Mining

Peabody energy will expand production at its Gateway mine, Illinois, by 40% to 4.5 million tpa to meet demand. The expansion is expected to cost US$ 175 million.

In India, plans are afoot to increase coal production by introducing a bill that will mean that the mines must share a portion of their profits with the locals.

Continental Coal Ltd’s Vlakvarkfontein coal mine has exceeded its monthly production target of 100,000 t during its second full month of operation.

Hunnu Coal has announced the results of coal quality analyses performed on samples taken from the due diligence drill cores at the Tsant Uul coking coal project. Initial test results demonstrate similarities to coals at the giant Tavan Tolgoi field.

Peabody Energy has approved the expansion of the Wilpinjong thermal coal mine in New South Wales, Australia, which is expected to increase production by 2 – 3 million tpa from 2012 as part of the company’s push to increase Australian production to 35 – 40 million tpa by 2014.

The remaining five bodies have been recovered from a flooded coal mine in China, raising the death toll to 13.

Aquila Resources has completed the feasibility study for the Washpool coking coal project in the Bowen Basin, Queensland. The project will cost AU$ 320 million to develop and produce 1.6 million tpa of hard rank hard coking coal over a mine life of 25 years.

July 2010: Kay Sever outlines how Culture Change starts with Management, Not Improvement Teams or Tools

National Coal Corp. has started construction of Mine 12, which is expected to produce up to 40,000 t of coal per month when completed.

Patriot Coal is closing its Harris No. 1 mine a year early due to difficult geological conditions.

An explosion at the San Fernando coal mine in Amaga, Antioquia province, Colombia, has killed at least eight miners and trapped over 70 more underground.

Ncondezi Coal has announced its admission to trading on AIM, the commencement of dealings in its shares on AIM, and the successful raising of US$ 52 million for the company.

New Zealand coal miner, Solid Energy, plans to build an underground coal gasification plant on its Huntly West Coal Mining Licence area, Waikato. The plant, which is subject to approval of the relevant applications, will convert up to 30,000 t of coal into syngas and builds on 5 year’s of investigation by the company.

Close to China and its huge demand for natural resources, Mongolia has vast untapped resources that are ripe for exploitation, including huge coal deposits. Hunnu Coal aims to help develop these resources and has recently acquired a 60% interest in the Buyan coal project, in the giant Tavan Tolgoi coking coal field in the Umnugobi Province of Mongolia.

Xstrata has suspended some of its mining investments in response to the Australian government’s proposed new resource tax.