Mining and Exploration

Reliance Industries, India’s biggest company by market value, agreed to buy its third shale gas asset in the US this year, acquiring a 60 percent stake in acreages from Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc. and its partner.

Reliance will pay $392 million for the stake in the Marcellus shale gas areas of central and north-east Pennsylvania. The Mumbai-based company will pay $340 million in cash and cover part of Carrizo’s drilling costs over two years.

Kinross Gold Corporation, Canada’s third largest gold producer, has agreed to buy the remaining 91 percent of shares of Red Back Mining Inc. that it does not already own, to expand into Africa.

Red Back, based in Vancouver, operates the Tasiast mine in Mauritania and the Chirano mine in Ghana, and has exploration projects in both countries. Kinross has mines and projects in Canada, the United States, Brazil, China and Russia.

Xstrata, the world’s largest exporter of coal used for power, said its first half profit more than tripled on the back of a jump in metal prices from a year earlier.

The Zug, Switzerland-based company said that net income rose to $2.3 billion (approximately €1.7 billion) from $690 million a year earlier, beating analysts’ estimates. Sales rose by 43 per cent to $13.7 billion (approx. €10.3 billion).

For more than 25 years, Jetcrete has been providing shaft wall building, ground stabilization and related services to mining and construction companies across the Australian continent. Now, thanks to a joint venture with Thyssen Mining, the company is aggressively entering the North American mining market, as Keith Regan learns from the joint venture’s general manager.

In 2009 Ray Smith was parachuted in as CEO and president to rescue True Energy Trust. Now 18 months into the job, he talks to Gay Sutton about the remarkable turnaround, about renaming the company Bellatrix Exploration Ltd., and about his ambitions to make it the rising star of the Western Canadian Basin.

Agnico-Eagle has reported record quarterly revenue, net income and gold production in its second quarter 2010 results, thanks to higher prices for gold, zinc, silver and copper and the impact of four new gold mines commencing operations in the past 14 months.

Record quarterly net income of $100.4 million, or $0.64 per share, includes a non-cash foreign currency translation gain of $17.4 million, as well as a one-time tax recovery of $21.2 million. The result also includes non-cash stock-based compensation expense of $8.1 million.

Newmont Mining Corporation, the world’s second largest mining operator, more than doubled its profits in its second quarter results, thanks to higher gold and copper prices.

Net income rose to $382 million ($0.78 per share) compared to $162 million ($0.33 per share) in the second quarter of 2009. Gold production was reported at 1.3 million ounces, a rise of 12 per cent over Q2 2009.

Nevada produced 420,000 equity ounces of gold, slightly higher than the year ago quarter due to higher underground production at Midas and Leeville.

African Barrick Gold has reported a half year net profit rise of 217 per cent.

Profits at the miner soared to $99 million (approx. €76 million) on the back of increased production and the rising price of gold.

Revenue rose by 64 per cent to $424 million (approx. €326 million) and production by 23 per cent to 356,208 ounces. Realised gold prices jumped by 28 per cent to $1,155 (approx €888) per ounce.

Harry Winston Diamond Corporation has said it will purchase a nine percent interest in Canada’s Diavik diamond mine from Kinross Gold Corporation for approximately US$220 million.

Kinross acquired the Diavik diamond mine from Toronto-based Harry Winston in March 2009 for $150 million. At the time, the company said: "We've followed the diamond industry in Canada for some time and felt this was a good time to make an investment in both Harry Winston and the partnership."

Shareholders in Dana Petroleum are attempting to force the UK-based oil explorer to open takeover talks with South Korean suitor Korea National Oil Corp (KNOC), according to reports.

The Financial Times has reported that Schroders, Dana's biggest shareholder with a 13 per cent stake, has urged its board to engage with KNOC over its £1.67 billion indicative offer.