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India seeks to expand production from its underground coal mining industry to 100 million tonnes by 2028 as the country strives to meet growing power demand. 

Most of India’s domestic coal production comes from opencast mines. The ministry plans to triple output from its underground coal mines by 2028 in an attempt to revive an industry that has been in decline for decades. 

The announcement that further coal mining is required to meet demand comes after the country’s Minister of Coal Pralhad Joshi said in March that India will have enough coal reserves to begin exporting by 2026, a move that will see the nation move from being a net importer to a net exporter of coal. In May, the ministry also announced plans to produce more than one billion tonnes of coal between 2023 and 2024 after it revealed that India’s total coal production has increased by 47% over the last nine years.

Panama’s congress eliminated an article in a mining bill that would have voided First Quantum Mineral’s multi-billion-dollar copper mining contract on 3 November. The provision to revoke First Quantum’s controversial contract was therefore eliminated and the National Assembly referred the agreement to the country’s Supreme Court for a ruling. 

First Quantum claimed that despite the protests over the contract, which included the infiltration of a port used to export copper and large masses marching in Panama City, production at the Cobre Panama copper mine had continued. 

In the announcement, the company said: “Production at the Cobre Panama mine remains uninterrupted at this time; however, like many businesses across Panama, protests, including blockades of key roads, have caused disruptions on site as well as shortages in certain supplies.” 

After the announcement, First Quantum’s shares increased by more than 12% to C$17.64 ($12.93) in morning trading in Toronto and by the afternoon they were trading at C$17.13.

Twin Metals, a subsidiary of Chilean mining company Antofagasta, has filed a notice of appeal in the US Court of Appeals after a District Court judge dismissed the company’s bid to restore cancelled mining leases in September.  

The cancelled leases for the Minnesota copper and nickel mine were worth $1.7bn (1.5trn pesos).  

Defending its leases in north-east Minnesota, the company issued a statement calling the dismissal an “unlawful federal agency action”.  

In January this year, the Biden administration blocked mining in part of north-east Minnesota for 20 years over concerns it could pollute a major recreational waterway and also harm the state’s vast network of interconnected waterways. 

The Interior Department also determined that the leases were illegally renewed despite the US Forest Service objecting over concerns that mining could pollute the streams and lakes with potential toxins.

South African gold miner Gold One is advancing disciplinary hearings on suspended employees who allegedly kidnapped fellow workers underground.

Last week, the company placed 34 labourers on suspension charges relating to “participating in the sit-in underground, which turned into a hostage situation, as well as picketing on surface, which was against company instruction for all employees not to come to work during those days, as well as a violation of two court order[s] preventing any strike action”.

From 22–25 October, 550 employees were kept underground by the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union, according to Jon Hericourt, a Gold One spokesman. After resurfacing, some workers told South African newspaper Sowetan that they were held underground against their will. Others said it was part of a sit-in strike against Gold One for not recognising the AMCU.

The European Parliament and Council on Monday reached an agreement on the terms of the bloc’s first-ever methane emissions law.

The provisional legislation, which came about after lengthy talks, seeks to limit emissions from the potent greenhouse gas. It will require the fossil gas, oil and coal industries to properly measure, report and verify their methane emissions according to set monitoring standards, and take action to reduce them.

Within the EU, the law will require operators to report regularly to authorities about quantities and measurements of methane emissions at source level. This will include non-operated assets.

Coal miners will also be answerable to new regulation. Venting from thermal coal mines will be limited from 2027, with stricter conditions coming into effect some time after 2031.