The Briefing on Mining

€115m

Electricity consumers in Slovakia currently pay around €115m every year to support coal mining in the country; however, households are expected to stop supporting the industry by 2023, according to the country’s economy minister.

$22.7bn

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman w ill inaugurate the Waad Al-Shamaal project, which is a city for mining industries in the country’s northern region. The project will cost over $22bn and will create 10,000 jobs.

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7.5%

Analysis of action results by EY suggest that the value of the Australian mining fleet had increased by 7.5% over the past 18 months, as the buoyant resources sector breathes life back into the mining services sector.

50

UK-based Sirius Minerals, the company behind a £3.2bn polyhalite mine in Yorkshire, is creating 50 apprenticeships. The four-year long apprenticeships will provide skilled and long-term opportunities for young people across the local area.

Kentucky bill to empower doctors to assess black lung

The bill will empower more doctors to diagnose cases of black lung in miners

Lawmakers have filed a bill to be considered at next year’s session of the Kentucky Legislature that aims to empower more doctors to treat cases of black lung disease, a respiratory condition affecting coal miners.

The bill, filed by Democrat Angie Hatton and Republican Robert Goforth, would remove the condition that a doctor must be a certified pulmonologist to have their opinions heard in relation to miner compensation.

Hatton said: “At a time when we’re seeing a spike in black lung, especially in Eastern Kentucky, many legislators unfortunately decided to make it tougher for miners in these cases to qualify for the workers’ comp benefits they deserve.”

Read the original article on the Herald-Leader.