Esther Tanquintic-Misa

An 89.2 billion tonne worth coal reserve has been discovered at Sha'er Lake at China's northwest Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Experts said the coal reserve is Asia's largest.

Five rare earth elements fundamental in creating new technologies such as wind turbines, electric cars and efficient lighting are facing critical supply levels over the next few years.

China will continue to enjoy a more than average economic growth of 8.6 per cent in 2012, the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) forecast on its annual global research released Thursday.

Leighton Holdings subsidiaries John Holland and Thiess have been awarded $300 million worth of contracts for the Chevron-operated Wheatstone liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Western Australia.

Growing domestic requirement coupled with a slowing overseas demand may prompt exports of Indonesia's liquefied natural gas (LNG) to fall marginally in 2012.

Inner Mongolia, China's largest coal producing region, has produced 908 million tonnes of coal from January to November this year, up 26.6 per cent from a year ago.

It is funny to witness how investor confidence went haywire when prices of gold tumbled $1,560.97 in the middle of December.It is as if many have forgotten that while the yellow reached record highs of $1,915 per ounce in August 2011, this was well below the real high of $2,500 per ounce in 1980.Presently, gold is trading at $1,600 per ounce average. Still, this is 18 per cent below August 2011's $1,915 per ounce. Moreover, this remained 46 per cent below the real high of $2,500 per o...

South Korea, in a bid to secure a stable and reliable energy supply away from energy imports, will spend some $11.8 billion in various oil and natural gas development as well as rare earth minerals projects in 2012.

Cash gold fell 0.5 percent to $1,607.25 an ounce in Singapore, as it traded at $1,611.15 at 12:04 p.m. on concerns the maddening debt crisis swiping across the Eurozone is not contained.

China, earnest in its campaign to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions through 2015, has set a pollution reduction goal for 2012.On Wednesday, the world's second-largest economy, which happens to be also the world's biggest energy consumer, announced that for the coming year 2012, it aims to reduce by 2 per cent its sulfur dioxide (SO2) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) as well as ammonia nitrogen by 1.5 per cent, apart from maintaining zero-growth in the emission of nitrogen oxides, the...

With the operations of Japan's nuclear reactors still suspended as an aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, overall energy demand of the world's third-largest economy will upsurge sharply in 2012/13.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco) had on Wednesday released a roadmap schedule that will aid the dismantling of the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant in the next 30 to 40 years.As per the timetable, within two years, Tepco takes out the spent fuel rods at Fukushima Dai-Ichi. Its engineers will then attempt to slowly haul out melted fuel from one of the reactors within a decade, the Japanese government said.

New Gold Inc. has announced it will double its annual production to 1 million ounces in the next six years, as it mulls introducing a dividend payout for its investors in the fall of 2012.

Fiscal crisis stricken Germany, by far the eurozone's largest single investor in renewable energy, is all the more getting serious to wipe out its coal usage by 2020.

With most of its natural resources already nearing depletion, Malaysia has been urged to seriously consider opening itself to accommodate the production of rare earth metals.

Softer export markets and shifts to use of natural gas will offset the benefits of lower stocks and consolidation for many coal producers in 2012, according to a report by Fitch Ratings.

In a survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers for its annual Gold Price Report, 80 per cent of mining companies said gold will increase in 2012 and will reach a pinnacle of $2,000 per ounce.

Safe haven precious metal gold renewed its sparkle on Tuesday, closing above $US1600 a troy ounce first time this week.But the number of volume traded remained light as short-term traders remained cautious to take big risks before year end, while long-term traders have locked their books for the year, Reuters reported. This scenario should hold gold prices in a sideways range until 2012.

Copper futures, along with other commodities, climbed in New York after a report released by the U.S. Commerce Department showed that construction works of U.S. homes grew more than expected in November.

Some 15 new oil and gas fields in Indonesia are expected to go online in 2012, with total expected production at 1.15 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) and 32,200 barrels of oil per day (bpd), the country's energy regulator said on Sunday.

Effective Jan. 1, China will start implementing a modified Vehicle and Vessel Tax Law that imposes a corresponding higher tax levy for vehicles with an engine size of 2 liters and above.

Canadian gold and iron miner Eldorado Gold Corp. wants to buy European Goldfields Ltd. in cash and shares worth $2.4 billion, in an effort to add its gold reserves.

In a bid to lessen the impacts of coal ash into its surrounding environment, China's biggest coal producer had started building a facility that will make coal ash converted into alumina.

As steel mills in China, the world's top buyer of iron ore, continue to suspend buying sprees due to a weak domestic demand, this has impacted spot prices of the raw material to plummet on Monday.On the Shanghai Futures Exchange, the most traded May steel rebar contract dropped to $650 per tonne on Monday, down 0.76 per cent from the previous close. On Friday, iron ore index with 62 per cent Fe grade .IO62-CNI=SI slid 1.27 per cent to $132.1 per tonne, its lowest since Nov. 30.

Are we there yet?Prices of gold, long considered by most as a safe haven investment possession against economic uncertainty and rising inflation, will decline further below $1,500 per ounce over the next three months, according to a poll made by Reuters of 20 hedge fund managers, economists and traders.

India, the world's biggest hoarder of gold in 2010, has apparently slowed down on its buying binge of the yellow metal.

India's Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council said the country's exports of gem and jewellery will be able to maintain its growth forecast at 15 percent for the 2011-2012 fiscal year.

China is eyeing the African countries of Benin, Mali, Chad and Burkina Faso to help the world's second-largest economy develop its cotton-planting operations.

Prices of iron ore will average $150 per metric tonne from 2012 to 2015, research and investing company Goldman Sachs & Partners Australia Pty Ltd said.