Vale’s iron ore output hits another record

Russian mining and metals giant Mechel listed in New York where it has a market capitalization just shy of $11bn, reported on Tuesday winning the auction for the subsoil license for Pionerskoye iron ore deposit, sending its ADRs up 3.5% in midday trade. Pionerskoye's estimated reserves as of January 1, 2010 were 137m tonnes of iron ore with high iron content, which will enable the company to produce iron ore concentrate at the early stages of development without the need to use complex beneficiation technologies.

Power supplies have returned to normal in Chile's northern mining heartland after a power grid failure hit some of the world's biggest copper mines earlier on Sunday, the mining minister said. Chilean Energy and Mining Minister Laurence Golborne told Reuters power supplies were back to "100 percent" and that the impact on production in the top global copper producer was expected to be minimal.

The Hindustan Times reports three people were feared killed while seven others were rescued in a major mining accident in Goa's Sanvordem town, officials said on Saturday. The 10 people got trapped under debris when an unstable tailing stack -- a huge heap of aluminium and silica impurities extracted along with iron ore - gave way due to heavy monsoon showers.

According to local paper, the Duluth News Tribune, P&H Mining Equipment is to close its main Minnesota Iron Range offices in Mountain Iron, Buhl and Hibbing after construction of a new $16 million, 82,000 ft2 building off US Highway 53 on the town of Virginia’s north side. The building should open next summer and will include office space and a giant service floor and crane for equipment repair and service.

India's Tata Steel on Thursday agreed to sell its 26 percent stake in Australia's Riversdale to Rio Tinto for $1.1 billion, giving the Anglo-Australian giant full control of the coal miner. Tata, the world's No 7 steelmaker, will sell shares in an open offer at A$16.5 each. Riversdale shares closed little changed at A$16.50 in Sydney on Thursday before Tata Steel's announcement.

With a new government-backed CEO, a capex budget and acquisition war chest that dwarfs others, record net profits, a very generous dividend policy, strong fundamentals in its core business, aggressive expansion into high-growth areas and regions – notably potash and Africa – and a stock that looks downright cheap next to its peers, what is not to like about Vale? After slumping to an 8-month low less than a month ago it now seems investors are finally beginning to warm to the the diversified Brazilian miner. In the month since Murilo Ferreira has been head, the planet's third most valuable mining company has risen against the other supermajors and outperformed the broader market by 7%.

World no.2 iron ore miner Rio Tinto is investing $676 million to speed up its iron ore expansion by six months to capture demand as rival plans to boost production are impeded. Rio said on Wednesday it expects to increase its capacity by 50 percent to 333 million tonnes a year by the first half of 2015.

WPG Resources announced on Tuesday it has reached a major milestone for the development of its flagship Peculiar Knob (pictured) iron ore mine south east of Coober Pedy in South Australia, after receiving government approval. WPG also said that the company expects that the Mining and Rehabilitation Program for Peculiar Knob will be approved during July. Forecast production at 3.3 million tonnes annually destined for the Asian market is set to commence in late 2011, with sales in the June quarter 2012. Shares in the company jumped 3% amid a flat broader Australian market.

Perth-based iron ore junior FerrAus is set to accept Hong Kong limousine and investment company Wah Nam International's $170m takeover offer after the HK company gained a controlling stake in another miner in the region Brockman Resources. ASX-listed FerrAus said last month it will consider reversing its rejection of Wah Nam's bid because of the logic of developing FerrAus and Brockman neighbouring deposits together. Ferraus stock added over 5% on Tuesday, while Brockman had lost more than 12% at the close of the Australian bourse.