South32 survives mining sector slump, to cut $350m in costs until 2018

Shares in China-focused miner Silvercorp Metals slumped over 7% on Monday after British Columbia security regulators said they were joining the investigation into an anonymous letter accusing the company of a $1.3 billion fraud. Silvercorp was forced on Friday 2 September to make public the letter and at the same time disclosed that someone had built up a short position of 23 million shares – more than 13% of the number outstanding. The firm with projects in China and Canada plunged after the news broke and Monday's drop brings year to date losses close to 40% despite the firm's ongoing buyback programme.

The Australian reports BHP Mitsubishi's decision to bypass a thoroughly resistant troika of unions by seeking a direct employee ballot on a new three-year enterprise agreement takes the world's number one miner into deeply uncharted industrial relations waters. The move comes after nine months of fruitless negotiations and 11 different offers – including annual pay rises of 5% and a $15,000 bonus – all of which were rejected by the unions which will now resume strikes. The six mines operated by BHP Mistubishi have a combined output capacity of more than 58 million tonnes per year of mostly metallurgical coal, representing about a fifth of annual global trade.

Stornoway Diamond Corporation involved in the discovery of over 200 kimberlites in seven Canadian diamond districts will join S&P/TSX SmallCap Index at the end of the week, a move which should increase the appeal of the counter among institutional investors. It's a new milestone for Stornoway which flourished under the leadership of Eira Thomas, the renowned diamond explorer whose spectacular success in the 90s transformed Canadian diamond mining. Thomas left in August following the acquisition of Stornoway's lead asset – the 100%-owned Renard Diamond Project – on track to become Quebec's first diamond mine.

PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA--(Marketwire - Sept. 12, 2011) - Paladin Energy Ltd ("Paladin" or "the Company") (TSX:PDN) (ASX:PDN)wishes to note that the Company's Board of Directors advise that financial close has been reached under the Langer Heinrich Project Finance Facility ("Facility"), and Paladin has submitted a drawdown notice for US$127.2M.

Resource Capital Research, which posted its September Quarter RCR Uranium Sector Review, says that buying opportunities will emerge in the uranium sector in the fourth quarter of 2011 and early 2012. "Despite the ongoing short term market impacts from Fukushima, the long term uranium market fundamentals are considered sound with expected strong and increasing demand for new nuclear power reactors, especially from China, USA, Russia, Ukraine and India," writes the reports authors. Resource Capital Research notes that 84 new nuclear power reactors are expected to be commissioned globally by 2017, and currently almost 500 plants are being considered.

The United States boasts over 260 billion short tons of recoverable coal reserves, or roughly 28% of the planet’s total coal reserves, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Based on these estimates, the EIA concludes that the U.S. will not exhaust its recoverable coal reserves at current mining levels for 222 years.

Ukraine always has been and always will be a reliable partner for transit of energy to Europe, stated the Ukrainian Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Yuriy Boyko during his meeting with the representatives of the foreign diplomatic corps in Ukraine. "Ukraine has demonstrated its commitment to integration with the European Union in the energy sector by becoming a full member of the Energy Community and carrying out comprehensive work to bring its energy sector in accordance with European requirements," stressed the Ukrainian energy minister.

A new study says the oil sands will boost the economy by two trillion dollars and add more than 900,000 new jobs over the next 25 years.

Amid dire predictions about job losses and the drying up of investment in the sector due to a proposed carbon tax come more bad news for Australia's coal miners. Platts reports New South Wales plans to increase the royalties it receives from coal companies to offset some $400 million in extra costs to the state's coal-fired electricity generators due to the very same federal government carbon levy. Around 95% of NSW's royalty revenue comes from coal mines where rates currently top out at 8.2% of the value of production and is forecast to rise to $2.1 billion in the year ending June 2013 after the hikes come into effect.