s Goonyella Riverside and Norwich Park open cut mines in Queensland’s Bowen Basin. Full Story... Xstrata ramps up Aussie coking coal production (Wednesday, 28 July 2010) STRONG performances from Xstrata Coal’s Oaky Creek mining complex in Queensland’s Bowen Basin helped lift the company’s coking coal production by 73% to 3.8 million tonnes for the recent half year compared to the previous six months. Full Story... Coal Services to provide better VR training (Wednesday, 28 July 2010) HI-tech research company QinetiQ has won a $1.6 million contract to develop the next generation of software for the Virtual Reality Training technology provided by Coal Services Health & Safety Trust. Full Story... Australia a leader in clean coal tech (Wednesday, 28 July 2010) AUSTRALIA is at the forefront in critical areas of clean coal technology which is being developed by local universities with linkages to companies and industry bodies, chief executive of CRC Mining Michael Hood said. Full Story... Mandalong shines prior to Banpu takeover (Wednesday, 28 July 2010) CENTENNIAL Coal’s wholly owned Mandalong longwall operation hit 5.49 million tonnes of run-of-mine production for the recent financial year – a new production record. Full Story... Macarthur beats sales guidance (Wednesday, 28 July 2010) MACARTHUR Coal is riding on the back of strong demand for metallurgical coal as the Coppabella and Moorvale mines in Queensland produce a sales record of 5.26 million tonnes for the recent financial year. Full Story... Out and about at QME 2010 (Wednesday, 28 July 2010) CHECK out who was out and about at the 2010 Queensland Mining & Engineering Exhibition. Full Story... Energy supermarket needed to avert energy crisis: Roche (Wednesday, 28 July 2010) QUEENSLAND needs to adopt an “energy supermarket” strategy if the nation is to avoid being deficient of petroleum by 2015, Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche has said. Full Story... Major asset sales lift Coal & Allied (Wednesday, 28 July 2010) MAJOR thermal coal producer Coal & Allied raked in $A498 million of net profit after tax for the first half of 2010 – up 54% from the same period last year, largely on the back of the $480 million sale of the Maules Creek project to Aston Resources. Full Story... Abbott visits QME (Wednesday, 28 July 2010) OPPOSITION Leader Tony Abbott and his entourage made an unexpected appearance at the QME conference in Mackay, Queensland, today to pledge his unfailing support for the Australian mining industry. Full Story... Macarthur, CITIC axe deal (Wednesday, 28 July 2010) MACARTHUR Coal has terminated a $A110 million deal with CITIC Resources Holdings. Full Story...

Tuesday, 27 July 2010

Longwall mining chain: The fundamentals (Tuesday, 27 July 2010) Manage your AFC and BSL mining chain to extend operating life and reduce production stoppages due to chain failure. By Ellton Longwall's Mark Newton and George Roman. Full Story... Brighter grip (Tuesday, 27 July 2010) SLIPS, trips and falls injuries are common in the coal industry. To help tackle the issue, NLT Australia plans to integrate fibre-optic lighting into Klein Architectural Group’s innovative handrail to improve visibility and safety underground. Full Story... Alliance strength back in spades (Tuesday, 27 July 2010) RECORD coal sales volumes triggered a nearly 32% rise in revenue for Alliance Resource Partners (ARLP) in the second quarter, with the producer lifting its full-year earnings guidance. Full Story... Six unfair dismissals at Ulan (Tuesday, 27 July 2010) FAIR Work Australia found that six of the 10 Ulan mine workers axed almost a year ago were not genuine redundancies under the Fair Work Act – chiefly because there were options for redeployment at Xstrata’s Baal Bone longwall mine in New South Wales. Full Story... MSHA approves StrataCommTrac fixed node (Tuesday, 27 July 2010) STRATA Products Worldwide division Strata Safety Products has received federal approval from the US Mine Safety and Health Administration for the fixed node component of its StrataCommTrac communications system. Full Story... Prospectors targets NSW coal exploration market (Tuesday, 27 July 2010) SUPPLIER Prospectors Earth Sciences has acquired Orange-based Eagle Mining Services to boost its consumables market in the coal exploration scene in New South Wales. Full Story... Juniors launch fresh ad blitz (Tuesday, 27 July 2010) THE Association of Mining and Exploration Companies, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland, and the United Retail Federation will all launch separate national advertising campaigns protesting the proposed Minerals Resource Rent Tax. Full Story... Bathurst upgrades Buller project (Tuesday, 27 July 2010) BATHURST Resources has increased the coal resources of its Buller project in New Zealand sixfold to 42.2 million tonnes. Full Story... Bligh boost to regional housing (Tuesday, 27 July 2010) THE Queensland government declared the mining towns of Moranbah, Blackwater and Roma as urban development areas yesterday – allowing for fast track development of 900 new homes. Full Story...

