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Monday
12 May 2008
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LAST WEEK'S STORIES

 Friday, 9 May 2008

Shotcrete saviour
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

A NEW method of testing shotcrete could not only increase roadway development rates and re-entry time into mines following a ground control failure, but could also change the very guidelines that underground coal mines abide by in Australia.
Full Story...



Qld legislates for resources action
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

AN OLD legal loophole that has allowed a small company to sit on an undeveloped coal resource for more than 13 years has finally been closed up by the Queensland Government, which is eyeing the rich royalties it will receive when the resource is finally mined.
Full Story...



The Next Big Thing
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

POWER! Whether it comes from coal, oil, gas, nuclear or geothermal doesn’t really matter, because if you’re looking for “the next big thing” in the resources world it is actually one of the oldest and most indispensable: electric power. By Tim Treadgold
Full Story...



Peabody to double profits
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

PEABODY Energy expects to double its profits in 2008, with its Australian operations alone anticipated to earn as much as Peabody's record results last year.
Full Story...



Revenues, income both up for NRP
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

INCREASED coal prices and higher production levels at its mines have left master limited partnership Natural Resource Partners with record revenue and net income in the first quarter.
Full Story...



Gemcom acquisition gains approval
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

THE world's largest global supplier of specialised mining productivity solutions, Gemcom Software, has signed a definitive agreement to be bought out in a deal worth approximately $C180 million.
Full Story...



Phoenix First Response unveils new lab
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

US atmospheric safety outfit Phoenix First Response has officially opened a gas laboratory and chromatograph sales centre, the first of its kind in the nation.
Full Story...



Coal production necessary to keep ahead of prices
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

CHINA Guodian Corporation, one of China's five leading power producers, has received permission to expand its main business into coal mine development in an attempt to overcome rising thermal coal contract prices.
Full Story...



Patriot mines receive safety honours
(Friday, 9 May 2008)

ONE underground mine, one surface operation and one preparation facility owned by producer Patriot Coal have each received a safety performance award for 2007 from the Joseph A Holmes Safety Association.
Full Story...


 Thursday, 8 May 2008

Shift to longwall will see production soar
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

PRODUCTION at the Carborough Downs joint venture mine in Queensland is set to more than triple by late 2009, when a shift to longwall mining is complete.
Full Story...



Mineral royalties on the rise
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

INCREASING coal contract prices and infrastructure development projects could see mineral royalties in Queensland increase to as much as $A2.5 billion in 2008-09, Queensland Resources Council chief executive Michael Roche said.
Full Story...



Government acting on 457 report
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

SPECIALISED teams to facilitate and process 457 visas will be set up in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth from July.
Full Story...



Enterprise enters coal industry for $235m
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

ENTERPRISE Energy has announced its intention to acquire Bandanna Coal, a private company with extensive coal exploration interests in Queensland's Bowen and Galilee basins.
Full Story...



Jennmar acquires Commonwealth Bolt
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

GROUND and roof control supplier Jennmar has acquired Virginia firm Commonwealth Bolt, the company announced this week.
Full Story...



Massey at fault for Mammoth: MSHA
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

APPALACHIAN producer Massey Energy was cited for safety violations that led to the death of one worker last December, according to a report released Wednesday by the US Mine Safety and Health Administration.
Full Story...



Development opportunities high on CMA’s list
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

WHILE the topics have changed, the Colorado Mining Associations' voice has remained strong as one of the nation's oldest industry advocacy groups. Today at the top of the coal agenda is climate and greenhouse gases at a state level, combined with advocating for new mining developments in a time when activism against it is increasing.
Full Story...



Ground zero: moving towards ultimate safety
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

WHAT do the space shuttle Columbia disaster, motor racing and psychology have to do with the mining industry? All three will feature at the 2008 New South Wales Minerals Industry Occupational Health and Safety Conference next week.
Full Story...



CoA off-loads Holfentein for $25m
(Thursday, 8 May 2008)

COAL of Africa is set to receive a total of $A25 million from Lachlan Star for the acquisition of its Holfentein project in South Africa.
Full Story...


 Wednesday, 7 May 2008

Xstrata output down, but buoyant prices ahead
(Wednesday, 7 May 2008)

FLOODS in Queensland earlier this year that caused Xstrata to declare force majeure impacted production to the tune of 4% for the first quarter, whilst in New South Wales semi-soft coking coal production jumped 40%.
Full Story...



Alpha off to aggressive start
(Wednesday, 7 May 2008)

VIRGINIA operator Alpha Natural Resources said this week that rising coal prices have lent a huge hand in its 17% revenue spike and tripled net income in its first quarter.
Full Story...



