Yancoal coy on Rio Tinto coal interest, responds to share price surge

Chinese State-controlled coal miner Yancoal, which trades on the Australian exchange, has remained vague about speculation that it is looking at major Rio Tinto’s Australian thermal coal assets, saying in a letter to the ASX that it “continues to review and explore a number of development and acquisition opportunities”. The thermal coal assets include Rio’s Hunter Valley and Mount Thorley Warkworth operations, in New South Wales, and the Hail Creek and Kestrel mines, in Queensland.