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News This page contains news items about mineral issues affecting the European region. To post a news item to this page please email the details to: minerals.forum@unctad.org Please include the news title, sender name and email, date, and a description. Additional information may also be forwarded, preferably in MS Word, Adobe PDF or text formats. Recent News Title: Europe agrees to embrace nuclear option in battle to save the planet Source: Timesonline Posted: 14 Feb 2007 Title: Fortunes rebound for Europe's last uranium mineSource: TurkishPress.com Posted: 14 Mar 2007 Title: Open leter to UNDP representative in RomaniaSource: Rosia Montana.org Posted: 14 Mar 2007 Title: UK Coal accused of trying to 'bully' mine firm out of businessSource: The Indepen Posted: 14 Mar 2007 Title: Proposals for the UK enforcement of the EU 'REACH' chemicals regulationSource: www.defra.gov.uk Posted: 13 Mar 2007 Title: INTERVIEW - W. Europe's Biggest Coal Power Plant Tackles CO2Source: Planet ARK Posted: 01 Mar 2007 Title: Fighting Over Gold In the Land of DraculaSource: The New York Times Posted: 10 Feb 2007 Title: The Rise and Fall of Germany's Coal Mining IndustrySource: DW-World.DE Posted: 10 Feb 2007 Title: Report on corporate social responsibility: a new partnership - Motion for a European Parliament Resolution (pdf file)Source: Business & Human Rights Resource Centre Posted: 01 Feb 2007 Title: Coal can Provide an Alternative to Unreliable Oil Supplies from RussiaSource: World Cold Institute Posted: 25 Jan 2007 Title: REACH Regulation was formally adopted on 18 December 2006Source: Environment European Commission Posted: 15 Jan 2007 Title: Germany Debates the Future of Coal MiningSource: DW-World.DE Posted: 05 Jan 2007
Title: Siberia Explosion Kills 22 Coal
Miners; at Least 25 Are Trapped Details An explosion, apparently caused by methane, ripped through a coal mine in Siberia early Saturday, killing 22 miners and trapping at least 25 others underground, officials said. Thirteen miners were rescued or made it to the surface on their own, said Valery Korchagin, an emergency department spokesman in the Kemerovo region. He said four of them were injured, two hospitalized with burns. An additional 25 to 29 miners were still missing, he said. The Kemerovo governor, Aman Tuleyev, who was overseeing the rescue operation, said on Russian television that the shortest path to the blast site deep underground was blocked by what appeared to be rubble, and that rescuers were trying to reach the area by a longer route from an adjacent mine.
Title: Impregilo
wins Iceland dam construction deal to power new aluminium smelter Details Icelandic power producer Landsvirkjun said last week it chose Italian construction group Impregilo SpA (IPGI.MI) to build a giant dam in a project worth 47 million Icelandic crowns. Landsvirkjun said in a statement the Italian company won a bid to build a dam and tunnels for a hydropower plant due to provide energy for a 322,000 tonne aluminium smelter that U.S. Alcoa (AA.N) plans to build in Eastern Iceland. In December, Impregilo offered to build the utilities for 44 billion
Icelandic crowns, but the amount had risen to 47,3 billion, Landsvirkjun
said. In the run-up to the opening of bids, four companies withdrew from the race - Swedish groups Skanska AB (SKAb.ST) and NCC AB (NCCb.ST), Norwegian company Veidekke (VEI.OL) and France's Vinci )SGEF.PA). The power plant has caused one of the biggest environmental controversies in recent history in Iceland, because it requires that two of the country's largest glacial rivers be diverted into a reservoir in the Icelandic highlands. Landsvirkjun is expected to sign final deals with both Impregilo and Alcoa regarding the power plant and aluminium smelter in March, after Iceland's parliament has approved of Alcoa's plans.
Title: The
year of freshwater – but are water regulations out-dated? 2003 is the International Year of Freshwater, during which the United Nations will be raising awareness of the importance of protecting and managing freshwater. But European freshwater scientists are concerned that some water regulations are out of date, resulting in excessive costs to the metals industry to restrict metal pollution more than is necessary.
