Summary:  Colombia's coal production will likely reach 76 million tons in 2010, the director of Colombia's mining regulatory body said Thursday.

Content:
Colombia's coal production will likely reach 76 million tons in 2010, the director of Colombia's mining regulatory body said Thursday.

The government is also readying to auction some areas for coal mining in the next two months, the director of Ingeominas Mario Ballesteros said. The details of the auction and the potential reserves in the areas are still being examined, he added.

Coal production in 2009 reached 69 million tons. Colombia is Latin America's top coal producer and most of the export production is from open-pit mines operated by foreign firms such as Drummond Co., BHP Billiton Ltd. and Xstrata PLC. (Darcy Crowe / Dow Jones)