David Knox, Santos chief executive, says the expected skills shortage has not yet affected his company. Picture: Calum Robertson Source: News Limited SANTOS chief executive David Knox, whose company is building one of the three $15 billion-plus coal-seam

Police have detained eight people in east China's Shandong Province in connection with a coal mine fire that has trapped 28 miners for more than two weeks, local authorities said Saturday. A total of 91 people were working underground in the Fangbei Coal Mine in the province's city of Zaozhuang on July 6 when an air compression device located in a parking lot 255 meters underground caught fire.

China's coal imports dropped 11.8 percent in the first half of the year to 70.49 million tonnes while exports also fell 13.7 percent to 8.75 million tonnes. During the period, the nation recorded a net import of 61.74 million tonnes of coal. The figure fell 11.5 percent year-on-year amid surging international coal prices, according to figures released Friday by the China National Coal Association.

Canadian company Northern Graphite Corporation says it has successfully produced graphene from  its Bissett Creek project in Northern Ontario. MINING.com recently reported […]

China has discovered its largest molybdenum deposit containing 2.2 million tons of the silvery metal, which ranks the second largest in the world, in east China's Anhui province. Anhui Geology and Mineral Resources Bureau estimate the deposit in Jinzhai county has 1.275 billion tons of ore which contains 2.2 million tons of molybdenum, said Wu Yulong, head of the bureau.

Climate Change Minister Greg Combet has promised that Queensland coal mines will be compensated for losses caused by a carbon tax, saying pollution intensive areas like Gladstone will receive significant compensation.

Canada’s mining industry continues to rally from the recent global recession, with this year’s production currently exceeding that of 2010, reports government department Natural Resources Canada (NRCan).

Mining Weekly: the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR) says that 100 000 people will be needed by 2020 to meet anticipated production in the mining industry in Canada, and there aren't enough students in mining training to meet the need.

MiHR executive director Ryan Montpellier explains that, during the global econo- mic downturn, students struggled to find employment and turned to other programmes. “However, by the time they graduate, the recruitment cycle has progressed and jobs are often available. Labour market intelli- gence is, therefore, a key source of information that needs to be communicated to prospective students and postsecondary educational institutions,” he says.

The U.S. State Department said Friday it expects to issue a final environmental assessment next month on TransCanada Corp's (TRP.TO) proposed $7 billion pipeline that would deliver crude from Canada's oil sands to refineries to Texas. The pipeline has been opposed by many lawmakers and environmentalists for greenhouse gas emissions associated with oil sands production and because the line would run across one of the world's largest aquifers.