* Reviews Australian, West Virginia operations
* Suspends mining at Western Canadian Coal unit
* Mining at AGD unit becomes fully owner operated
* Shares down 10 pct
(Adds details)
Dec 1 (Reuters) - Cambrian Mining Plc said on Monday it was cutting production to preserve cash and maintain its operating flexibility, sending its shares down 10 percent.
The AIM-listed coal, gold and antimony miner said it was undertaking a re-organisation of its gold and antimony operations at Costerfield, Australia in view of recent weakness in the world antimony market.
'Running our operations at a sustainable level and maximising cash generation is a priority for Cambrian,' said Mark Burridge, CEO of Cambrian.
Following the review, Cambrian terminated the services of its contract miner at its AGD Mining unit in Australia with immediate effect and thereby became fully owner operated.
This allows for immediate cost savings and a reduced production profile in the near term, it said in a statement.
The company said its 34 percent-owned Western Canadian Coal Corp has suspended mining operations and future capital expenditures at its Willow Creek mine amid slower demand for metallurgical coal.
The future decisions on restarting mining operations will depend on 2009 coal prices and volumes, Cambrian said.
Cambrian also said it was reviewing the capacity of its wholly owned Atlantic Development & Coal in West Virginia.
Cambrian shares were down 3.0 pence at 27 pence at 1117 GMT. The shares have fallen from a peak of 345 pence in June.
(Reporting by Balachander Surianarayanan in Bangalore; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier) Keywords: CAMBRIANMINING/ (balachander.surianarayanan@thomsonreuters.com; +44 207 542 7717; Reuters Messaging: balachander.surianarayanan.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2008. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
* Suspends mining at Western Canadian Coal unit
* Mining at AGD unit becomes fully owner operated
* Shares down 10 pct
(Adds details)
Dec 1 (Reuters) - Cambrian Mining Plc said on Monday it was cutting production to preserve cash and maintain its operating flexibility, sending its shares down 10 percent.
The AIM-listed coal, gold and antimony miner said it was undertaking a re-organisation of its gold and antimony operations at Costerfield, Australia in view of recent weakness in the world antimony market.
'Running our operations at a sustainable level and maximising cash generation is a priority for Cambrian,' said Mark Burridge, CEO of Cambrian.
Following the review, Cambrian terminated the services of its contract miner at its AGD Mining unit in Australia with immediate effect and thereby became fully owner operated.
This allows for immediate cost savings and a reduced production profile in the near term, it said in a statement.
The company said its 34 percent-owned Western Canadian Coal Corp has suspended mining operations and future capital expenditures at its Willow Creek mine amid slower demand for metallurgical coal.
The future decisions on restarting mining operations will depend on 2009 coal prices and volumes, Cambrian said.
Cambrian also said it was reviewing the capacity of its wholly owned Atlantic Development & Coal in West Virginia.
Cambrian shares were down 3.0 pence at 27 pence at 1117 GMT. The shares have fallen from a peak of 345 pence in June.
(Reporting by Balachander Surianarayanan in Bangalore; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier) Keywords: CAMBRIANMINING/ (balachander.surianarayanan@thomsonreuters.com; +44 207 542 7717; Reuters Messaging: balachander.surianarayanan.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2008. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
© 2008 AFX News