Title: Alcoa
Iceland plant needs no new environment permit Alcoa Inc. (AA.N) does not need to obtain an environmental permit to build a planned 295,000 tonne aluminium smelter in Iceland, the Icelandic Planning Agency said. In August 2001 the agency approved an environmental evaluation proposed for a 420,000 tonne smelter, which Norwegian aluminium producer Norsk Hydro (NHY.OL) planned to build. Norsk Hydro backed out of the project in July this year and Alcoa, the world's largest aluminium producer, said it intended to build a smaller smelter on the same site. "The changes in the plans to build an aluminium smelter in Reydarfjordur are not likely to have a considerable environmental impact, and are not to be subject to an environmental evaluation," the government planning agency said in a report. Alcoa has said it plans to decide early next month whether to proceed with construction of the smelter. The new operation would nearly double aluminium smelter capacity in the North Atlantic island, which has abundant geothermal energy and potential to generate hydro-electricity. The smelter and the hydropower plant which national power producer Landsvirkjun plans to build to power it have caused controversy in Iceland due to environmental concerns. The plan would dam two of the country's largest glacial rivers, turning highland valleys and canyons into reservoirs.
Title: Alcoa
(AA.N) finalises Iceland smelter talks Alcoa Inc., the world's largest aluminium producer, said on Friday it had finished negotiating for a 295,000 tonne aluminum smelter in Iceland and a ministry official said a deal could be signed before year-end. The company said it had finished work on its contracts with Iceland's national power producer Landsvirkjun, Iceland's Ministry of Industry and the municipal authorities at the construction site, but the deals would not be signed until the beginning of next year. "We have reached an agreement on all issues regarding power supply, investment, sites and harbour rights," Pall Magnusson, political advisor of Iceland's Industry Minister Valgerdur Sverrisdottir, told Reuters. "Lawyers are now reviewing the contract text, and we expect to put our initials on them before the year is over." Alcoa hopes to begin production at the smelter in 2007. The smelter and the hydropower plant Landsvirkjun plans to build to power it have caused controversy in Iceland due to environmental concerns. The plant will dam two of the country's largest glacial rivers and turn valleys and canyons in the country's highlands into reservoirs. See related article: An Icelandic Battle of Wildlife Versus Voltage
Title: Red
Mine Waste Fouls Pristine Greek Bay Deep red mine wastes from a lead and zinc mine owned by a subsidiary
of the Toronto based TVX
Gold, Inc., are discoloring the Bay of Ierissos in northeastern Greece.
More than half a mile of the bay, known for its large sandy beaches, clear
waters, and abundant fishing, is now streaked with pollution. On December 6, the Greek Supreme Court ordered TVX to close down the mine beneath Stratoniki because TVX’s environmental assessments were found inadequate to ensure the safety of the village and its 800 people. The mine still continues to operate. Red mine wastes contaminate the Bay of Ierissos. Local villagers and fishermen have observed the red wastes entering the bay since December 7. Tolis Papageorgiou, a local civil engineer, says, “Commercial fishing could be seriously affected by this spill, because of the risk of heavy metal contamination. The bay of Ierissos is one of the major fisheries of Greece.” The wastes flowing into the bay of Ierissos are likely to contain traces of lead, zinc, silver, and other toxic metals, as well as cyanide and other chemicals which are used to process metals from TVX’s mine.
Title: Coal
mine to stay open in UK The troubled Harworth coal mine, near Doncaster, has been granted a reprieve. Speculation had been growing for months about the future of the site after it recorded multi-million pound losses. However UK Coal announced on Thursday it has accepted a new business plan put together by management and workers.
Title: Mines
may power county's future in UK Abandoned mine workings on the Cornish coast could be potential sources of renewable energy. The government has invested £100,000 in the unique Waveshaft project to test out the theory. Waveshaft will investigate whether wind turbines can be installed in mine tunnels which are linked to sea caves. Scientists believe gusts of air created by the waves rushing in could drive the turbines and generate electricity.
Title: UK
MPs meet Blair over threatened mines Former miners are meeting the prime minister on Wednesday as part of the Miners' Parliamentary Group. They intend to make sure Mr Blair is up-to-date on the issues affecting the industry and seek financial support for the mines under threat. A series of one-day strikes planned at five pits by the Union of Democratic Mineworkers (UDM) were delayed for 28 days to allow for more talks.
