Rio Tinto plans to list Canadian iron ore unit in early 2019

Teck Resources Limited ("Teck", TCK.A and TCK.B, NYSE: TCK) announced today that it has reached agreement with Westshore Terminals Limited Partnership ("Westshore") on terms for the shipment of steelmaking coal from Teck's mines in British Columbia and Alberta for a four year term from April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2016. The new agreement envisions Teck shipping 16 million tonnes of coal in the initial contract year, and larger amounts in subsequent years when Teck's production is scheduled to increase, all at fixed rates through Westshore.

Peregrine Diamonds completed a non-brokered private placement of 3,000,000 common shares at a price of $2.80 per share for proceeds of $8.4 million. Proceeds will be used for mineral exploration projects in Canada.

Start-up of the mill is now planned following completion of service repairs that were initiated in last fall. Underground development material has been stockpiled at the surface for mill feed. By the end of February, a total of 11,866 tonnes (13,080 tons) of material was stockpiled at an estimated average grade of 12.5 grams per tonne (0.365 oz/ton) gold. The total to date of the stockpile plus the underground broken inventory currently stands at 20,500 tonnes (22,678 tons) at an estimated average grade of 12.4 grams per tonne (0.363 oz/ton) gold.

Cardero Resource Corp. announced on Friday that it will acquire all of Coalhunter Mining Corporation's outstanding securities. Cardero will pay about Can$2.1 million in the transaction. Cardero Resources was up over 5% on the TSX to Can$2 a share.

China may have dominated mining news headlines over the past year, but it is a small player when it comes to mergers and acquisitions, according to a report released today from PwC. The Mining Deals report states that in 2010, just 6% of global mining involved purchases by Chinese companies, compared to 36% from companies domiciled in Canada, 16% in the US and 16% in Australia. The numbers appear to dispel the myth that China is amassing control of the world's resources by merging and acquiring firms into its orbit.

Romios Gold Resources announced that a 2010 mapping project from the British Columbia Geological Survey confirmed Romios' previous claims that the Dirk property mineralization is analogous to and may be as large as the Galore Creek project. Samples collected by Romios from the Dirk property produced numerous anomalous values including a 3.0 metre chip sample of 6.21% Cu, 0.57 g/t Au, and 44.1 g/t Ag. The BCGS also reports values up to 21 ppb platinum and 64 ppb palladium from samples that they collected from the Dirk property.

Market capitalisation for miners on the TSX and TSX Venture rose from Can$325 billion in 2009 to $467 billion in 2010, according to a study released by Ernst & Young on Wednesday. The study also found that the mining sector raised $17.7 billion through IPOs and private placements, eclipsing the oil and gas industry which only managed $11.3 billion. The study also found that there were 52 mining initial public offerings on the TSX and TSX Venture that raised more than $1.3 billion.

Quebec's three-year run as the Fraser Institute's favourite mining jurisdiction ended after Alberta took the top spot. Releasing it's findings on Wednesday, the think tank lauded Alberta's tax policies and clear rules regarding mining. “Alberta’s resource-friendly government, competitive taxation regime, and superior infrastructure render the province a standout for mining investment, not only in Canada but also globally,” said Fred McMahon, coordinator of the survey and the Institute’s vice-president of international policy research.

On Tuesday the Ontario Superior Court of Justice dismissed Inspiration Mining Corporation’s court application against URSA Major Minerals. Inspiration sought to reverse […]