December 9th, 2009
I had been working in Australian underground mines for over 10 years before I had the opportunity to visit some underground mines in the USA. What amazed me was the stark contrasts in mining practices in Australia vs the USA. I thought that I would share some of those experiences for those that have not had the privilege of seeing both USA and Australian underground mines. There are some practices that are widespread in Australia, yet banned in USA mines. On the other hand, there are some things that are allowed in USA mines that Australian mine workers would not believe were allowed.
March 11th, 2009
News out of Japan is that Australia’s largest coal producers are to agree to a 40% cut in thermal coal prices. The final price is expected to be in the range of US$70 – US$72 per tonne, sharply down from the US$125 per tonne that Japanese companies have been paying for their thermal coal.
This cut [...]
August 7th, 2008
Xstrata Coal today announced that it has secured Xstrata PLC Board approval to proceed with the AUD1.1 billion development of the Mangoola Coal open cut coal mine near Muswellbrook. Xstrata Coal acquired the Mangoola project from Centennial Coal (then known as Anvil Hill) in October 2007.
The construction of the mine will create around 400 new jobs, with an expected 300 employees required for [...]
October 30th, 2007
Xstrata Coal has continued its buying spree with the purchase of Anvil Hill and Austral Coal from Centennial Coal. Helios Australia (a subsidiary of Xstrata Coal) has paid $1.86 per Austral share. This means that Centennial will receive A$479 million from XStrata Coal.
Previously, Centennial Coal completed the sale of its Anvil Hill development to XStrata [...]
September 10th, 2007
The NSW government has announced the approval of the controversial Moorlarben mine near Mudgee NSW.
The Greens were challenging the mine, stating that the mine will increase greenhouse gas emissions by 5.3 per cent a year and use 6.9 megalitres of water each day.
However, NSW Planning Minister Frank Sartor said “It’s just not tenable to refuse a [...]
August 22nd, 2007
(Update No 2: 3 September 2007)
Have you been following the unfolding story of the rescue attempts at the Crandall Canyon mine? I want to share some links to video clips, pictures and other illustrations to help you understand the situation at Crandall Canyon. I will continue to update this as the story unfolds.
Current News:
Officials at [...]
May 17th, 2007
I am sure that you have seen the news about mining companies having to scale back coal production due to infrastructure problems.
Rio Tinto’s Coal & Allied Division announced a 20 percent cut in coal production due to bottlenecks in rail infrastructure and Newcastle Port. As a result, 250 miners will lose their jobs this month.
Other [...]