Tuesday, 9 March 2010

Resourceful women take out awards (Tuesday, 9 March 2010) BMA’S coal operations in Queensland have produced some outstanding women in the resources sector, who scooped the pool in this year’s QRC Resources Awards for Women. Full Story... Excessive dust at NSW longwall mines (Tuesday, 9 March 2010) NEW South Wales government testing of inhalable coal dust in the state’s longwall mines has found more than a third of the samples taken exceeded the 10mg per cubic metre limit. Full Story... Federal back online once again (Tuesday, 9 March 2010) PATRIOT Coal’s Federal No. 2 operation in northern West Virginia is open once again after being idled for a second time in as many weeks on March 5. Full Story... Australia's Longwall Mines 2009 Review (A-C) (Tuesday, 9 March 2010) THE latest individual mine production and equipment statistics for Australian longwall mines from A to C for the 2009. Full Story... ACCC puts brakes on HV rail access plan (Tuesday, 9 March 2010) ACCESS arrangements proposed by the Australian Rail Track Corporation for the Hunter Valley rail network have been knocked back by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Full Story... The quarterly pricing regime (Tuesday, 9 March 2010) IRON ore is tipped to settle on a quarterly basis as BHP Billiton avoids annual contracts for coking coal. Mine Life senior resources analyst Gavin Wendt and Patersons Securities coal analyst Andrew Harrington look into the ramifications. Full Story... Leonard takes Walter CEO reins for now (Tuesday, 9 March 2010) WALTER Energy has named board member Joseph Leonard as interim chief executive officer, and promoted two others to fill the balance of his predecessor’s role. Full Story... Industry bid for QR coal sale (Tuesday, 9 March 2010) QUEENSLAND coal producers joined forces yesterday to voice their opposition to the state government’s QR coal business privatisation model. Full Story... Watermark gathering steam (Tuesday, 9 March 2010) ENGINEERING and environmental consultancy GHD will perform the feasibility study for China Shenhua Energy’s Watermark thermal coal project in New South Wales, due for completion in six months. Full Story... Brookfield exec to head Prime Infrastructure (Tuesday, 9 March 2010) PRIME Infrastructure Holdings has appointed former Brookfield Multiplex chief financial officer Brian Kingston as its new managing director and chief executive. Full Story... Roberts, Crowder to oversee Cobalt operations (Tuesday, 9 March 2010) CANADIAN producer Cobalt Coal has appointed industry veterans Tom Roberts and Mike Crowder to oversee the operations of its new Cobalt Coal Corporation Mining subsidiary. Full Story...

Monday, 8 March 2010

BHP goes quarterly for coking coal (Monday, 8 March 2010) BHP Billiton has signed onto a three-month coking coal contract with Japanese steelmaker JFE Holdings at $US200 a tonne – a 55% premium on the last annual benchmark, according to various reports. Full Story... Patriot back under suspension (Monday, 8 March 2010) MINING at Patriot Coal’s Federal No. 2 mine near Fairview, West Virginia, is back under suspension after elevated gas levels were found once again in an abandoned area of the mine. Full Story... North Goonyella record set in concrete (Monday, 8 March 2010) TWO Australian concrete-pouring records were set at Peabody Energy’s North Goonyella coal mine when working on a new roadway. Full Story... North Goonyella workers sign deal (Monday, 8 March 2010) AFTER several months of intermittent industrial action, Peabody Energy and North Goonyella workers have agreed on a new two-year deal that will deliver an 8% pay increase to workers. Full Story... Essar makes $600M move on Central Appalachia (Monday, 8 March 2010) ESSAR Group will buy leading US producer Trinity Coal Partners for $US600 million, giving it producing mines in Kentucky and West Virginia and a resource base of 200 million tonnes. Full Story... Weather halts Baralaba, Wilkie Creek (Monday, 8 March 2010) MINING was ceased at the Baralaba open cut on Friday due to wet weather, while Peabody declared force majeure over its Wilkie Creek surface coal mine in Queensland’s Surat Basin a week ago. Full Story... QRC calls for regional uni push (Monday, 8 March 2010) QUEENSLAND’S resources sector has joined calls for greater federal government support for regional universities as it attempts to address the growing skills shortage in the industry. Full Story... GE to save water at Buchanan (Monday, 8 March 2010) CONSOL Energy’s Buchanan No. 1 longwall mine in southwestern Virginia will install General Electric’s Zero Liquid Discharge water treatment system to partly reuse about 99% of the water fed into the preparation plant. Full Story... Sedgman workers avoid quake (Monday, 8 March 2010) SEDGMAN has confirmed all its personnel in Chile are safe after the recent earthquake, but it still needs to carry out a formal inspection of its coal handling plant project in the coastal city of Coronel. Full Story... APAC takes review to Supreme Court (Monday, 8 March 2010) APAC Coal will suspend activities on its Indonesian coal mining licences while making an application to the Indonesian Supreme Court for a judicial review. Full Story...

