Huge jump in Chinese iron ore, coal imports

Global demand and prices for coal will continue to expand aggressively over the next five years despite public calls for reducing reliance on the high-carbon fuel as a primary energy source, said the International Energy Agency (IEA) in its first ever report about the commodity.

Australia edged closer to the creation of a new 10 billion Australian dollar (US$10.02 billion) port focused on exporting coal to Asia when the state of Queensland allocated land to units of Brookfield Asset Management Inc. BAM +2.16% and India's Adani Group for two terminals at Dudgeon Point on Wednesday.

Just one week following Anglo American's approval of a $1.7 billion met-coal project in Queensland, the London-listed diversified miner may be shopping for more coal assets.

A study released Monday by researchers at Duke University will add fuel to the fire of groups opposed to mountaintop mining in the Appalachian region of the United States.

Australian coal miner Whitehaven Coal (ASX:WHC) announced Monday that it will merge with Aston Resources (ASX:AZT), and it will also acquire Boardwalk Resources in a three-way deal valued at $3 billion.

Energy demand is predicted to be 30 percent higher by 2040 due to growing population and a rising GDP, but coal use will peak and decline over this same period.

Donald Blankenship, whose former coal company Massey Energy was fined a record $10.8 million for safety violations connected to the worst mining accident in 40 years, has started a new mining company in Kentucky.

Workers at Xstrata’s Ulan Coal project north of Sydney went on strike for 24 hours on the weekend after learning several electrical staff had been dismissed.

Brazil's Vale is set to move its first coking coal shipment next week from its Moatize mine in Mozambique, sources told Reuters on Tuesday. This will be the first coking coal shipment, after 3 thermal coal shipments, and is destined for steelmaker ArcelorMittal's South African unit. Vale last month approved a $6 billion expansion of Moatize to double output to 22 million tonnes per year.