CLEAN Energy Asia LLC and its shareholders, Newcom LLC and SB Energy Corp, have signed financing agreements with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to construct a 50MW wind farm in southern Mongolia. Clean Energy Asia will construct the Tsetsii Wind Farm at Tsogttsetsii Soum, Umnugobi Aimag, and aims to launch operations in December 2017.

AS well as providing employment opportunities for the communities in Zavkhan province of western Mongolia through its gold mine, Bayan Airag Exploration LLC is supporting the same communities by keeping them informed of its activities and supporting social programs.

TERRACOM Limited has completed recommissioning the Baruun Noyon Uul (BNU) Coking Coal Project and the mine is in full production. This follows the signing of a binding long form offtake agreement with a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Kingho Group for a 5.5 year offtake of hard coking coal produced from the South Gobi mine.

THE first stage feasibility study for the Northern Rail Corridor in Mongolia has concluded that the project is financially feasible. The study, which was prepared by China Railway First Survey and Design Institute Group Co Ltd (FSDI), covers the Erdenet to Ovoot section.

A LARGE proportion of the deposit at Aspire Mining’s Nuurstei Coking Coal Project can be mined economically in an open pit. Modelling carried out during preliminary pit optimisation uses indicated and inferred resources as well as a range of coking coal prices.

MONGOLIA’S Government has awarded a permit to Khot Infrastructure Holdings’ majority-owned subsidiary Ashid Munkhiin Zam LLC (AMZ) for construction of a 110kV powerline. The permit allows AMZ to further increase the scope and scale of bidding opportunities in the powerline construction sector.

DRILLING at Erdene Resource Development Corp’s Altan Nar Gold-Polymetallic Project has returned strong results, including 110 metres of 9.3 g/t gold, 32 g/t silver and 1.4% combined lead-zinc. This hole was testing a conceptual target at a structural intersection in the Discovery Zone (DZ).

THE exploration licence for Eumeralla Resources’ Chuluun Khoroot Tungsten Project in northeast Mongolia has been extended for an additional three years. The Mineral Resources Authority of Mongolia (MRAM) has extended the licence to September 26, 2019 and has reduced the tenement area from 12,658 hectares to 2786 hectares.

TURQUOISE Hill Resources expects to produce between 130,000 and 160,000 tonnes of copper and 100,000 to 140,000 ounces of gold from the Oyu Tolgoi open pit in 2017. The guidance is lower than 2016 production primarily due to approximately 25% less copper head grade and 50% less gold head grade.

KINCORA Copper has outlined a multi-target, multi-stage strategy for tier one porphyry copper-gold exploration in southern Mongolia. Early priorities will be Bayan Tal and East Tsagaan Suvarga (TS) where Oyu Tolgoi-style stratigraphy has been confirmed.

GOVERNMENT reforms, proposed new infrastructure projects and improving market conditions in resource-rich Mongolia are helping attract mining companies back to the market.

IN line with Xanadu Mines’ long-standing and well-prepared succession plan Dr Andrew Stewart has been appointed managing director and will continue in the CEO role. Executive chairman Mark Wheatley has moved to the role of non-executive chairman.

XANADU Mines will spend more than A$4.5 million on exploration across its porphyry copper-gold projects in the South Gobi porphyry belt in 2017. Xanadu owns Mongolia’s largest undeveloped copper-gold deposit, which is in the same region as Oyu Tolgoi.

XANADU Mines has ramped-up the second phase of exploration at its Oyut Ulaan Gold Project in the South Gobi region targeting recently discovered shallow high-grade epithermal gold veins. The accelerated program includes around 65 shallow holes for approximately 3000 metres of drilling.

CIMIC Group mining services provider Thiess, in joint venture with Mongolian contractor Khishig Arvin, has secured the first underground decline project at Turquoise Hill Resources’ Oyu Tolgoi (OT) Copper-Gold Project. The contract will generate total revenue of approximately $130 million, of which Thiess’ share is 80%.

DRILLING has resumed at Erdene Resource Development Corp’s Bayan Khundii gold and Altan Nar gold-polymetallic projects in southwest Mongolia. Erdene has been carrying out extensive studies in the past few months on the styles and controls of gold mineralisation at the projects, as well as various studies and projects related to the anticipated development of the district.

Japan’s Marubeni Corporation has won the Tavan Tolgoi Power Plant project tender. The plant will be built adjacent to Tavan Tolgoi, one of the world’s largest untapped coking and thermal coal deposits, in southern Mongolia.

SOUTHGOBI Resources has filed a technical report in respect of an updated resource estimate for its Ovoot Tolgoi coal mine in Mongolia. The report, prepared by RungePincockMinarco, supports the scientific and technical disclosures in which SouthGobi revealed updated resources of 170 million tonnes of indicated resources and 78 million tonnes of inferred resources.

PROPHECY Development Corp continues to keep operations at its Ulaan Ovoo Thermal Coal Project in northern Mongolia on standby during the global coal downturn. Modest sales to local customers from existing stockpiles are continuing and Prophecy is expected to reassess its production decision during the current quarter.

MONGOLIAN Mining Corp (MMC) is continuing discussions with bondholders to restructure its bonds on which it has reneged on a coupon payment. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange-listed company is also examining all financing options in a very difficult period for coal mining companies.