Iron Ore Mine Exploration Future, Forecast Steel Demand in Brazil ‘Still Good’ In ‘09

Even if the Brazilian economy doesn’t grow in 2009, the steel market will “still be good,” Otavio Lazcano, finance director of Brazilian steelmaker Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (SID), said in a conference call Tuesday.
CSN expects to continue operating at full capacity until the end of this year, the company said in the conference call.

Schlumberger Ltd. Oil Exploration and Production, May Be Not Enough Area

“current levels of drilling are insufficient to meaningfully slow decline rates, improve reservoir recovery or add sufficient new production capacity. The explosion in exploration licenses awarded in the last three years, the continual expansion of the number of new offshore rigs being ordered for delivery through and beyond the end of the decade, and the […]

Equinox Minerals Nears Debt Drawdown Time

Emerging copper producer Equinox Minerals has put a final touch on financing for its 100%-held Lumwana copper project in Zambia by securing a credit facility for contingent costs.
Equinox said the $45 million facility would only be used if cost overruns or other contingent obligations were encountered at the $847 million project, where mine commissioning was […]

Transnet targets capital markets for almost a third of planned R78bn capex

State-owned transport group Transnet will approach local and foreign capital markets to raise R25-billion over the next three years to help fund its R78-billion capital investment programme.
Transnet CFO Chris Wells said on Tuesday that the company would “progressively” go into the capital markets to raise money over the next three years, but added that it […]

Kulim plans RM240m capex

Kulim (M) Bhd is allocating RM240mil this year to boost its plantation and oleochemical operations in Malaysia, Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Solomon Islands.
Chairman Tan Sri Muhammad Ali Hashim said about 65% of the allocation would be utilised by the company’s plantation division.
He said it would be used mainly to replant 1,720ha of […]

Uranium Energy: This Near-Term Producer Looks Dirt Cheap

Five drilling rigs worked the site as we walked around. When ground conditions are right, those rigs can drill 800 feet per day. To be fair, when the ground conditions are wrong, those drills grind much slower. But the point is, the company is using the information from the hundreds and hundreds of holes it […]

Cabot Oil & Gas Avoids Burning the Midnight Oil with Acopia Networks File Virtualization Solution

Leading Energy Firm Implements Storage Tiering with Acopia ARX Systems and FreedomFabric OS Software.
Acopia Networks®, the leader in intelligent file virtualization, today announced that Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., a leading North American exploration and production independent, has deployed Acopia ARX(TM) systems, featuring FreedomFabric(TM) operating system (OS) software, to support its storage tiering efforts, intended […]

Energy Fuels: Potential Uranium Production in the United States

Energy Fuels Inc. is a Canadian-based uranium exploration and development company that is trying to capitalize on the uranium price escalation (latest spot price $91US/lb) by putting into production several old mines recently acquired in the United States.
Key Properties

Whirlwind
Energy Fuels acquired the Whirlwind properties located in Utah and Colorado several months ago.

Angloplat’s R10bn capex plan

The world’s biggest platinum producer, Anglo Platinum Ltd, plans capital expenditure of R10bn for its expansion programme this year, parent Anglo American plc said on Tuesday.
The spending is part of a programme planned to boost Angloplat’s annual output from 2.7-2.8 million ounces this year to around 3.3 million ounces by 2010, Phillip Baum, the acting […]