Oz grain goes overseas

Meeting environmental requirements, particularly regarding dust control, is often at the heart of demand for covered storage and silo facilities.

Sumitomo-aligned Australian grain trader Emerald is keen to expand its Melbourne Port Terminal (MPT) after loading a record 185,000t in February. MPT’s previous highest export month was 145,000t in July 2012 and the record was expected to be broken again in March.

US agri-business Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) in late October launched a A$2.7B bid for Australia’s GrainCorp which, if successful, would leave the nation’s grain sector in predominantly foreign hands.

ASX-listed miner Aquila Resources has said that the sale of its 50% interest in the Isaac Plains coal mine to Japan’s Ocean Coal Mining, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation, has been declared unconditional as all the conditions precedent have now been satisfied.

The Queensland Land Court has recommended the Queensland Government approve Xstrata Coal’s mining lease applications for the Wandoan Coal Project, its proposed open-cut thermal coal mine in Surat Basin.

Top thermal coal exporter Xstrata is reported to be looking at a long-term mining plan to boost output at its Queensland thermal coal deposits.