Friday, 5 March 2010

Commercial Manager Underground Coal - Major Queensland Venture (Friday, 5 March 2010) Our client, a key player in the Australian and international resources sector, is currently developing a large scale underground coal project in Queensland’s Bowen Basin. Exploration programs to date reveal substantial hard coking coal reserves of 50 plus years. The final bankable feasibility study for this $1 billion project is presently under way with construction scheduled to commence in mid 2011 Full Story... General Manager Underground Coal - Major Queensland Venture (Friday, 5 March 2010) Our client, a key player in the Australian and international resources sector, is currently developing a large scale underground coal project in Queensland’s Bowen Basin. Full Story... Aquila takes Vale to court (Friday, 5 March 2010) AQUILA Resources today began legal proceedings against Vale seeking unspecified damages for defaulting on a joint venture agreement committing to infrastructure arrangements for the Eagle Downs coal mine in Queensland. Full Story... Vale reaffirms Australian commitment (Friday, 5 March 2010) VALE has confirmed it is fully committed to its coal operations in Australia, despite recent changes to its business organisation and disagreements with joint venture partner Aquila Resources about infrastructure for the Eagle Downs coal mine. Full Story... Preparing the mind for emergency (Friday, 5 March 2010) THE National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is in the middle of a three-year, six-part research project to bring comprehensive refuge chamber training to the nation’s mines. Full Story... New tool opens gate to collision avoidance (Friday, 5 March 2010) AN online mine safety tool that could help reduce the number of collision incidents in underground coal mines is being developed. Full Story... Linc closes on massive Qld coal asset sale (Friday, 5 March 2010) LINC Energy has received a written offer for three of its Queensland coal assets that could potentially host a longwall and two open cuts, and could be worth more than $A1.5 billion. Full Story... Getting methane monitoring right (Friday, 5 March 2010) A NEW methane monitoring system has opened up many opportunities for underground coal mines to effectively and profitably use methane typically released harmfully into the atmosphere. Full Story... Giant shiploader arrives at Abbot Point (Friday, 5 March 2010) A MASSIVE 1380-tonne coal shiploader is being installed this week at Abbott Point terminal as part of the $A818 million X50 expansion project. Full Story... Lessening the impact of skills shortages (Friday, 5 March 2010) THE future impact of skills shortages can be reduced now if employers invest in recruiting and training entry-level candidates, recruiter Hays Resources & Mining says. Full Story... Seven miners in Forbes Australian rich 40 (Friday, 5 March 2010) ENTREPRENEURS directly associated with the Australian mining industry make up 17.5% of the latest Forbes top 40 Australian rich list, with Fortescue Metals Group’s Andrew Forrest returning to the top of the heap this year. Full Story...

