The Star Phoenix reports on Thursday BHP Billiton plans to spend an additional $488 million at its Jansen potash project east of Saskatoon, Canada bringing the company's total investment to $1.2 billion. If converted to a mine Jansen would have a maximum operational capacity of eight million tonnes per year and would cost an estimated $12 billion. Production could start in 2015 with an estimated life of mine of 70 years.

Saudi Arabian Mining Company, also known as Ma’aden, and Alcoa, the aluminium giant, have secured the funds for Ma’aden Bauxite and Alumina Company, which is 74.9% and 25.1% owned by the two companies, respectively. The company will oversee the construction of a bauxite mine and an alumina refinery, which will cost $3.6 billion, part of the $10 billion Ma’aden-Alcoa joint venture project that will also see the construction of an aluminium smelter and rolling mill at Ras Az Zawr.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is slated to vote on a bill aimed at accelerating federal approval of a controversial pipeline that would expand U.S. imports from Canada’s oil sands projects. The oil industry-backed bill – which House GOP leadership hopes to bring before the full chamber this summer – would require an Obama administration decision on the proposed Keystone XL pipeline by Nov. 1.

Canada’s most valuable oil companies Suncor and Canadian Natural Resource – together worth over $100bn – were trading down over 3% on Thursday before recovering some ground following news that 2m barrels of oil per day - equal to Canada's total daily exports to the US – will be released onto the market over the next month. The International Energy Agency said 28 of its members, with the US providing about half of the total, would tap their strategic oil reserves in an effort to make up for lost output as Libya's civil war drags on.

By early afternoon on Thursday 7.5% or over $400m had been wiped off the value of Harmony Gold Mining stock in New York, the worst performer in an index of 50 of the largest gold and silver counters. Other South African gold miners were also punished with both Anglogold Ashanti and Gold Fields down over 5%. Some South African produces are struggling with cash outlays of $1,200/ounce – almost double the global average – thanks to a strong currency, wage disputes, power supply problems and geological issues. As the gold price eases as much as 180,000 oz of quarterly production are being put at risk.

Mining businesses in Fiji have concluded that there is an urgent need for training in specific mining skills in Fiji, reports The Fiji Times Online.

"What will happen is that when the need arises, we will have to fill a lot of positions with overseas workers and pay them expatriate rates at a huge cost to our business," mining industry management said. [National Training and Productivity Centre] Lautoka manager Rupeni Lewetuitovo said the mining industry was growing and the centre would look at how it could assist in training workers.

The World Gold Council (WGC) produced a draft framework of standards designed to combat gold that enables, fuels or finances armed conflict. The standards, which were compiled together with the WDC’s member companies and leading gold refiners are designed to enable miners to produce a stream of newly-mined gold that is certified as “conflict free” on a global basis. Image of Ethiopian soldier is from Wikipedia.

China's top economic planner on Thursday reiterated a ban on favourable power tariffs for power-intensive sectors as the world's second-largest electricity consumer struggles to deal with its worst power crisis in seven years. Last year, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) asked local governments and power suppliers to cancel favourable power prices for aluminium, ferroalloy and calcium carbide makers, and said preferential power rates for direct trade between power generators and power users but without approval must be halted.

Australian coking coal producer Caledon Resources said it agreed to be bought by a Chinese investment group for 313.1 million pounds ($507 million), in a long-awaited deal which has finally met Chinese regulatory approval. China's Guangdong Rising Assets Management Co (GRAM) first approached Queensland-focused Caledon with a 112 pence per share offer in November to which Caledon agreed in principle, subject to approval from the Chinese regulators.