Title: UK
aluminium seen pressured by green rules Britain's aluminium industry is facing stiffer competition from its European rivals because of growing environmental legislation, the British Aluminium Federation (ALFED) said this week. The aluminium sector, like all industries, must conform to ever-tougher rules from the European Union and the British government to protect the environment by cutting back noxious fumes released into the air, or waste directed into landfills. Title: EBRD
grants $12 mln loan to Russia zinc plant The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has granted a $12 million loan to Russia's top zinc producer Chelyabinsk Electrolytic Zinc Plant, the bank said in a statement. The six-year loan will finance the construction of a mercury recovery plant and a sulphuric acid plant. The new facilities will help the smelter eliminate mercury emissions and drastically reduce emissions of sulphur oxides. Under the EBRD environmental action plan accepted by Chelyabinsk, all the plant's processing units will comply with European Union as well as Russian environmental standards by 2005. The EBRD granted the Chelyabinsk plant a $15 million loan for six years in 2000 to finance the expansion of the smelter's capacity and refine zinc at a higher grade. The plant, located in the Urals, has an annual capacity of about 150,000 tonnes of zinc. Chelyabinsk said earlier this year it hoped to raise output to 160,000-162,000 tonnes in 2002 from 155,500 tonnes in 2001.
Title: Russian
magnate plans giant aluminium complex near Urals In a makeshift hall on the edge of a mining village deep in Russia's heartland, oil and aluminium magnate Victor Vekselberg raises his glass to a gathering of Western financiers. "You have to believe in it like I do. We need your support for this project to succeed" he says, gulping down vodka and gazing half playfully, half imploringly at his audience as they finish their meal at a banquet attended by miners, local politicians and villagers. Vekselberg is throwing a party to celebrate the opening of a 160 Km (100 mile) rail line - the first to be built in Russia with private funds since the nineteenth century - linking the country's largest bauxite mine to Russia's vast state network. Having built the rail link, he has his eyes on a more ambitious goal - constructing a refining and smelting complex near Timan at a cost up to $1.8 billion to turn the grey bauxite ore into primary aluminium ready for export to metal-hungry industries in the West. Vekselberg is chairman of SUAL Holding, which controls Russia's second-largest aluminium business and is ranked ninth in the world. He badly needs foreign partners to make his dream come true.
Title: Sadness
as oldest United Kingdom coal mine closes Miners have clocked on for the last time at the UK's oldest
working coal
Title: Britannia
Zinc sees new materials source in recycling Britain's sole zinc producer, Britannia Zinc (BZL), will start recovering the metal from used domestic batteries next month in a pilot scheme the company hopes to see expanded across the country. The move comes ahead of new European Union rules that should set tough targets for battery recycling in Britain, said Tom Cooney, environmental manager at BZL, which is owned by Australian metals miner MIM Holdings Ltd. "As the EU battery directive is likely to be introduced very soon...Britain
will have to develop battery recycling as quickly as possible," Cooney
told Reuters. Some 22,000 tonnes of batteries containing about 4,000 tonnes of potentially recyclable zinc are expected to be sold in the UK in 2002.
Title: Six
dead in Ukraine mine blast A methane gas explosion at a mine in eastern Ukraine has left six people dead - the second major accident at a Ukrainian pit in two weeks. Fourteen others were injured in the blast at the Yubileinaya mine in Dnipropetrovsk region - some seriously, officials said. The explosion comes just two weeks after a fire at another mine in the east of the country left 35 miners dead.
Title: Anglo
Catches 'Green' Bandwagon to Save Face Anglo American's appointment yesterday of Sir Mark MoodyStuart as chairman-designate
will give the company some much needed credibility in the eyes of environmental
and social campaigners. Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa accused the mining
group last month of being socially irresponsible after it decided to pull
out of the Konkola copper mine, the country's largest foreign currency
earner and biggest employer.
Title: Mining
company almost takes over Romanian village In 2003 the Canadian mining company Gabriela Resources wants to start the construction of a 600 hectares artificial lake or the storage of cyanide polluted water, needed for extracting gold from the ore. The centuries old mountain villages will be demolished, the inhabitants will get an offer for replacing living space. Archaeologists that are investigating the remnants of Romans, Dacias, Celts and Goths will have to hurry.
Title: Europe:
Voluntary Agreements Supplant Legislation The European Commission today proposed comprehensive rules for drawing up voluntary agreements with industry sectors across the European Union to achieve environmental goals without recourse to legislation. The package includes a half-way proposal for some agreements that would see objectives and timetables fixed in law with businesses given freedom to decide how to meet them. A delayed European Union strategy on dealing with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic is likely to provide the first testing ground for the new framework. Others in the climate and waste management policy areas could follow. The Commission expects up to six agreements to be concluded over the next two years.