Thursday, 4 March 2010

Centennial’s growth projects (Thursday, 4 March 2010) CENTENNIAL Coal is gearing up for a big 2010 with the completion of the Airly mine next month, Mandalong export infrastructure nearly in place and the Joy flexible conveyor train at Clarence expected to hit full production in May. Full Story... Federal back online (Thursday, 4 March 2010) PATRIOT Coal’s Federal No. 2 mine near Fairview, West Virginia, has resumed operation after production was suspended on February 18 when potentially adverse atmospheric conditions were found. Full Story... China orders bring some joy (Thursday, 4 March 2010) STRONG underground original equipment orders from China were not enough to offset decreases in the United States and Australia for Joy Global in the first quarter of fiscal year 2010, but the OEM’s results were still in line with expectations. Full Story... Gloucester recommends Macarthur offer (Thursday, 4 March 2010) GLOUCESTER Coal’s directors have recommended shareholders accept either Macarthur Coal’s cash offer or an alternative scrip offer for the company in the absence of a superior proposal. Full Story... Coal prospects bright (Thursday, 4 March 2010) THE outlook for thermal and metallurgical coal is looking rosy with price increases expected in 2010 and prices to remain above historical averages for the next five years, according to ABARE’s latest forecasts. Full Story... More wild Queensland weather (Thursday, 4 March 2010) WET weather has led to 60km per hour speed restrictions on sections of the Goonyella, Moura and Blackwater rail systems, Queensland Rail says. Full Story... Aquila to move into ASX 100 (Thursday, 4 March 2010) AQUILA Resources could move into the ASX 100 when the next S&P review is made this month as the market reappraises the strength of its coal and other mineral projects, its balance sheet and experienced management. Full Story... Patriot lines up bank finance (Thursday, 4 March 2010) PATRIOT Coal has established a $US125 million receivables securitization program, with Fifth Third Bank committing up to $75 million in funding. Full Story... The war for mining talent (Thursday, 4 March 2010) THE global financial crisis for many employers was a welcome opportunity to consolidate, clean ranks and gain access to fresh, otherwise unobtainable talent, writes Talent2’s Alex Beutler*. Full Story...

Wednesday, 3 March 2010

Stunning year for Newlands (Wednesday, 3 March 2010) NEWLANDS Northern has blown its fellow Australian longwall mines out of the water, producing a massive 8.7 million tonnes of run-of-mine coal in 2009. Full Story... Upcoming milestones for Northern Energy (Wednesday, 3 March 2010) QUEENSLAND coal explorer Northern Energy aims to complete the bankable feasibility study for its wholly owned Elimatta thermal coal project by the end of March, and expects to upgrade the Maryborough project resources “shortly”. Full Story... Safety alert addresses hose layout (Wednesday, 3 March 2010) ALL Queensland longwall mines are recommended to review their hose and pipe layouts after a longwall high-pressure emulsion line at an unnamed operation became over-pressurised, causing a walkway platform to be hurled 3 metres. Full Story... NIOSH, MSHA co-hosting respirable dust workshop (Wednesday, 3 March 2010) THE National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the US Mine Safety and Health Administration have organized three one-day events to highlight respirable dust control technologies and techniques. Full Story... Risky business (Wednesday, 3 March 2010) ONCE up for a few risky career moves, jobseekers have become much more conservative in the wake of the global financial crisis, with Generation X the most cautious. Full Story... Coking coal potential at Vickery South (Wednesday, 3 March 2010) LABORATORY results for Coalworks’ first cored hole in its drilling program at the Vickery South coal project in New South Wales have indicated coking coal in lower seams. Full Story... MineWare wins BMA contract (Wednesday, 3 March 2010) MINEWARE has secured a preferred supplier agreement with BHP Billiton-Mitsubishi Alliance to supply its dragline monitoring and intelligence solutions across all BMA sites in Queensland. Full Story... Flood kills one Chinese miner, traps 31 (Wednesday, 3 March 2010) FLOODING of the Luotuoshan colliery in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has trapped 31 miners underground and killed one. Full Story... Quest adds Joy miner to fleet (Wednesday, 3 March 2010) KENTUCKY operator Quest Minerals and Mining is moving close to its production goal of 10,000 tons per month with the addition of a Joy 14-9 miner to its main equipment line. Full Story... Coal company emission data (Wednesday, 3 March 2010) AUSTRALIA’S Department of Climate Change has released some of the emissions data gathered in the 2008-09 financial year under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act, providing some insight as the government pursues its proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. Full Story...

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