TheAustralian March 17, 2008 Coal price talks deadlocked just weeks ahead of current contracts ending, Australian coking coal miners are pressing Asian steel mills to agree to a significant "provisional" or interim price hike, given that talks appear destined to extend well into the new contract year. Analysts are now forecasting contract prices to more than double, with UBS predicting a hard coking coal price of $US225 a tonne, while Goldman Sachs JB Were has forecast $US250. But with rumours that aggressive marketers such as Xstrata are seeking a contract price above $US300, Japan's steel mills are baulking at settling. CHINA is building a new coal-fired power station every 10 days, every year commissioning more plant than is installed in Britain. More here -
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23386060-643,00.html
