The Porgera gold mine in Papua New Guinea is set to be a larger and more important contributor to Barrick Gold"s Australia-Pacific operations.

Barrick Gold president Joc O"Rourke says the recent move to 95% ownership of the mine will mean Porgera will contribute 600,000 ounces in 2007 to group production. This output would be part of a total strong contribution from the region this year forecast at between 2.2 and 2.3 million ounces of gold, from Barrick"s 10 Australian Pacific mines.

Diamond drilling at Jinshan Gold Mines" Dadiangou Gold Project in Gansu Province, China, shows the mineralized zone extends for at least two kilometres and remains open in both directions.

SouthGobi Energy Resources has acquired the coal division of Ivanhoe Mines and now controls 55 coal exploration licences covering more than 20,700sqkm in southern Mongolia.

SouthGobi Energy Resources was formerly Asia Gold with the new name more accurately reflecting the company"s focus on integrated coal and energy development in southern Mongolia, near the border with China.

Australia sees itself as a natural ‘partner of choice" for the emerging Philippine mining industry, according to the Australia Philippines Business Council.

Oilex is acquiring a 45% interest in Indonesia"s West Kampar Production Sharing Contract (PSC) that has an existing onshore oil discovery.

The stake is being acquired from PT Sumatera Persada Energi (SPE) and will involve Oilex refunding certain past costs and funding the drilling of the Pendalian-3 exploration/appraisal well, planned for July, and the acquisition of 2D and 3D seismic work commitment programs.

Baosteel Group and Handan Iron and Steel Group have signed a 50/50 joint-venture agreement to invest in a new 4.6 million tonnes/year greenfield steel plant project in Handan, Hebei province.

China"s National Development and Reform Commission, the country"s main economic planning agency, has announced that its target for nuclear generation capacity in 2030 is 120-160 GWe, up from the 40 GWe target in 2020 (and 8.5 GWe today).

Centrex Metals has signed binding Heads of Agreement with Shenyang Orient Iron and Steel and Baotou Iron and Steel to supply hematite from the Wilgerup iron ore deposit on South Australia"s Eyre Peninsula.

Minemakers" uranium prospects in the Rossarden area of Tasmania are characterised by very high grades, according to Minemakers" managing director Andrew Drummond.

The prospects were discovered during the first uranium boom in the 1950s but Andrew Drummond says the assessments of the time were hampered by drilling constraints. He says Minemakers aims to further test the prospects in conjunction with drilling of the company"s flagship Storey"s Creek and Aberfoyle tungsten and tin projects.

Uranium Exploration Australia (UXA) has entered into an option and joint venture agreement with Rosscraft Minerals to develop the Marcollat uranium tenement in South Australia.

The ASIA Miner electronic news service continues this week to provide extracts from Goldletter International"s report on China"s gold industry. In the Third Quarter July-September 2007 issue of The ASIA Miner magazine, we present Marino Pieterse"s overview that China will emerge as the world"s largest gold producer by 2010.

This week we present the topic of China"s major national gold producers from Goldletter International.

Australian company Risatec has developed a mobile soil sampling and analysis unit which will help with environmental conservation on mining sites by identifying areas of soil leaching for treatment.

The world-first system, patented and developed by Risatec with technology partner J3 Technology, is based on handheld computers using Microsoft Windows Mobile technology. They are finalising field testing with two leading Australian mining organisations and are looking to manufacture in the near future.

Former leader of Britain "s Conservative Party Michael Howard has been appointed deputy chairman and a director of Entrée Gold.

Michael Howard has held many important government posts, including home secretary, secretary of state for employment and secretary of state for the environment.

In addition, he is a distinguished lawyer and has a long-standing interest in Mongolia .

Uranium Australia, a subsidiary of Korab Resources, is seeking to raise up to Aus$30 million through a float on the Australian Stock Exchange.