Monday, 26 July 2010

Crinum tackles risk (Monday, 26 July 2010) BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance’s Crinum mine is tackling the high-risk task of belt retraction with a new monorail system. Full Story... The future of rock dusting (Monday, 26 July 2010) DSI Underground Systems has launched its Mine Foam Rock Dust technology designed specifically for the underground coal mine industry. Full Story... VSD reels in mines (Monday, 26 July 2010) SINCE 2006 ACE Conveyor Group has evolved its belt reeler design from traditional hydraulic equipment to a variable speed drive pinch roll and reeling system. Full Story... The boys light up (Monday, 26 July 2010) It takes a brave company to let its plant operators have a look at the power costs, right? Well so far it has worked for one player. Full Story... NSW coal ready to be revitalised: Minister McLeay (Monday, 26 July 2010) NEW South Wales Mineral Resources Minister Paul McLeay – who was recently appointed to the role after his predecessor Ian Macdonald left in controversial circumstances – outlines his vision for the state’s mining industry in an interview with ILN editor Lou Caruana. Full Story... Missing policies, worker error led to fatality: MSHA (Monday, 26 July 2010) AN investigative report by the US Mine Safety and Health Administration is pointing to missing procedures and controls regarding worker behavior near hoisted loads for a fatal accident in April that killed one contract worker. Full Story... Drop in underground sales bites Bucyrus (Monday, 26 July 2010) A SECOND-quarter reduction in underground equipment sales by Bucyrus played a role in an 11% net profit slip, though the OEM held fast to its full year revenue expectations. Full Story... Caledon prepares for big second half (Monday, 26 July 2010) CALEDON Resources’ Cook mine in Queensland has regained the staffing levels it had before its job cuts in the March 2009 quarter, but tough ground conditions are impacting panel development. Full Story... Gloucester ups exploration (Monday, 26 July 2010) GLOUCESTER Coal has boosted its coal reserves in New South Wales by 31% to 74.8 million tonnes, while commodities trader Noble Group increased its stake to above 90% of the coal producer. Full Story... Labor to target new coal stations (Monday, 26 July 2010) A RE-ELECTED Labor government will target “dirty” coal-fired power stations as its first move towards a new climate change policy, according to Prime Minister Julia Gillard, with new coal-fired stations to be subject to strict new emissions standards. Full Story...

Friday, 23 July 2010

Flat debut for Guildford (Friday, 23 July 2010) QUEENSLAND explorer Guildford Coal listed on the Australian Securities Exchange yesterday, debuting at a 10% discount to its A20c issue price. Full Story... Dryblower’s call to arms as Australia votes (Friday, 23 July 2010) SIT on the fence, or pick a side? That’s the question confronting mining as Australia goes to the polls, and while it is traditional for the industry to keep its mouth shut during an election campaign Dryblower reckons that this time it is different. Full Story... Flashback (Friday, 23 July 2010) SUMMER also becomes mine rescue competition season for the US coal industry as seen by this photo taken in 1941. Full Story... Bucyrus, Cliffs make landmark deal (Friday, 23 July 2010) ORIGINAL equipment manufacturer Bucyrus International and Appalachia-based producer Cliffs Natural Resources this week introduced the first automated plow system to go into a United States underground coal mine via a live unveiling and demonstration. Donna Caudill reports from the launch event. Full Story... UBB gas level spiked day of blast: Massey (Friday, 23 July 2010) UPPER Big Branch mine owner Massey Energy said today that data it is collecting on gases from the West Virginia operation reflect a “sudden inundation of unusually high levels” of methane on April 5, the day of an explosion that killed 29 miners. Full Story... Workers back at Tahmoor, wives at picket (Friday, 23 July 2010) WORKERS at Tahmoor Colliery in New South Wales are turning up to work this morning, ending an 11 day picket after the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union met with Xstrata Coal management. Full Story... Consol goes high-speed in mines (Friday, 23 July 2010) ADVANCES in the design and manufacture of rugged fibre-optic cables is enabling the successful installation of 10-gigabit transmission links in the most unlikely places, such as Consol Energy’s underground coal mines in the US. Full Story... QR National commissions new track (Friday, 23 July 2010) QR National has opened a $A79 million section of duplicated track in the Goonyella system to boost capacity in its Queensland coal system. Full Story...

Click here to read today's news stories.

Click here to read our complete archive.