The incident happened at a pit near Leiyang city in Hunan province in the early hours of Thursday morning, China's work safety administration said in a statement.

Local officials told AFP that rescue efforts were still under way.

Accidents are common in China's vast coal mining sector where work safety is often neglected by bosses seeking a quick profit.

Latest figures show that 2,433 people died in coal mining accidents in the country in 2010, according to official statistics -- a rate of more than six workers per day.

Labour rights groups, however, say the actual death toll is likely to be much higher, partly due to under-reporting of accidents as mine bosses seek to limit their economic losses and avoid punishment.

China's rapid economic growth has caused demand for energy, including coal, to surge.

The Asian nation is the world's leading consumer of coal, relying on the fossil fuel for 70 percent of its growing energy needs, and during the winter months mines operate at full capacity.

]]> Tue, 21 FEB 2012 08:57:56 AEST Brisbane, Australia (UPI) Feb 15, 2012 - Indian conglomerate the Adani Group's plan for the largest coal mine in the Australian state of Queensland is moving forward with an environmental review process.

If approved, the Carmichael Coal Project in the Galilee Basin, the last undeveloped coal resource in Queensland, would extract 60 million tons of coal each year from an open-cut and underground mine for export to India.

No timeline was given for the environmental impact study, released by the Queensland government.

Critics of the Carmichael project include the Capricorn Conservation Council, which said it is particularly concerned about the impact of mining discharge on the environment, and agricultural lobby group AgForce which says food security could be jeopardized if agricultural land is overtaken by mining.

Adani recently finalized purchase of the site from a cattle station for $110 million, the International Business Times reports. In all, Adani is expected to spend at least $6 billion on the project.

Considered the largest investment by an Indian company in Australia, Adani's investment for infrastructure and mine development includes a $3.1 billion railway network to haul the coal to two ports, one purchased last year and another yet to be built.

From there, company-owned bulk carriers would then ship the coal to India.

Queensland Mining Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the project initially would employ 5,000 workers for the construction phase, later resulting in 4,000 permanent jobs.

"I think it's important that … the largest number of jobs are taken up by Queenslanders," Hinchliffe told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. "But there will be some particular areas, and some very particular skills, that will be required to be brought in from overseas."

The Queensland Resources Council in its November 2011 Growth Outlook Study said the state's growing resource sector would need more than 40,000 more workers in the next eight years, which couldn't be met by the local labor market.

But Adani says it plans to hire Australians for the Carmichael project before hiring overseas workers.

The company plans to build a town in Queensland to house workers as well as an on-site airstrip for a fly-in, fly-out workforce, ABC reports.

Exports from the Carmichael project, intended to supply seven Indian power stations operated by Adani Power, are expected to start in 2015.

Although India has the fifth-largest coal reserves in the world, much of it lies under forests in areas populated by tribal groups and proposed projects are typically met with protests.

Coal accounts for approximately 67 percent of total energy in India.

]]> Tue, 21 FEB 2012 08:57:56 AEST New Delhi (IANS) Feb 15, 2012 - With power producers clamouring for its intervention in ensuring coal supplies, the Prime Minister's Office Wednesday said it has asked state miner Coal India to firm up fuel supply agreements (FSA) with the firms ready to generate electricity by March 31.

Promoters of power generating companies, including Ratan Tata and Anil Ambani, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last month seeking his help in dealing with the erratic supply of coal.

A majority of the power plants in India are thermal and dependant on coal supplies.

The prime minister deputed Principal Secretary Pulok Chatterjee to look into the problem, and Chatterjee formed a committee to suggest solutions for the troubled sector.

According to the suggestions of the committee, "for power plants that have been commissioned up to 31st December, 2011, FSAs (fuel supply agreements) will be signed before March 31, 2012," said the PMO.

"During the meeting, it was agreed that Coal India Limited will sign FSAs with power plants that have entered into long-term PPAs (power purchase agreements) with power distribution companies and have been commissioned/ would get commissioned on or before 31st March 2015," it added.

As per the directive of the PMO, Coal India will have to sign the FSA for the entire quantity of coal mentioned in the Letters of Assurance (LoAs) and do so for a period of 20 years.

