Saturday, 10 Dec 2011
MetroCoal has established a maiden JORC Resource of 520 million tonnes thermal coal for the Dalby West project, following completion of its 2011 exploration drilling program.
Dalby West is located at the south eastern end of the Surat Basin in Queensland and MetroCoal’s total Surat Basin underground coal resources now equal 2,883 million tonnes. The resource is based on using underground mining methods to extract the coal seams.
MetroCoal's extensive coal exploration tenements in the Surat Coal Basin cover 4,000 square kilometres and are down dip of well known resources including Wandoan, Elimatta, Cameby Downs and Worri.
Based on the geological information from the historic drilling programs and its own drilling results, MetroCoal expects to identify a coal JORC Inferred Resource of at least 2 billion tonnes within the next two years for conventional underground coal mining.
Modelling has identified the Macalister Upper Seam as being continuous and correlateable within the polygon area. This seam has a minimum thickness of 2.5 metres and an average thickness of over 4.5 metres and has the best potential for mining as a single section.
Several other seams including the Kogan and Macalister Lower Seams were identified.
Coal quality analysis was consistent with expectations of the Macalister Upper Seam which is a low sulphur medium ash thermal coal.
On November 18 MetroCoal and joint venture partner SinoCoal Resources achieved another milestone with the increased Inferred Resource for the Columboola Project in the Surat Basin to nearly 1.3 billion tonnes of thermal coal, up from 540 million tonnes previously.
(sourced Proactiveinvestors)
Showing posts with label Australia thermal coal production. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Australia thermal coal production. Show all posts
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Billionaire Tinkler Proposes $2.47 Billion Newcastle Coal Export Terminal
Tuesday, November29, 2011
Billionaire Nathan Tinkler proposed building a A$2.5 billion ($2.47 billion) coal export terminal in Newcastle, Australia, to compete with one proposed by Port Waratah Coal Services Ltd.
The terminal will add 100 million metric tons of export capacity if approved by the New South Wales state government, Tinkler’s Hunter Ports Pty said today in a statement on its website. That would double the amount being shipped annually from the world’s biggest thermal coal port. Port Waratah has proposed a A$5 billion plan to add 120 million tons of capacity.
“Port Waratah’s view is that this just does not fit with the broader plan, and not only that, it seriously risks jeopardizing the broader Hunter Valley coal industry export plan,” Matthew Watson, a spokesman for the operator of two export terminals at Newcastle, said by phone. “Port Waratah has started entering into contracts with Hunter Valley coal producers.”
Resource companies are planning A$430 billion of projects in Australia, the world’s biggest exporter of coal, iron ore and alumina, to meet demand from Asia. Coal exporters are facing bottlenecks as railroads and ports have struggled to cope with the increased demand, resulting in regular queues of ships waiting to load.
Rail Corridor
The planned terminal, subject to state government approval to use the proposed site, may start exports from 2015 “or sooner,” Steve van Barneveld, managing director of Hunter Ports, told reporters today in Sydney.
Existing coal mines and projects in and around the Hunter Valley, where Rio Tinto Group and Xstrata Plc own mines, would support additional annual exports of 65 million to 90 million tons of coal “if there is the infrastructure,” Hunter Ports said.
Japanese trading houses and Chinese parties have shown interest in providing “equity backing” for the project, Mark Rowsthorn, head of Tinkler’s International Ports & Logistics, said at the meeting. Rowsthorn joined in August after his previous role as chief executive officer of Asciano Ltd. (AIO), Australia’s largest port operator.
Tinkler, an electrician-turned-resources entrepreneur, is also chairman and largest shareholder of Brisbane-based Aston Resources Ltd. (AZT), which is developing the Maules Creek coal mine in New South Wales. Tinkler, who’s other business interests include a rail developer and racehorses, said Nov. 17 that he plans to buy more coal assets in the region. Aston plans to export coal from Maules Creek through Newcastle.
‘Inconsistent’ Plan
Port Waratah plans to lodge its environmental assessment with the state Department of Planning and Newcastle Port Corporation tomorrow, it said in a statement on its website.
Hunter Ports, which is based in Newcastle, aims to start a community engagement program and information sessions during the next two weeks. Following assessment of the proposal by the NSW government, Hunter Ports will prepare an environmental impact statement, it said.
Newcastle Port Corporation considers Koorangang Island, the site of Port Waratah’s proposed terminal as the best location for an additional loader, it said in an e-mailed statement. Newcastle Port said it has a lease agreement with Port Waratah built on the back of the Hunter Coal Export Framework that is supported by the coal industry and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the e-mail said.