Contrary cars under review
(Wednesday, 7 May 2008)

UNPLANNED movements of shuttle cars in an underground mine, even over small distances, have the potential to cause death.
Full Story...



Another courter comes calling
(Wednesday, 7 May 2008)

WHILE the world waits to discover the identity of Macarthur Coal's mystery suitor, China’s CITIC Group is reportedly considering a takeover bid of its own for the Australian coal company.
Full Story...



Weather, costs and inflation hit James River
(Wednesday, 7 May 2008)

WEATHER and increased costs are being cited for a widened loss in James River Coal's first quarter, but positive changes are ahead, the operator said this week.
Full Story...



MSHA issues best practices after roof fall death
(Wednesday, 7 May 2008)

THE US Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued a set of best practices following last month’s roof fall in a Virginia coal mine that left one miner dead and another injured.
Full Story...



Thiess inks Indonesian mining contract
(Wednesday, 7 May 2008)

CONTRACT mining giant Thiess has been awarded a $US250 million ($A267.3 million), five-year mining contract with Indonesian coal marketer Inkor Prima Coal.
Full Story...



UCG project gets financial boost
(Wednesday, 7 May 2008)

METEX Resources has secured a major investment in its underground coal gasification plant with a memorandum of understanding signed with chemical and fertiliser group Incitec Pivot that includes an $A11 million share placement and joint venture.
Full Story...



Clean coal projects get boost in Vic budget
(Wednesday, 7 May 2008)

THE Victorian Government has thrown its weight behind clean coal and carbon capture and storage technologies by committing $A129.4 million to develop various projects as part of its $294.6 million climate change package handed down in yesterday’s state budget.
Full Story...



Move to coal paying off for Cliffs
(Wednesday, 7 May 2008)

CLEVELAND Cliffs' new coal operations, acquired in July 2007, performed strongly for the company in the first quarter of 2008, generating $US94 million in sales and producing nearly 1 million tons of coal.
Full Story...



Famic Technologies releases Automation Studio 5.6
(Wednesday, 7 May 2008)

CANADIAN software firm Famic Technologies has introduced the latest version of its comprehensive mine software, Automation Studio.
Full Story...



Speak up
(Wednesday, 7 May 2008)

WHILE the handling of the Cannington fatality which sparked proposed changes to Queensland mine safety legislation was not "representative of the Queensland industry as a whole", Mines and Energy Minister Geoff Wilson says Queensland must not rest on its laurels.
Full Story...



ACT's Starfish has legs
(Wednesday, 7 May 2008)

AN UPGRADE for the ActiveMine wireless communications system is now available, allowing miners isolated from each other in an accident to communicate, even when cut off from the rest of the world.
Full Story...


 Monday, 5 May 2008

Coming of age: Mandalong
(Monday, 5 May 2008)

HAVING cut its teeth on narrower panels, Mandalong is now reaching for 5Mtpa output with its wider 150m face and additional equipment from closed sister mine Newstan. By Angie Bahr
Full Story...



Rumours fly but companies remain tight-lipped
(Monday, 5 May 2008)

RUMOURS that Xstrata is the mystery suitor chasing a takeover bid in Macarthur Coal heated up last week, in spite of silence from both companies.
Full Story...



Rio Tinto coal exports to double
(Monday, 5 May 2008)

RIO Tinto Coal Australia has made a commitment to double coal exports from its Queensland operations over the next seven years at the opening of its $A950 million mine in the Bowen Basin last week.
Full Story...



Two Murray Energy longwalls may close
(Monday, 5 May 2008)

MURRAY Energy's American Energy Century mine and Ohio Valley Coal's Powhatan No. 6 operation could both permanently close if a dispute with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency is not resolved.
Full Story...



Profit down but expectations up for Walter
(Monday, 5 May 2008)

WHILE overall profits were down for Walter Industries in its first quarter, it is looking ahead to a positive year in its coal business, poised to set record earnings on healthy production rates and unprecedented high pricing.
Full Story...



Small mines making progress: MSHA
(Monday, 5 May 2008)

IN THE five years since the US Mine Safety and Health Administration established its Small Mines Office, fatal accidents at assisted operations have seen a "significant decline", the agency said late last week.
Full Story...



Sedgman invests in cleaner coal
(Monday, 5 May 2008)

SERVICES company Sedgman announced on Friday it has invested in clean coal technology company Exergen, the company responsible for developing the process of removing moisture from brown coal to remove contaminants and lower emissions.
Full Story...



Four missing in Chinese mine blast
(Monday, 5 May 2008)

A COAL mine blast in central China on Sunday has left four miners missing.
Full Story...




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