If the supply falls below 80 percent of the assured amount, the miner will have to pay a penalty.

"In case of any shortfall in fulfilling its commitment under the FSAs from its own production, Coal India Limited will arrange for supply of coal through imports or through arrangement with state or central public sector undertakings who have been allotted coal blocks," said the PMO.

"The proposed course of action has been approved by the prime minister."

India suffers from a perennial electric shortage with many regions around the country going without power that at times last for hours. The inadequate electricity supply is one of the impediments to industrial growth as well.

The sector is dependant mostly on coal and Coal India, the main supplier, has found it difficult to keep up with demand. New mines are difficult to develop given the time taken in getting environmental clearances, while imported coal is much costlier.

The shortfall rose dramatically last year, when high rainfall in some of the mining areas and labour trouble at Coal India resulted in many regions of the country being plunged into darkness.

The PMO said its directive to Coal India would bring relief to the sector.

"These arrangements would provide relief to power plants with estimated capacity of more than 50,000 MW. The proposed set of arrangements is being seen as a major step forward in solving the problems of power sector in the country and is likely to boost investors' confidence in India's power sector."

"It will help not only in achieving power generation capacity targeted in the 12th Plan but also assist in achieving the targeted growth of GDP."

]]> Tue, 21 FEB 2012 08:57:56 AEST Beijing (AFP) Feb 4, 2012 - The death toll from a gas explosion in a southwest China coal mine rose to 13, Xinhua news agency said on Saturday, in the latest accident to hit the nation's dangerous mining industry.

Eight other workers were injured, four in a critical condition and one person remained missing, after the explosion that ripped through the Diaoyutai coal mine in Sichuan province on Friday afternoon.

Rescue operations continued on Saturday, Xinhua reported, quoting local authorities.

The cause of the accident was under investigation.

In 2010, 2,433 people died in coal mining accidents in China, according to official statistics -- a rate of more than six workers per day -- but labour rights groups say the true figure may be much higher as mine companies cover up accidents to avoid fines and costly mine closures.

]]> Tue, 21 FEB 2012 08:57:56 AEST Sydney (AFP) Dec 20, 2011 - Trading in Australian miner Gloucester Coal was halted Tuesday following reports it was in talks with China's Yanzhou Coal Mining to create an Aus$8 billion (US$7.9 billion) coal giant.

In a statement to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), Gloucester said it had requested trading of its shares be temporarily stopped "pending the release of an announcement by the company".

"The trading halt is necessary as Gloucester expects to make an announcement in connection with a possible change of control transaction, but is not yet in a position to make the announcement," it said.

"Gloucester would like the trading halt to remain in place until the commencement of trading on 22 December 2011, unless, before that time, Gloucester makes a further announcement."

In Hong Kong Yanzhou shares were also placed in trading halt Tuesday on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange pending what the company said was "the release of an announcement which is price sensitive in nature".

The developments come after The Australian Financial Review reported that China was attempting to create Australia's largest independent coal producer through a proposed merger between Gloucester and Yancoal Australia, a unit of Yanzhou.

State-owned Yanzhou had approached Gloucester in recent weeks and negotiations were at a preliminary stage, the financial tabloid said without citing sources.

Gloucester, a coal producer with exploration and mining operations in New South Wales and Queensland states, has a market capitalisation of about Aus$1.44 billion.

Any such deal, which comes amid consolidation in Australia's mid-tier coal sector, would require approval by the country's Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB).

Two years ago Yanzhou took over coal miner Felix Resources in a deal worth US$3.2 billion -- at the time the biggest by a Chinese firm in Australia.

Yanzhou had also reportedly been interested in Whitehaven Coal before that company announced a merger with fellow Australian miner, Aston Resources, to form an independent coal company worth Aus$5.10 billion.

Australia's coal industry is dominated by major global players BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Xstrata, but smaller firms are being targeted as competition for resources is stoked by rapid industrialisation in China and India.

US-based Peabody Energy, the world's largest private coal miner, snapped up Australia's Macarthur Coal in November in a deal worth almost Aus$5 billion.

]]> Tue, 21 FEB 2012 08:57:56 AEST Beijing (AFP) Nov 19, 2011 - Five miners were rescued on Saturday after languishing for at least 24 hours in a collapsed mine in northern China, where seven colleagues remain trapped, state media said.

