Alberta to introduce ‘modern’ coal policy, including ban on new open-pit projects
The new policy will not affect those qualified as "advanced coal projects" such as the controversial Grassy Mountain mine.
Preliminary exploration work carried out by Solid Energy, New Zealand’s state-owned coal producer, indicates there is potential for a combined underground and open-cut mining operation for the Liverpool project producing 500,000 mt/year of hard coking coal for the seaborne-traded market over a period of up to 20 years.
Platts reports Solid Energy said in its annual report in October that its exports of coking coal were 2 million mt in the year period ended June 2011, half of which went to Indian customers, and one-third of its shipments was semi-soft coking coal and two-thirds was hard coking coal.
MINING.com reported on 30 October giant Chinese state-owned Shanxi Coal is understood to be in the running to buy New Zealand’s Pike River Coal as part of a joint bid with Solid Energy.
One Indian company is believed to have pulled out and another Indian company was still understood to be in the running. The state-owned mine operated by Solid Energy was put up for sale as part of a privatization programme by the New Zealand government and after an enormous methane explosion ripped through the mine near Greymouth on November 19 last year killing 29 men.