Title: What
happened to coal mining in England? Details At one time, Britain had more than 1 million coal miners. By the end
of this year there could be fewer than 10,000. Since then, Britain's biggest
mining firm has struggled to reinvent itself to cope with more competitive
global coal markets. But the firm has struggled to combat cheaper coal
imports, and cleaner fuel concerns which led to the so-called "dash
for gas".
Title: An
Icelandic Battle of Wildlife Versus Voltage This is Europe's second-largest wilderness, a high plateau
of lakes and virgin rivers, jagged canyons and snowy former volcanoes
linked by swards of treeless tundra inhabited by thousands of reindeer
and geese. The power plant to be built will have one customer: an aluminum smelter owned by Alcoa, the world's largest aluminum company, which is considering investing $1 billion. Alcoa entered the picture only in April, and is hoping to conclude price negotiations with Iceland's government and national power company this week so that work can begin next month, during the short summer. But schemes to dam the area for hydropower have been in the works for decades and have been fought in a see-saw battle for just as long. ... The actual price at which Iceland will sell Alcoa its hydropower
is still being negotiated, and will not be made public. But Norsk Hydro
(who pulled out earlier this year) was known to be negotiating for around
2 cents per kilowatt-hour, half the rates in the United States and less
than a third of some in Europe. There is another plum for Alcoa in the deal. Because Iceland is so pollution-free — 98 percent of its buildings have geothermal heat and hot water — it negotiated an exception to the Kyoto accord on greenhouse gases, so Alcoa will not have to pay penalties for the carbon dioxide emissions that its smelter will produce.
Title: Ukraine
mine chiefs arrested The Ukrainian authorities have arrested three top managers
of a coal mine
Title: Corporate
social responsibility should remain voluntary, says European Commission The European Commission has released a strategy paper declaring that the emerging field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) should remain a voluntary endeavour largely dictated by business imperatives. As CSR develops it is hoped that companies will voluntarily take on board social and environmental concerns as well as economic ones. The Commission signalled last week that it would not yield to European Parliament pressure to propose binding legislation for firms to report on social and environmental issues alongside their annual financial accounts
Title: European
Parliament committee demands action to prevent major industrial accidents Following a number of high profile industrial accidents that have killed and injured people and seriously damaged the environment, the European Parliament’s Environment Committee is demanding action to prevent industrial accidents in sensitive areas. The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy has unanimously accepted Italian MEP Giorgio Lisi’s report on the control of major accident hazards involving dangerous substances. The Committee called for land-use planning to include guidelines for harmonised assessment of dangers from hazardous substances at industrial plants in ‘sensitive’ areas. The report also calls for a broadening of the scope of the directive to cover not only ammonium nitrate fertilizers, but also potassium nitrate – which has similar properties. The European Commission has recently made efforts to tighten up the Seveso II directive to cover mining operations following the tailngs dam accident at Baia Mare in Romania. Whilst the Parliamentary committee welcomes this move, it says they do not go far enough. 
Title: EU
ministers clear German coal subsidies Germany secured the right from its European Union partners last week to continue multi-billion euro annual subsidies to its coal mining sector at least until 2010, ministers said. EU Industry Ministers agreed to phase-out subsidies by the end of 2010, subject to a review in 2007. German coal aid peaked at 11.3 billion marks in ($2.83 billion) 1989 and is 5.7 billion marks this year.
Title: World
Bank involvement in the restructuring of Ukraine’s coal sector The third in a series of four press releases leading up to the World Bank Extractive Industry Review´s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Consultation in Budapest, Hungary on June 19-22, 2002. At the Consultation, NGOs will raise the issue of the harm which extractive industry projects have created in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In 1996, the World Bank provided Ukraine with two loans supporting the closure of uneconomic coal mines and restructuring of the coal sector. The projects were developed with the particular goal of mitigating both the social and environmental consequences of the mine closures, well known in advance. However, in some cases the results have been more dramatic than was foreseen.
Title: Four
missing in Russian mine blast A gas explosion has ripped through a coal mine in central Russia, and rescue teams are searching for four missing miners. More than 70 miners were working at the mine in the Kemerovo region in western Siberia when the blast occurred.