Two of the rescued were pulled out after 24 hours underground while the fifth to be saved surfaced about 30 hours after the mine collapsed, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.

All five rescued were sent to hospital where they were reported to be in a stable condition.

Two of the seven miners still underground have been confirmed alive and were being given food and water through a lifeline drilled by rescuers, Xinhua said, citing sources at the mine in the coal-rich Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

An initial investigation found that the mine's support pillars were "insufficient", Xinhua said.

The accident early Friday was the latest in an industry plagued by corruption and safety hazards.

Coal mine accidents are common in China, where work safety is often neglected by bosses seeking a quick profit.

Last week, at least 34 workers were killed after a blast at a mine in the southwestern province of Yunnan, Xinhua reported on November 13, three days after that accident.

China's rapid economic growth has brought rising demand for power. It relies on coal for 70 percent of its energy needs, making it the world's largest consumer of the fossil fuel.

Last year, 2,433 people died in coal mining accidents in the country, according to official statistics -- a rate of more than six workers per day.

Labour rights groups, however, say the actual death toll is likely to be much higher, partly due to under-reporting of accidents as mine bosses seek to limit their economic losses and avoid punishment.

]]> Tue, 21 FEB 2012 08:57:56 AEST Beijing (AFP) Nov 20, 2011 - Tragedy struck a rescue operation in a north China colliery Sunday when rescuers found the lifeless bodies of four miners trapped after a cave-in, the government said.

One miner remained missing after the incident Friday morning at the Yuanlin coal mine in Inner Mongolia, the government said in a statement.

The cave-in initially trapped 12 workers, but seven were rescued over two days.

The deaths came after the state-run Xinhua news agency reported Saturday that rescuers had made contact with the five trapped miners and were giving them food and water through a lifeline drilled by rescue workers.

The accident is the latest in an industry plagued by corruption and safety hazards.

Earlier this month, at least 34 workers were killed after a blast at a mine in the southwestern province of Yunnan, state press reported.

China's rapid economic growth has brought rising demand for power. It relies on coal for 70 percent of its energy needs, making it the world's largest consumer of the fossil fuel.

Last year, 2,433 people died in coal mining accidents in the country, according to official statistics -- a rate of more than six workers per day.

Labour rights groups, however, say the actual death toll is likely to be much higher, partly due to under-reporting of accidents as mine bosses seek to limit their economic losses and avoid punishment.

]]> Tue, 21 FEB 2012 08:57:56 AEST Beijing (AFP) Nov 18, 2011 - A coal mine collapse trapped 12 miners in north China, the state-run Xinhua news agency said on Friday, the latest accident in an industry plagued by corruption and safety hazards.

The mine is in the coal-rich Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Xinhua said, without giving further details.

Coal mine accidents are common in China, where work safety is often neglected by bosses seeking a quick profit.

China's rapid economic growth has brought rising demand for power. It relies on coal for 70 percent of its energy needs, making it the world's largest consumer of the fossil fuel.

Last year, 2,433 people died in coal mining accidents in the country, according to official statistics -- a rate of more than six workers per day.

Labour rights groups, however, say the actual death toll is likely to be much higher, partly due to under-reporting of accidents as mine bosses seek to limit their economic losses and avoid punishment.

]]> Tue, 21 FEB 2012 08:57:56 AEST Beijing (AFP) Nov 13, 2011 - The death toll from a blast at a coal mine in China has risen to 34, an official said Sunday, as rescuers continue to search for workers still trapped underground amid fading hopes of finding survivors.

The mine in the southwestern province of Yunnan was hit Thursday by a "coal and gas outburst" -- a sudden and violent ejection of coal, gas and rock from a coal face -- trapping 43 workers underground. Nine are still missing.

The news comes as a separate accident hit the northwestern province of Gansu early Sunday, when a flood at a coal mine trapped seven workers underground and triggered another rescue operation, the official Xinhua news agency said.

In Yunnan's Shizong county, meanwhile, rescuers have been taking turns heading down the pit to search for survivors and at least 240 tonnes of coal dust have been removed.

