Exploration & development

Wollongong Coal has increased its resources at its Wongawilli coal mine as its prepares to restart operations in 2Q16.

Mining costs estimated for the Ovoot metallurgical coal project in Mongolia have fallen 22% following a review of a 2012 pre-feasibility study.

Atrum Coal has received encouraging yields from quality testing at its Groundhog anthracite project, in British Columbia, Canada, and expects this to positively impact new pre-feasibility study.

Development at Universal’s NCC coal project is awaiting on a coal supply agreement with state utility Eskom before moving the mine can move to production.

Coal of Africa’s Makhado metallurgical coal project will start construction in 2H16 and is expected to take 26 months.

A round-up of some of this week's key news items from the international coal industry, from outlooks on the US government implementing a halt on coal leases to an innovative concept to deploy CCS in the Europe.

Kibo Mining has received results from Geotechnical Drill Programme for the Mbeya Definitive Mining Feasibility Study.

CoAL awards Optimisation Study and Front End Engineering and Design package to DRA Global’s South African company DRA Projects SA.

Australian coal development company has asked for an extension to its suspension from the ASX to continue negotiations with potential buyers.

Australian coal exploration and mine development company, Acacia Coal, has announced a restructuring of its board of directors in efforts to reduce costs.

Aspire Mining has announced that the Nuurstei coal project in Mongolia has received proximate analysis from core samples taken from the Ekhgoviin Chuluu Joint Venture’s 2015 exploration programme.

Aspire Mining subsidiary, Northern Railways, has received ins Construction License for the Erdenet-to-Ovoot Railway from the Mongolian government.

Chinese industrial conglomerate, Qingdao Hengshun Zhongsheng Group (Hengshun), has signed an MoU with Coal of Africa to acquire a 34% stake in the Makhado coal project in South Africa.

The New South Wales Planning Assessment Commission has approved a five-year extension to extract coal at the Wongawilli coal mine.

The New South Wales Planning Assessment Commission has rejected Anglo American’s proposed Drayton South expansion project over fears over the impact it would have on two of the region’s horse studs.