See article below:

http://www.kitco.com/pr/1738/article...

Thompson Creek announce a significant 4th quarter shortfall in Mo production from both Endako and Thompson Creek mines.

Endako's production is down to 3M lbs this quarter from 4.5-5M expected. Thompson Creek is down to 1.8M lbs Mo from 2.6-2.9M lbs. This is a significant drop in production and should help increase Mo prices, if only for the short term.

Endako has dropped it's cutoff value for ore but this mine is over 40 years old and well on its way to being depleted. The high drop in production is due to the rockfall a couple of months ago that shut down mining completely. The older a mine gets the deeper it gets and the less stable the pit walls. Look for regular delays in the future from Endako as mining becomes more difficult to maintain.

At Thompson Creek, another older mine, production may increase again next year as they reach their high grade zones but I susoect that these high grade zones will have been mined out by the time Sisson goes into production so I expect a drop in Thompson Creeks production in a couple of years.

Things look good for Mo prices and lower production from existing mines when Sisson should go into production.

One new mine that has been mentioned on the boards lately that starts production 2008 is Roca Mines in BC. After looking at the numbers this is a relatively small mine - if it produced at 20,000 tonnes per day as Sisson and Adanac are planning then it would only have a life of 6 years - it's therefore not a significant amount of ore to compete with Sisson, Adanac, Creston or Mount Pleasant.