Coal prices for power generators at Australia’s Newcastle port, a benchmark for Asia, fell to a five-week low of below $125 a tonne, due to tepid spot market demand and increased supplies from China.
Thermal coal prices fell $5.22 from a week earlier to $124.36 a tonne, the globalCOAL’s NEWC weekly index showed in the week [...]

India’s Era Engineering Innovations (EII) has committed an investment of US$5 million into coal-powered energy generation in Zambia following the just-ended Conclave on Indo-Africa Project Partnership in New Delhi.
Commerce, Trade and Industry Minister, Felix Mutati, who led the Zambian delegation to the meeting signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with EII director, Ajay Mishra over [...]

The China Iron & Steel Association (CISA), a semi-official industry organization, has denied media reports that Australia’s largest miners BHP Billiton Ltd and Rio Tinto Ltd have been banned from selling iron ore in China.
CISA vice chairman Luo Bingsheng said there was no such ban at a media briefing here.
However, Luo also told reporters that [...]

Oil and gas production in Brazil was up 2.3 percent in February over the same month the year before, the state-run oil company said Wednesday.
Petroleo Brasileiro SA announced that average daily production in February reached 2,129,420 barrels a day last month, an increase of 0.56 percent over January.
The company said it expected oil production would [...]

Anglo American said Tuesday three of its coal mines open coal supply to electricity utility Eskom has closed because of rain.
“They are all closed. They are not in operation at present, “spokesman Pranill Anglo Ramchander said.
Ramchander said he was unsure when Denmark and New Kriel collieries in the province of Mpumalanga and New Vaal in [...]

Asia faces the threat of higher inflation, slower growth and tougher times for exporters after oil prices hit new highs and the dollar plunged last week.
Farmers, miners and oil companies could benefit from high commodity prices. But most of Asia is dependent on imported energy and raw materials, and even some oil-exporting countries such as [...]

Iran and Switzerland signed an agreement Monday to major exports of Iranian gas to a Swiss company, in a rare energy deal between Tehran and the West in their nuclear tug-of-war drags on.
“Today we have witnessed the signing of a gas contract between the two countries,” Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki announced at a joint press [...]

Australia’s largest mining companies BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto have been barred from selling iron ore on China’s daily spot market, a report said Tuesday.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the lockout was being managed by industry arms of the Chinese government and had already cost the miners millions of dollars in exports.
“Neither BHP Billiton [...]

The price of Russian gas for European customers could rise as high as 400 dollars (257 euros) per 1,000 cubic metres by the end of 2008, the head of state-run Gazprom was quoted as saying on Friday.
Russian news agencies quoted Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller as saying the falling dollar and rising demand for gas [...]

Venezuelan state oil giant PDVSA has decided to sign some oil contracts in euros in the face of a plummeting dollar, local media reported, citing officials.
“There are some contracts in euros, contracts for crude, products and spot markets in euros. This is a subject which we are working on,” said energy minister and Petroleos de [...]