Australian gas users fear shortage as LNG exports grow

Australia is on its way to becoming the world's top exporter of liquefied natural gas, but industrial consumers on the country's east coast are worried gas producers will ship so much to Asia's booming economies that domestic supplies will be...

UGL wins A$370m in contracts

Diversified services provider UGL has secured A$370-million in new contracts, of which the majority were targeted towards the resources sector. The ASX-listed project house said on Friday that more than A$270-million of the new contracts was in...

IDC invests big in revamped Platmin, Wits plans major mine research thrust, Rio moves mine automation to India

South Africa’s State-owned Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) has made its biggest single investment in five years - R3.24-billion - in Platmin’s comeback as an integrated mining and beneficiation Newco; Wits University is resuscitating...

Restructured BEE shareholder consortium opposing coal disposal

The disposal of mining major Rio Tinto’s metallurgical coal mine the Zululand Anthracite colliery (ZAC), is being met with fierce opposition by the company’s newly reconstituted empowerment partner the Maweni Mining Consortium (MMC).

Rio's Mine of the Future moves to India

Mining major Rio Tinto has moved to further expand its Mines of the Future initiative, partnering with India’s iGATE Patni to open an innovation centre in India, to support its global growth and development strategy. In the first partnership of...

Rio Tinto sets date for UK aluminium smelter closure

Diversified major Rio Tinto announced on Tuesday that it would close its Lynemouth aluminium smelter, in the UK, at the end of March, resulting in hundreds of job losses. The smelter, which opened in 1972, was declared unsustainable last year...

Botswana Diamonds raises £1.51m for projects

Diamond exploration and project development company Botswana Diamonds has raised £1.51-million, mainly for its exploration projects in Botswana, Cameroon and Zimbabwe. The London-listed junior placed 37.7-million new shares at 4p a share.

New robot to help assess safety of underground mining areas after blasting

An autonomous robot is being built that can assess the condition of a hanging wall in an underground mine after blasting and can dramatically reduce the risks to the safety of people and the associated economic risks for mining companies, says...

Canada’s competition body clears Rio’s Hathor bid

The Canadian Competition Bureau has cleared mining major Rio Tinto’s bid for Hathor Exploration. The Commissioner of Competition issued a “no action” letter for the C$4.70 a share all cash offer, which constituted compliance with all...

Southern Africa’s coking coal could rival Australia’s – CoAL

Southern Africa’s treasure chest of scarce coking coal could rival that of Australia’s rich endowment.

‘Transformed’ Coal of Africa a ‘buy’ – Evolution Securities

London-based Evolution Securities has reiterated a “buy” recommendation on the ASX-, JSE- and Aim-listed Coal of Africa Limited (CoAL) owing to its future coking-coal upside potential. Evolution’s Charles Kernot says in a note following the...

India explores flow-through, July’s mining output down, rewarded for being less SA

India’s Ministry of Mines is working on a flow-through share option; mining output in South Africa fell for the third consecutive month in July; ratings agency Moody's has patted Gold Fields on the back for being less South Africa.