Coal oversupply to cap prices to 5-year-low

VANCOUVER, Sept. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ - Taseko Mines Limited (TSX: TKO) (NYSE Amex: TGB) ("Taseko" or the "Company") announces an inferred resource of 159 million tonnes grading 0.43% Nb2O5 at the Company's wholly-owned Aley Niobium Project, approximately 130 km north of Mackenzie, B.C. The resource estimate is based on drill data gathered from Taseko's 2010 drilling program, along with historical drill data. The data formed the basis for the development of a geological model incorporating mine engineering studies.

Resource Capital Research, which posted its September Quarter RCR Uranium Sector Review, says that buying opportunities will emerge in the uranium sector in the fourth quarter of 2011 and early 2012. "Despite the ongoing short term market impacts from Fukushima, the long term uranium market fundamentals are considered sound with expected strong and increasing demand for new nuclear power reactors, especially from China, USA, Russia, Ukraine and India," writes the reports authors. Resource Capital Research notes that 84 new nuclear power reactors are expected to be commissioned globally by 2017, and currently almost 500 plants are being considered.

Bloomberg interviewed Richard O'Brien, CEO of Newmont, on Friday who said gold could reach $2,000 in the next six months. O'Brien also said more certainty is needed around taxes and regulations before companies start hiring again. O'Brien said that the financial uncertainty in Europe and U.S.A. will probably drive gold to $2,000. O'Brien was asked about President Obama's $447 billion job plan announced on Thursday and what CEOs need to see before they start hiring again.

Bard Ventures (CVE:CBS) was up 7.69% on Friday, bucking a down day in the markets when the S&P/TSX Composite index was down 2.34%, after the company announced drill results of 70.49 gm/t silver over 214.7m at Lone Pine Property. Bard Ventures said that the positive results received from drill hole BD-11-69 demonstrate the continuity of high grade molybdenum (Mo), copper (Cu) and silver (Ag) mineralization over a horizontal distance of 131 meters from drill hole BDQ-08-03 through BD-11-69 to BDQ-08-04.

Lumina Copper (CVE:LCC) announced on Thursday intersects of 646 meters grading of .93% copper equivalent at the Taca Taca copper-gold-molybedenum project in Argentina. Lumina also reported drilling results of 2.69% copper equivalent in 50 meters of grading. Lumina was up 23 cents to 7.08 on Thursday. At the end of the week, was back down $6.71.

Guinea's parliament adopted a new mining code that more than doubles the share the West African state can take in mining projects to 35 percent and toughens procedures for acquiring development permits, the government said on Saturday.

The United States boasts over 260 billion short tons of recoverable coal reserves, or roughly 28% of the planet’s total coal reserves, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Based on these estimates, the EIA concludes that the U.S. will not exhaust its recoverable coal reserves at current mining levels for 222 years.

Barrick Gold Corp. ABX -0.07% said that its Pierina gold mine in Peru may operate until 2018. Minera Barrick Misquichilca SA, the company’s Peruvian unit, told the Peruvian securities regulatory agency on Wednesday

Alaska's Pebble deposit presents big problems for Northern Dynasty, the junior Canadian miner that wants to cash out of its sole asset. Pebble has an eye-popping recoverable resource of 67 million ounces of gold and 55 billion pounds copper with some molybdenum thrown in for good measure which at today's prices is worth over $300 billion in total. The Vancouver company shares the venture with Anglo-American but the $4.7 billion development costs could be too rich even for the London-listed giant's blood. Apart from the problem of finding a heavyweight buyer for its 50%, Dynasty also faces opposition from a $150 million a year salmon fishery near the site and local environmental protesters who have enlisted the support of Hollywood celebrities like Robert Redford.