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AUSTRALIAN uranium developer Toro Energy believes the planned re-start of Japan’s nuclear reactors, expected this month, will boost global uranium prices. Following last year’s Fukushima nuclear disaster, caused by the devastating Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, Japan closed 53 of its 55 reactors indefinitely. The Japanese Government is now expected to reopen the plants due to ongoing energy supply problems. Speaking at the Paydirt 2012 Uranium Conference held in Adelaide last month, Toro managing director Greg Hall said the short-term uranium spot price had been impacted by a temporary uranium inventory overhang resulting from Japan’s ‘plant shutdown and safety stress checks’ approach in the wake of the tsunami incident. The closure of the nuclear reactors caused major economic frustration in Japan,...

EXPLORATION drilling at the Burtville mining centre in Laverton has delivered a 140 per cent increase in the mineral resource, Focus Minerals has announced. The Australian gold producer and explorer was able to increase the mineral resource estimate of the area to 5.7 million tonnes grading 1.3 grams per tonne for 235,000oz of contained gold. Chief executive Campbell Baird said in a statement that the drilling highlighted the enormous potential of the site. “This is a significant increase in the mineral resource from a drilling program that has only focussed on one small portion of the Burtville system,” Mr Baird said. “Very little drilling has been previously undertaken within a 2km by 1km area around the old pit, where old...

SOUTH Australian mining company Argonaut Resources (ASX: ARE) commenced drilling yesterday at the Island and Birties gold prospects in Higginsvale, WA. After approval by the WA Government to drill both areas, Argonaut secured a suitable track-mounted, slim-hole reverse circulation (RC) drilling rig to target untested gold anomalies. The drilling program will involve 15-20 holes at the Island gold prospect and 10-15 holes at the Birties gold prospect at a total cost of $350,000. The Island gold prospect, which benefits from the absence of historic drilling, sits over a major structural intersection that may have been a conduit for gold mineralising fluids. The Island gold targets were confirmed by SensOre Ltd’s proprietary mineral exploration artificial intelligence (AI) system. SensOre applied its...

Hunter Valley Operations, NSW.  Image: Yancoal. BY ELIZABETH FABRI HEALTHY demand for coal from key international markets is delivering more jobs for the NSW mining industry, according to NSW Minerals Council chief executive Stephen Galilee. Recent figures from industry organisation Coal Services reported more than 20,600 coal production jobs across the State in July; 1300 additional jobs year-on year, and the highest amount since March 2015. Of the newly created jobs, more than 1000 were based in the Hunter Valley, signalling good news for the 8000 plus mining supplier businesses across the region. “Our NSW coal mining communities have done it tough over the past few years, so this jobs boost mining is really good news for local economies,” Mr...