A spokeswoman at the New South Wales Department of Planning wasn’t immediately able to comment. The port of Newcastle is located about 125 kilometers (70 miles) north-northeast of Sydney.
sourced Bloomberg
Billionaire Nathan Tinkler proposed building a A$2.5 billion ($2.47 billion) coal export terminal in Newcastle, Australia, to compete with one proposed by Port Waratah Coal Services Ltd.
The terminal will add 100 million metric tons of export capacity if approved by the New South Wales state government, Tinkler’s Hunter Ports Pty said today in a statement on its website. That would double the amount being shipped annually from the world’s biggest thermal coal port. Port Waratah has proposed a A$5 billion plan to add 120 million tons of capacity.
“Port Waratah’s view is that this just does not fit with the broader plan, and not only that, it seriously risks jeopardizing the broader Hunter Valley coal industry export plan,” Matthew Watson, a spokesman for the operator of two export terminals at Newcastle, said by phone. “Port Waratah has started entering into contracts with Hunter Valley coal producers.”
Resource companies are planning A$430 billion of projects in Australia, the world’s biggest exporter of coal, iron ore and alumina, to meet demand from Asia. Coal exporters are facing bottlenecks as railroads and ports have struggled to cope with the increased demand, resulting in regular queues of ships waiting to load.
Rail Corridor
The planned terminal, subject to state government approval to use the proposed site, may start exports from 2015 “or sooner,” Steve van Barneveld, managing director of Hunter Ports, told reporters today in Sydney.
Existing coal mines and projects in and around the Hunter Valley, where Rio Tinto Group and Xstrata Plc own mines, would support additional annual exports of 65 million to 90 million tons of coal “if there is the infrastructure,” Hunter Ports said.
Japanese trading houses and Chinese parties have shown interest in providing “equity backing” for the project, Mark Rowsthorn, head of Tinkler’s International Ports & Logistics, said at the meeting. Rowsthorn joined in August after his previous role as chief executive officer of Asciano Ltd. (AIO), Australia’s largest port operator.
Tinkler, an electrician-turned-resources entrepreneur, is also chairman and largest shareholder of Brisbane-based Aston Resources Ltd. (AZT), which is developing the Maules Creek coal mine in New South Wales. Tinkler, who’s other business interests include a rail developer and racehorses, said Nov. 17 that he plans to buy more coal assets in the region. Aston plans to export coal from Maules Creek through Newcastle.
‘Inconsistent’ Plan
Port Waratah plans to lodge its environmental assessment with the state Department of Planning and Newcastle Port Corporation tomorrow, it said in a statement on its website.
Hunter Ports, which is based in Newcastle, aims to start a community engagement program and information sessions during the next two weeks. Following assessment of the proposal by the NSW government, Hunter Ports will prepare an environmental impact statement, it said.
Newcastle Port Corporation considers Koorangang Island, the site of Port Waratah’s proposed terminal as the best location for an additional loader, it said in an e-mailed statement. Newcastle Port said it has a lease agreement with Port Waratah built on the back of the Hunter Coal Export Framework that is supported by the coal industry and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the e-mail said.
A spokeswoman at the New South Wales Department of Planning wasn’t immediately able to comment. The port of Newcastle is located about 125 kilometers (70 miles) north-northeast of Sydney.
sourced Bloomberg
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Union plans more work stops at BHP Australia coal mines
Aug12, 2011
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Two coal mines in Australia operated by BHP Billiton will be hit by more industrial action by union workers this weekend ahead of meetings next week over a new labour agreement, a union official said on Friday.
Rolling 12-hour work stoppages are scheduled for the Gregory and Blackwater collieries in the Bowen Basin coalfields of Queensland state jointly-owned by BHP Billiton and Mitsubishi
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Two coal mines in Australia operated by BHP Billiton will be hit by more industrial action by union workers this weekend ahead of meetings next week over a new labour agreement, a union official said on Friday.
Rolling 12-hour work stoppages are scheduled for the Gregory and Blackwater collieries in the Bowen Basin coalfields of Queensland state jointly-owned by BHP Billiton and Mitsubishi
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Xstrata's thermal coal down, but coking up
Reported by AAP
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Anglo-Swiss mining giant Xstrata has attributed a dip in Australian thermal coal production in 2010 to the Queensland floods and the planned closure of a mine in NSW.