"It's very dangerous for rescuers because the gas is still very condensed," an official at the provincial work safety administration told AFP, adding 34 bodies had been found so far.

"And in closed conditions, the ventilation doesn't work well," said the official, who refused to be named.

The provincial rescue headquarters said on Saturday that the air was thin in the shaft and "the chances of survival for the trapped miners are slim."

The chief of China's work safety watchdog, Luo Lin, described the mine's safety measures as "very poor" and blamed lax supervision by local authorities.

The bosses of the mine -- which was operating without a licence after its permit was revoked a year ago, according to Xinhua -- have been detained and an investigation is under way.

Coal mine accidents are common in China, where work safety is often neglected by bosses seeking a quick profit.

Last year, 2,433 people died in coal mining accidents in the country, according to official statistics -- a rate of more than six workers per day -- but labour rights groups say the true figure may be much higher.

The accident in Yunnan comes days after a rock blast in a coal mine in the central province of Henan trapped dozens of workers underground.

Most were eventually pulled out after a 40-hour rescue operation, though 10 were killed.

Last month, a gas explosion at a state-owned coal mine in neighbouring Hunan province left 29 miners dead.

And earlier in October, blasts at mines in the southwestern city of Chongqing and the northern province of Shaanxi killed 13 and 11 miners respectively.

China's Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang was quoted as saying by Xinhua that "the latest coal mine accidents ring the alarm, warning us that accident prevention is a complex, difficult, and urgent task."

]]> Tue, 21 FEB 2012 08:57:56 AEST Beijing (AFP) Nov 11, 2011 - Fears were growing on Friday for 23 workers trapped underground after a blast at an illegal coal mine in China that killed 20 of their colleagues, the latest disaster to hit the industry in the country.

Hundreds of rescuers and medics have rushed to the site in southwest China to try to save the missing miners, but their efforts were being hampered by a gas leak, official media said, as distraught relatives looked on.

Ventilation machines were pumping methane gas out of the shaft while rescuers took turns heading down the pit to search for survivors, the Xinhua news agency reported.

"The rescue is difficult because the gas levels remain high and may lead to an explosion at any time," Tan Xiaopeng, a fire control official in charge of the rescue, told Xinhua.

The mine was hit Thursday by a "coal and gas outburst" -- a sudden and violent ejection of coal, gas and rock from a coal face, which can cause serious injuries and damage machinery, a local mine safety official told AFP.

China News Service (CNS) and Xinhua said 20 people had been confirmed dead at the remote Sizhuang Coal Mine in Shizong county, in the province of Yunnan, while 23 others were trapped.

Police had cordoned off the scene as relatives of the missing held a tearful vigil.

Quoting local work safety officials, Xinhua said the mine was operating without a licence after its permit was revoked a year ago.

The accident comes days after a rock blast in a coal mine in the central province of Henan trapped dozens of workers underground.

Most were eventually pulled out after a 40-hour rescue operation, though 10 were killed.

Coal mine accidents are common in China, where work safety is often neglected by bosses seeking a quick profit.

Last year, 2,433 people died in coal mining accidents in the country, according to official statistics -- a rate of more than six workers per day.

Labour rights groups, however, say the actual death toll is likely to be much higher, partly due to under-reporting of accidents as mine bosses seek to limit their economic losses and avoid punishment.

China's rapid economic growth has caused demand for energy, including coal, to surge.

The Asian nation is the world's leading consumer of coal, relying on it for 70 percent of its growing energy needs.

Over the past eight years it has on average built one coal-fired power station a week. And with the arrival of winter, mines are operating at full capacity.

Fatalities at Chinese coal mines peaked in 2002 when 6,995 deaths were recorded, sparking efforts by the government to boost safety standards.

In its latest campaign, the government last year issued a policy that required six kinds of safety systems -- including rescue facilities -- to be installed in all coal mines within three years.

But accidents still occur on a regular basis. Last month, a gas explosion at a state-owned coal mine in the central province of Hunan left 29 miners dead.

]]> Tue, 21 FEB 2012 08:57:56 AEST Subscribe to our daily selection of space, military, environment and energy newsletters responseText http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=0016gbbKsaiGSpQFojVO8ZoHw%3D%3D