Title: Mine
waste and agriculture continue to pose pollution problems in Baltic "By the end of 2002, two metal smelters in Finland and Sweden previously considered as pollution hot spots in the Baltic region, are expected to be given the all clear on emissions, but after ten years of pollution control measures in the region, mine waste and agricultural hot spots remain significant sources of pollution, according to the latest progress report by the Helsinki Commission, HELCOM." ... "More than 26 of the original 132 hot spots have been deleted from the list, and the two smelters at Outokumpu in Finland and Boliden/Rönnskär in Sweden, with Stockholm’s sewage system and Finnish fish farms in the Archipelago and the Åland Sea, are the latest four close to losing their designation." ... "However, the mine wastes at the historic Swedish mining town of Falun continue to pose problems. HELCOM recognises that the waste heaps form an important part of the cultural setting, but pollution levels from the 100 year old mine workings are similar to those discharged by the entire Swedish pulp and paper industry. A major restoration programme is due to be completed in 2006, at a cost of 100 million Swedish crowns (¤11 million)." More...
Title: Anniversary
of Kumtor Accident Highlights Extractive Industry Problems Ahead of World
Bank’s Extractive Industry Review On May 20, 1998, a severe cyanide spill accident happened on the road to the Kumtor Gold Mine in Kyrgyzstan. The lead lender for the project was the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) also participated in the financial scheme supporting the project. Four years after the accident still there are lessons to be learnt. More... This press release is the first in a series of four, leading up to the World Bank Extractive Industry Review´s Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Consultation in Budapest, Hungary on June 19-22, 2002.
Title: Campaign
to save ponies from UK pits The Pit Pony Rescue Centre at Pontypridd is urging the Welsh Assembly to support its calls for legislation to prevent private coal mines from using ponies. Ninety years ago there were 70,000 ponies working in the mines. The figure gradually decreased to none as the industry declined.
Title: Abandoned
mines said gigantic environment problem The environmental and social costs of closing and rehabilitating old and abandoned mines around the world are likely in the trillions of dollars, and far beyond the capability of mining companies alone to deal with, Sir Robert Wilson, chairman of London-based metals giant Rio Tinto Plc said this week. Wilson told Reuters at the Global Mining Initiative conference on sustainable development in Toronto that a recent estimate puts rehabilitation costs just in the United States, where regulation is stricter than in many other countries, at $35 billion. "If you look at where the real problems are, in Russia, Eastern Europe, South Africa, India, China, the extent of the (mine) legacy issues is enormous, and it's totally beyond the capability of this industry, either financially or technically, to make a meaningful contribution to that," Wilson said.
Title: Top
miners pledge steps to sustainable development The three-day Global Mining Initiative conference in Toronto, that drew a host of Chief executives from the world's top mining companies, ended yesterday with pledges that the industry is in the process of mending its social and environmental ways, but with no concrete action plan on how this is to be performed.
Title: Mining
sector aims to be kinder, gentler, greener The mining industry
moved to put another nail in the coffin of its swashbuckling past on Monday,
opening a major conference designed give it a kinder, gentler and greener
face - even starting the event with an Ojibwa prayer to the new day, delivered
by a member of the Mississauga Indian nation. About 570 members of the world's mining elite, and some of their harshest critics, started the three-day Global Mining Initiative conference in Toronto that will try to shine up what the sector now willingly admits is a tarnished social and environmental reputation. The conference is being held ahead of the World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in August.
Title: Taxpayers
dig deep for mine closure in Scotland The closure of Scotland's last deep coal mine has cost the taxpayer millions of pounds, it has emerged. The Scottish National Party has demanded to know why a publicly-funded body had to pay £4.5m to the Royal Bank of Scotland when the Longannet coal mine in Fife was closed. Scottish Coal (Deep Mine), which operated the pit, went into liquidation in March after a massive flood at the mine.
Title: Brussels
judge studying TotalFinaElf rights case A Belgian judge is studying a landmark lawsuit against French oil giant TotalFinaElf and its chief executive for allegedly helping the Myanmar military to commit human rights abuses. The CEO Thierry Desmaret is accused of complicity in the torture and forced labor of workers building a TotalFinaElf pipeline. This is apparently the first time a company and its CEO have been involved in a crimes against humanity case.