Xstrata, the world's largest exporter of thermal coal, which is used to generate steam for electricity, produced 37.8 million tonnes (Mt) of the commodity in Australia in calendar 2010, down from 41.1 Mt in 2009.
"Australian thermal coal production for 2010, including semi-soft, was 2.9 million tonnes, or six per cent, below 2009 production," Xstrata said late on Tuesday.
The output fall was primarily due to the planned closure of the United underground colliery in NSW and the impact of severe weather during the first quarter and in December on the Queensland open-cut operations.
However, volumes of coking coal - used in blast furnaces in the production of iron - from Xstrata's Australian mines rose substantially to 7.7 Mt, from 6.4 Mt previously.
"Australian coking coal volumes increased by 20 per cent, or 1.3 million tonnes, as a result of a full year of production from Oaky number one (in Queensland) and high productivity from Oaky North," Xstrata said.
That increase would have been greater if not for industrial action at the Tahmoor mine in NSW in the second half of the year, when workers led by the Construction Forestry, Mining and Energy Union went on strike, calling for wage increases.
The company also announced it had completed construction of a magnetite base plant at Ernest Henry mine, in central Queensland, as part of a $589 million undertaking to transform the project into a major underground copper-gold operation.
The plant had produced its first magnetite iron ore concentrate, an important by-product of the copper-gold concentrating process, Xstrata said.
Magnetite output is expected to be at a rate of about 1.2 Mt per annum, with exports expected to start from Townsville port in the first half of this year.
Ernest HenryMining general manager Myles Johnston said the plant would play a major role in extending the life of the project to at least 2024.
"The transformation of open pit mining operations to a major shaft underground mine is on budget with the shaft scheduled to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2013," Mr Johnston said.
Xstrata mined 74,595 tonnes of copper at Ernest Henry in 2010, up from 35,562 tonnes previously.
The mine also yielded 91,259 tonnes of gold, up from 45,227 in 2009.
Xstrata said a four per cent lift in its total global gold production in 2010 was due to a strong recovery in gold production at Ernest Henry.
Xstrata has activated preliminary emergency procedures as powerful Cyclone Yasi hits Queensland, with nickel production suspended from the 30,000 tonnes per year Yabulu nickel refinery.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Anglo-Swiss mining giant Xstrata has attributed a dip in Australian thermal coal production in 2010 to the Queensland floods and the planned closure of a mine in NSW.
Xstrata, the world's largest exporter of thermal coal, which is used to generate steam for electricity, produced 37.8 million tonnes (Mt) of the commodity in Australia in calendar 2010, down from 41.1 Mt in 2009.
"Australian thermal coal production for 2010, including semi-soft, was 2.9 million tonnes, or six per cent, below 2009 production," Xstrata said late on Tuesday.
The output fall was primarily due to the planned closure of the United underground colliery in NSW and the impact of severe weather during the first quarter and in December on the Queensland open-cut operations.
However, volumes of coking coal - used in blast furnaces in the production of iron - from Xstrata's Australian mines rose substantially to 7.7 Mt, from 6.4 Mt previously.
"Australian coking coal volumes increased by 20 per cent, or 1.3 million tonnes, as a result of a full year of production from Oaky number one (in Queensland) and high productivity from Oaky North," Xstrata said.
That increase would have been greater if not for industrial action at the Tahmoor mine in NSW in the second half of the year, when workers led by the Construction Forestry, Mining and Energy Union went on strike, calling for wage increases.
The company also announced it had completed construction of a magnetite base plant at Ernest Henry mine, in central Queensland, as part of a $589 million undertaking to transform the project into a major underground copper-gold operation.
The plant had produced its first magnetite iron ore concentrate, an important by-product of the copper-gold concentrating process, Xstrata said.
Magnetite output is expected to be at a rate of about 1.2 Mt per annum, with exports expected to start from Townsville port in the first half of this year.
Ernest HenryMining general manager Myles Johnston said the plant would play a major role in extending the life of the project to at least 2024.
"The transformation of open pit mining operations to a major shaft underground mine is on budget with the shaft scheduled to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2013," Mr Johnston said.
Xstrata mined 74,595 tonnes of copper at Ernest Henry in 2010, up from 35,562 tonnes previously.
The mine also yielded 91,259 tonnes of gold, up from 45,227 in 2009.
Xstrata said a four per cent lift in its total global gold production in 2010 was due to a strong recovery in gold production at Ernest Henry.
Xstrata has activated preliminary emergency procedures as powerful Cyclone Yasi hits Queensland, with nickel production suspended from the 30,000 tonnes per year Yabulu nickel refinery.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