Uranium Australia will use the extra capital to finance further uranium exploration and development in the Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Churchill Mining"s drilling program at the East Kutai coal project in Kalimantan, Indonesia, continues to intersect occurrences of thermal coal in multiple seams.

The company has drilled a further nine holes with seven intersecting coal seams greater than or equal to 0.5 metres in thickness. Best intercepts included 14.2 metres from 14.7 metres to 28.9 metres; 8.25 metres of coal between 18.75 metres and 27 metres; and 5.2 metres from 24 metres to 29.2 metres.

GobiMin has closed its bought deal financing for aggregate gross proceeds of Can$12,937,500.

The syndicate of underwriters was led by Desjardins Securities and included Wellington West Capital Markets and Westwind Partners. The net proceeds of the placement will be used to fund the costs of the feasibility study on the Yellow Mountain property, to finance additional exploration work on a new target identified at Yellow Mountain, for the purchase of capital equipment and underground development work at the Yellow Mountain East mine and for general working capital purposes.

The main company producing the heavy forgings required for nuclear power plants, Japan Steel Works (JSW), is spending 40 billion Yen (Aus$330 million) to increase capacity in advance of orders expected from both China and the USA.

Japan Steel Works has production and research bases in Hiroshima, Yokohama and Muroran.

Promising drill results have expanded the resource at Mindoro Resources" Kay Tanda epithermal gold and silver prospect in the Philippines.

Mindoro will now make an advanced evaluation of the project"s economic potential and a 43-101 resource estimate has been commissioned. Metallurgical and environmental base-line work is ongoing.

Two drill holes extended mineralization 350 metres to the west and a third drill hole extended mineralization 150 metres to the north-west. High base metal values have been received from a previously reported hole assaying 5.96 grams/tonne gold, 4.13 grams/tonne silver, 3.31% zinc and 1.56% lead over 26 metres, including 14 metres at 10.18 grams/tonne gold, 6.71 grams/tonne silver, 5.72% zinc and 2.45% lead.

The Sebuku coal mine in Indonesia continues to be one of the star performers for Straits Resources with annual production expanding to 6 million tonnes.

In 2006 production increased to 3.5 million tonnes from 3 million in 2005 and the mine is expected to be producing at the expanded rate of 6 million tonnes by next year.

Golden China Resources is using private placement offer funds to further its exploration and feasibility study work at the Behinyar gold project in China and hopes to start production as early as the fourth quarter in 2008.

An engineering study has begun to expand the projected gold production at Jinshan Gold Mines" 96.5% owned CSH 217 gold mine to approximately 180,000 ounces/year.

Jinshan is on schedule to start commercial gold production in July 2007, starting at an initial production rate of 117,000 ounces/year. The expansion study, being prepared principally by KD Engineering, is designed to incorporate the mining of measured and indicated resources in the Southwest Zone, which now stand at approximately 32 million tonnes grading 0.86 grams/tonne, for contained gold content of approximately 860,000 ounces, and additional inferred resources of 9 million tonnes grading 0.74 grams/tonne gold at a 0.5 grams/tonne cut-off. The CSH 217 mine currently contains total measured and indicated resources of 2.9 million ounces grading 0.83 grams/tonne told and additional inferred resources of 0.5 million ounces grading 0.78 grams/tonne gold at a 0.5 grams/tonne cut-off.

The ASIA Miner electronic news service continues this week to provide extracts from Goldletter International"s report on China"s gold industry. In the Third Quarter July-September 2007 issue of The ASIA Miner magazine, we present Marino Pieterse"s overview that China will emerge as the world"s largest gold producer by 2010.

Australian gold production fell by 8% in the first quarter of 2007 compared with the previous three month period, Melbourne-based mining consultants Surbiton Associates Pty Ltd said following the release of its latest Australian Gold Quarterly Review.

The March quarter 2007 production was 60.3 tonnes, about six tonnes (around 180,000 ounces) less than the previous quarter. At current prices, 180,000 ounces of gold is worth about Aus$145 million. Despite this fall, the output in the latest period was similar to that for the March quarter 2006.