Title: EU
coal, diesel subsidies clash with green ideals The European Union
is committed to reducing the pollution blamed for causing global warming,
so why is it pumping vast subsidies into fossil fuels such as coal and
diesel which are the main sources of greenhouse gases? Environmental campaigners are fuming at a deal among EU member states last week which ensured Germany will be able to continue its multi-billion euro annual handouts to coal mining, in return for allowing other countries to subsidise truck fuel.
Title: International
efforts needed for success of corporate green reporting A recent report warns of the dangers of a ‘patchwork’ of unrelated national regulations for corporate environmental reporting which could be very costly and inefficient for multinational companies.
Title: Miners
urged to lead the way on development issues The mining industry must take the initiative in standardising its approach to social, economic and environmental considerations, according to a new report from the Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD) project. The question of sustainable development is a key one for the future of the industry.
Title: INSIDE
TRACK: Prospecting for mining balance: VIEWPOINT SIR ROBERT WILSON: A
global initiative aims to improve the sector's sustainable development
record The resources industry is an essential pillar of economic activity, but it can also be a source of social and environmental problems. Mining companies have sometimes been too slow in reacting to society's calls for improvements in corporate social responsibility. But compliance with the law is not enough. We must respond to demands for higher environmental and social standards, and greater transparency in accounting for performance. That is why Rio Tinto joined others in the industry in setting up the Global Mining Initiative (GMI). See the article for the full text.
Title: Last
deep mine is saved in England More than 400 jobs have been saved at north-east England's last remaining deep coal mine. A £1m investment in Ellington Colliery in Northumberland will see the pit stay open until 2007.
Title: Spanish
mine spill site may be unsafe – green lobby Four years after the Spanish mining spillage that caused one of Europe's worst ecological disasters, the mine site has been sealed and the area cleaned but environmentalists say the threat of contamination persists. Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) warned that the dangerous minerals could seep into the ground and eventually poison the drinking water of over one million people in the bustling Seville area in Andalucia.
Title: Alcoa
in talks on Iceland aluminium smelter Alcoa Inc., the world's leading aluminium producer, is in talks with the Icelandic government on building a 280,000-tonne smelter, Iceland's Industry Minister Valgerdur Sverrisdottir said yesterday. Representatives of the U.S.-based company visited a possible smelter site in eastern Iceland last week.
Title: Mining
sector starts countdown to earth summit Earth Day marks the start of a period of trial for the global mining industry as the countdown begins to the next world environment summit in South Africa in August. Some 60,000 delegates, including many heads of state, will gather for 10 days from August 26 in Johannesburg for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, which will tackle climate change, the loss of natural resources and, for the first time, mining.
Title: EU
environment policy puts focus on soil quality Soil is the next big green challenge for the European Union, the EU's executive Commission, the body which drafts most of the bloc's environmental legislation, said. Over the next two years it will draft policies on industrial emissions that contaminate soil, procedures for disposing of mining waste and a revision of EU sewage regulations.
Title: Green
fears over mine closure in Scotland Environmental concerns are emerging over the closure of Scotland's last deep coal mine. The company which owns the Longannet colliery was placed into liquidation after flooding brought work to a halt last month. However, environmental concerns about the impact of the closure are also coming to light. Rising floodwater are being closely monitored to prevent pollution reaching watercourses like the River Forth.
Title: Cash
to tackle UK polluted water threat A north Wales council has pledged £20,000 to help tackle the threat of flooding and pollution from a former copper mine. Anglesey County Council has been warned that a dam holding back 50,000 cubic metres of acidic water at Parys Mountain, near Amlwch, is in urgent need of repair.
Title: UK
firm hopes for tax boost for its "green" gas Alkane Plc says its use of methane which seeps out of old mines is as good for Britain's environment as taking thousands of cars off the roads, and hopes for a tax change to give it the same status as renewable power. The company traps methane gas naturally coming out of the country's many disused coal mines and sells it as a source of power.
Title: Talks
over coal job cuts in Scotland Talks have been held over the future of coal miners made redundant from Scotland's last deep mine colliery. Enterprise Minister Wendy Alexander has met unions and officials to consider the options for the Longannet pit in Fife. Some 366 miners and 150 contractors have lost their jobs at the mine.
