Xstrata to sell S.African high-cost mines-sources

Mining group Xstrata XTA.L will put its South African Spitskop and Tselentis coal mines up for sale later this year, industry sources familiar with the issue and prospective Indian buyers said on Monday.

Spitskop and Tselentis are two of Xstrata's oldest and highest-cost thermal coal mines in South Africa and disposal would simply be optimising the company's coal portfolio, the sources said. Xstrata was not immediately available for comment.