Tennant Creek Gold is starting an $8 million exploration program at its Manbarrum zinc, lead and silver project in the Northern Territory.

Major resource drilling programs will start shortly as part of the company"s 2007 exploration field season. The core objective is to delineate a substantial inventory of zinc, lead and silver resources and confirm the project"s potentially world-class nature.

Newera Uranium has moved to secure a highly prospective uranium and rare earth ground package comprising two tenements covering 230sqkm within the Harts Range Province of the Northern Territory.

Newera has entered into an agreement with Fermi giving it a three-year option to secure 80% of Fermi"s rights to two Northern Territory exploration licences.

Airborne surveys have identified new targets for sedimentary uranium deposits at Pegasus Metals" three uranium projects in the Ashburton-Gascoyne region of Western Australia.

The surveys were carried out by Fugro Airborne Surveys over the Pegasus projects at Hooley, Horse Well and Gifford Creek.

Golden China Resources has secured a strategic, second exploration licence at its Beyinhar gold project, significantly increasing the potential of the company"s resource base.

The company"s new 95%-owned cooperative joint venture company for the Beyinhar project has also been granted its required business licence under Chinese law.

Indophil Resources managing director Tony Robbins has been recognized for his achievements and leadership in the Philippine mining industry.

The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines presented Tony Robbins, who has worked in the Philippines for 18 years, his award at the 7th Asia Pacific Mining Conference held in Manila last week.

Ivanhoe Mines and Asia Gold have obtained Mongolian Government approval for the Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment report (DEIA) for the Ovoot Tolgoi coal project.

The former Nariin Sukhait coal project has been renamed Ovoot Tolgoi to differentiate Ivanhoe Mines" coal exploration and development project in Mongolia"s South Gobi Province from the adjoining Nariin Sukhait coal mine owned by a Mongolian-Chinese joint venture company, MAK/Qinhua.

Highlands Pacific believes the appointment of John Gooding as managing director will help it reach its potential after a year of mixed results.

After the excitement of the commissioning of the Kainantu Gold Mine and the formal launching of the Ramu development program there was then frustration and disappointment over operational problems and the slow ramp-up of gold production at Kainantu.

The Bank of China International is forecasting Sino Gold"s share price to increase from HK$35 to HK$53.

A bank analysis on the company says that Sino Gold is expected to post an earnings turnaround in the second half of this year with maiden contribution from its Jinfeng mine, in Guizhou Province, southwestern China.

Unit 2 of the Tianwan nuclear power plant has been connected to the grid as unit 1 prepares to enter commercial operation this month.

When this occurs unit 1 will then be handed over by Atomstroy export to Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation.

During the next few weeks The ASIA Miner electronic news service will provide extracts from Goldletter International"s report on China"s gold industry. In the Third Quarter- July-September 2007 issue of The ASIA Miner magazine, we will present Marino Pieterse"s overview that China will emerge as the world"s largest gold producer by 2010.

This week we present the topic of China"s gold occurrences from Goldletter International.

The West Pilbara Mt Stuart Joint Venture has announced an initial resource estimate for its Catho Well Channel Iron Deposit (CID) in Western Australia of 68 million tonnes at 55.38% iron.

The West Pilbara Mt Stuart Joint Venture involves the Australian Premium Iron Joint Venture (API) with 70% and Cullen Resources with 30%.

Pegasus Metals has acquired a major uranium exploration portfolio in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia from private interests.

Pegasus says the acquisition adds significant weight to its existing uranium asset base, with the tenement package considered highly prospective for hard rock uranium discoveries associated with uriniferous granites with known uranium oxides, and extensive palaeo-channels and placer deposits generated from tertiary drainage of the source rocks.

Uranium Exploration Australia has entered a joint venture agreement with Melbourne-based Newcrest Operations to explore iron oxide-copper-gold-uranium mineralisation at the highly prospective Stuart Shelf in the Gawler Craton in South Australia.

