China Shenhua says plans to buy assets from controlling shareholder

China Shenhua Energy Co Ltd, the country's largest coal producer, said it plans to acquire assets from its controlling shareholder including equity interests in or assets of China Shenhua Coal Liquefaction and Chemical Co Ltd and Shaanxi Shenyan...

Sasol to apply for Waterberg coal mining licence

South Africa’s third-largest coal producer, Sasol Mining, has received approval from its group executive committee to apply for a mining licence in the Waterberg, where it plans to erect a small-scale colliery that will be used as a future...

Sasol opens new R3.5bn coal shaft in Mpumalanga

Fuel-from-coal producer Sasol Mining’s new R3.5-billion Thubelisha shaft at the Twistdraai colliery, in Mpumalanga, was officially opened on Tuesday by Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu. The current Twistdraai Colliery shaft system has...

Coal makes a comeback in Illinois Basin in US

Two years ago, Peabody Energy opened a new coal mine in Sullivan County, Indiana. The mine, called Bear Run, is now the largest surface mine in the eastern US and a symbol of the revival of one of America's historical coal fields. As coal mining...

Cliffs Q1 profit down 11% as mining, transport costs spike

Iron-ore and coal producer Cliffs Natural Resources on Wednesday reported an 11.1% drop in profit for the first quarter to $376-million, or $2.63 a share. This was the result of increased mining and transportation costs, which spiked by 85% to...

Zyl receives production offtake offers, expressions of interest in funding its South African operations

Perth-based coal producer Zyl has received a number of nonbinding expressions of interest (EOIs) for the production offtake and/or funding of the company’s two South African operations, as well as interest in joint-venture agreements with and...

Keaton reports significant production increases

With two operational collieries in South Africa, JSE-listed coal producer Keaton Energy on Wednesday said it had significantly increased coal production “across the board” during the financial year ended on March 31. The company’s...

Two years after UBB tragedy, Alpha Natural to board up coal mine for good

On the eve of the second anniversary of the Upper Big Branch coal disaster that left 29 miners dead, Alpha Natural Resources, the third-biggest US coal producer by sales, said it will not reopen the operation. Alpha bought the mine, which has...

Forbes exports surge on strong Asian demand

TSX- and JSE-listed Forbes and Manhattan Coal on Monday reported a 179% year-on-year increase in export sales to 578 000 t for the year ended February 2012, compared with 207 200 t in the previous year. Export sales were mostly driven by demand...

CIL board to meet to finalise FSAs and import strategy

The board of India’s largest coal producer, Coal India Limited (CIL), would meet later this week to draft and finalise a standard fuel supply agreement (FSA) to power plants against the backdrop of the scrapping of a 5% import duty on non-coking...

Cabinet approves hive-off model for State mining company

The hiving off of South Africa’s State mining company as a standalone growth entity has been approved by the Cabinet. The proposed model to hive off African Exploration Mining and Finance Corporation (AEMFC) from its hosting by the State-owned...

Colombia coal production to reach 120Mt in 2014, says Minister

Colombia is targeting growing coal production from 97-million tons this year to 120-million tons a year by 2014, Colombia Minister of Mines and Energy Mauricio Cardenas Santa Maria said on Monday. Also, the flood of junior companies scouring the...