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NEWS-THIS MONTH IN COAL Xstrata, JX Nippon Initiate Prefeasibility Study in BC The British Columbian Premier, Christy Clark, joined Xstrata Coal and JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corp. recently to announce the joint venture's investment of $35 mil- lion in British Columbia to conduct a prefeasibility study of the Suska coal proj- ect, located between Tumbler Ridge and Chetwynd. The announcement was made in Tokyo as part of Premier Clark's trade mission, which included stops in Japan, Korea and the Philippines. "Through Canada Starts Here: the BC Jobs Plan, our government is working to grow our econo- my and this recent investment confirms that we are on the right track," said Premier Christy Clark. "Our industry part- ners can feel confident about their invest- ments because of British Columbia's low taxes, skilled workforce, and a transporta- tion infrastructure that gets products to Asian markets quickly and efficiently." "Xstrata's partnership with JX Nippon has put us in a positive position to advance the Suska Coal Project," said Mark McManus, executive general manager, Xstrata Coal Canada. "The prefeasibility study will involve significant expenditures on exploration and environmental studies Premier Christy Clark celebrates the announcement of a $35-million Suska coal project prefeasibility study with joint venture partners Xstrata Coal Canada and JX Nippon in Tokyo, Japan. (L-R Shunsaku Miyake, director, senior vice president, JX Nippon; Premier Christy Clark; Mark McManus, executive general manger, Xstrata Coal Canada). to develop the appropriate mining solution for the delivery of vital natural resources and sustainable value for stakeholders." The prefeasibility study is scheduled to be completed in the first half of 2013. The next step will be to undertake a detailed feasibility study and seek the necessary approvals, including assessment by the BC Environmental Assessment Office. "JX is very excited about its $435 mil- lion investment in Xstrata Coal British Columbia," said Shunsaku Miyake, direc- tor, senior vice president, JX Nippon. "We believe that the BC projects, including Suska, have significant potential for steel- making coal production. This will allow JX to develop a new line of business and further diversify our market interests." The Suska coal project includes coking coal reserves acquired by Xstrata in 2011 previously held by First Coal Corp. and Cline Mining. www.e-mj.com JUNE 2012 • E&MJ; 55