The joint venture will be known as the Oak Dam NE JV and under the terms of the agreement, Newcrest has the right to earn 75% interest in EL 3494 by spending a minimum of $3 million in four years.

Sparton Resources has received approval from the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) Comprehensive Planning Department to proceed with advanced coal ash leaching tests.

The tests are expected to recover small amounts of uranium oxide and CNNC has agreed to purchase any uranium oxide produced from these tests, as well as any future U3O8 production from the program at reasonable prices.

With so much potential for further development, many mining companies do not have the manpower or skills alone to effectively own and operate all their sites, therefore there is a continuous increase in the number of mines that are outsourced to mining contractors.

South Australian-based I-SiTE has appointed Steven Wong to the new position of director of international business.

I-SiTE manufactures integrated laser survey and digital imaging systems for mining and forensic tasks.

Steven Wong will develop sales channels in largely untapped regions internationally, reflecting I-SiTE"s steady maturation as a business and building on the solid foothold in the mine surveying market.

Golden China Resources has made good progress at its BioGold processing facility in Shandong province and its Beyinhar gold project in Inner Mongolia. These Chinese projects are focal points of the company"s medium term growth strategy.

New Guinea Gold has raise Can$5,04 million which will be used for working capital for the Sinivit project and to fund a second drill at the Imwauna project.

The Sinivit Gold Project is 50km south-southwest of Rabaul in the Baining Mountains of the Gazelle Peninsula, East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea.

Finders Resources Limited has closed its listing IPO early raising Aus$6 million.

Finders Resources executive chairman Dr Russell Fountain says: "The response from both retail and institutional investors, including existing shareholders, has been extremely encouraging and reflects investors" appreciation of the company"s advanced copper and silver-gold projects in Indonesia.

Following a satisfactory review by the relevant authorities, Sino Gold has started discharging to the CIL tailings dam at the Jinfeng gold project in China.

It is anticipated that gold can now be produced at commercial rates of production as the plant is steadily ramped up to design throughput and capacity.

Medusa Mining, the Australian-based company operating and developing gold mines in the Philippines, anticipates production of 10,000 ounces from the Co-O mine for the June quarter.

TVI Pacific"s Canatuan mine in the Philippines produced 8930 ounces of gold and 214,282 ounces of silver during for the first quarter of 2007 with net income increasing 67% compared to the same period in 2006.

The company"s solid first quarter results show total operating revenue of $10.5 million compared with $8.8 million in the same period last year.

Jubilee Mines has encountered significant new drilling results from the AM5 nickel deposit, 500 metres south of the Cosmos Deeps Mine in the north-eastern goldfields of Western Australia.

Thor Mining is expected to start drilling shortly on a number of targets at its Hale River uranium project.

The modelling and interpretation of 200 metre spaced HoistEM data at Hale River has been completed and has identified a complex palaeo-channel structure. The area has had limited previous coverage with wide-spaced reconnaissance drilling which identified anomalous ‘roll front" style mineralisation.

A public opinion poll on attitudes to uranium shows more than half of Australia"s population supports uranium mining.

Australian Uranium Association executive director Michael Angwin says: "The poll is a solid vote of confidence in the industry as it expands to contribute to Australia"s economic well-being and to help address the climate change challenge.

Marius Kloppers will succeed Chip Goodyear as CEO of BHP Billiton.

BHP Billiton chairman Don Argus says Marius Kloppers will bring the skills needed to take the company to the next stage of its development.

Moly Mines has secured plant and equipment for the 15 million tonne per annum Spinifex Ridge molybdenum/copper project in Western Australia"s Pilbara region.

Moly Mines will place an order with ThyssenKrupp subsidiary, Polysius, for the supply of Aus$45 million of long lead items for the processing plant/concentrator, which includes one primary crusher, with two High Pressure Grinding Roll (HPGR) units, and two ball mills.