Title: UK
Politicians Want Anglo to Contribute to Cape PLC Fund in South Africa UK politicians have appealed to global mining group Anglo American to make a contribution to the SA asbestosis victims' settlement trust fund. Anglo American is being asked to review its decision not to make a contribution to the settlement trust fund to be established in South Africa for 7,500 victims suffering from asbestosis. See also the article: http://allafrica.com/stories/200203220064.html
Title: Grim future for deep coal mine in Scotland Source: BBC World Service Sent by: minerals.forum@unctad.org Date: 29 March 2002 Details The prospects for Scotland's last deep coal mine have been described as "horrendous" after the company was placed into liquidation. Some 366 miners and 150 contractors have lost their jobs at the mine, which was flooded by 17 million gallons of water at the weekend. See also the related articles: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/scotland/newsid_1899000/1899442.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/scotland/newsid_1897000/1897170.stm
Title: Environmentalists mull river clean-up in Romania Source: BBC World Service Sent by: minerals.forum@unctad.org Date: 23 March 2002 Details Environmentalists from East and Central Europe are meeting in the Romanian city of Tirgu Mures to discuss ways to clean up the heavily polluted rivers of the region. Two years have passed since cyanide and heavy metals from Romanian mines devastated life in the Tisza river.
Title: Romanian
villagers oppose Canadian gold mine at Rosia Montana A new citizens' organization called Alburnus Major has been organized
in Romania to oppose an open pit gold mine being promoted by Canadian
company Gabriel Resources. They claim to represent 80% of the people living
in Rosia Montana, the oldest village in Romania. Gabriel intends to relocate
their town and build a gigantic open pit gold mine on the site. The mine
will also destroy an invaluable archaeological heritage site dating from
Title: Greek
court annuls permits for TVX Olympias mine Canada's TVX Gold
Inc. mulled its next move after the Greek supreme court Read the full article. Related information: Greek gold mine problems lead TVX to take writedown on assets - 6 March 2002
Title: Ten
die in Polish coal mine blast Ten people died when an explosion ripped through a coal mine, state mining agency officials have said. It is the single most deadly incident to have happened in Poland's mines since 1987 when 18 miners died in an explosion in Myslowice, also in the industrial Upper Silesia region. The government is struggling to privatise the industry, which consumes a large part of its finances. See also the related article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1804000/1804018.stm
Title: United
Kingdom coal power stations must go greener Britain's energy minister this week said the future of coal-fired power stations in the UK rested on their ability to reduce pollution. Coal mining in Britain has been in decline for decades but a doubling over the last two years in the price of gas, the fuel of choice for power generation in the 1980s and 1990s, has led to an increase in coal demand as electricity generators seek out the cheapest fuel in a highly competitive market.
Title: Mine
link wins 10m pound grant in Scotland Plans for a new rail link, which will take loads from an open cast mine off the roads have been awarded £10m by the Scottish Executive. The move -which the executive said was part of its policy of moving freight from road to rail - will save more than 250 lorry movements every day.
Title: Anglo-Australian
BHP Billiton to Cut 1,000 Jobs Anglo-Australian mining giant BHP Billiton confirmed Tuesday it will eliminate 1,000 jobs worldwide, part of a bid to reduce $270 million in expenses by 2003. The Melbourne, Australia-based mining company employs about 60,000 people worldwide.
Title: Alps,
Hindu Kush world's most threatened mountains Environmental damage to mountain ranges around the world could trigger more floods, landslides and fires, and bring famine to people living on their slopes, the United Nations University said on Sunday. In a study, the Tokyo-based university said mountains were threatened by pollution, war, deforestation, agriculture, mining and too many tourists - all of which could lead to a slew of serious natural disasters.
Title: UNECE Ministerial Statement for the
World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) The nations of the Economic Comission for Europe (UNECE) have released a Ministerial declaration on the WSSD to be held in Johannesburg in 2002. Recommendations in relation to mining are mentioned in paragraph 10. "We recognize that sustainable management, use, and conservation of natural resources are needed to reverse current trends in unsustainable consumption and production at the national and global levels. In this regard, we encourage countries to set goals on environmental protection, and improved eco-efficiency and resource productivity with a view to demonstrating tangible results. The Summit should develop specific initiatives, building on work undertaken since Rio, in areas such as: fresh water, sanitation, oceans and seas (including coral reefs), coastal zones, mountains, land use, forests, biodiversity, energy, minerals and metals, and health and environment. The Summit should encourage sustainable management, use and conservation in the full range of resource sectors, both renewable and non-renewable." The full declaration is available for download (PDF).
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