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Thursday, June 2, 2011

Coal exports not yet affected by cold wave in Colombia - Mining chamber

Thursday, 02 Jun 2011

According to the president of the country& mining chamber Mr César Díaz, the cold wave that is hitting Colombia has still not had a negative impact on coal exports. Mr Diaz said that "There is still no sign that export agreements or important sales agreements are going to be halted.”

He added that however, if road closures worsen as a result of landslides, exports may well be impacted. He said that "But this effect hasn’t been felt yet.”

The cold front that the country is experiencing has affected the mining sector, both at production facilities and in terms of transport. He added that "If the winter continues at this pace, there is a strong possibility that there will not be growth in coal production this year. However, according to [the hydrology, meteorology and environmental studies institute] IDEAM, some relief can be expected in H2.”

A few days ago, local press reported that heavy rains in Norte de Santander department are negatively affecting coal mining, and that of the average 180,000 tonnes per month only 85,000 tonnes per month are being mined.

Local paper El Tiempo reported that the crisis has also generated infrastructure losses of over USD 14 million. So far, 50 mines have been closed due to flooding that made it impossible to enter and move the mineral in the tunnels, while the government decided to close another 10 because of environmental and safety problems. (sourced Report Linker)

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