* Coal asset buyers give up waiting for bargains
* Mining majors expected to buy not sell
* South Africa a target, Indonesia less so
By Jackie Cowhig
LONDON, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Sales of coal mines across the globe will quicken now that end users and traders, particularly from India, rush to buy before prices start to turn higher.
The bonanza of coal mine sales forecast early this year failed to materialise because prices did not drop as sharply as buyers hoped, said analysts and companies chasing coal assets.
"Towards the end of this year and next year I think you'll see more deals done," said Peter Doyle, Head European Coal Consulting firm Wood Mackenzie. "On the M&A front I think the market has remained relatively subdued, perhaps buoyed by seaborne coal prices not sinking as low as some had forecast."
More metals mines too were expected to change hands.
"Most people are coming round to the view that the worst is over and starting to plan for the future," said Tim Williams, director in mining and metals Ernst & Young.
Mining majors such as BHP Billiton are cash-flush and expected to look more aggressively at buying assets, analysts said.
The value placed by sellers on coal mines has fallen by around 50 percent from $2.00 a tonne during the past 12 months based on proven reserves to $1.00, but this is still more than most buyers would accept.
"The prices asked for second and third-rate mines are probably double, even now, what we'd think is reasonable. But it's now or never," one major coal trader said.
"Even at $1.00 a tonne based on reserves this is expensive but if you take the view, which we do, that we must buy our own mines to secure long-term supply then it is reasonable," said a source at an Indian company firmly on the acquisition trail.
Indian end-users of both coking coal and steam coal have been seeking mines. Jindal Group and Tata have invested in Africa, Indonesia and Australia. Chinese companies are investing all over Africa, although not at the pace expected.
Many traders too around the world who aim to build a coal book of substance are aleady heavily pursuing assets.
Singapore-listed commodity trader Noble Group's purchase of Australia's Gloucester Coal was cited as a good value purchase by rival traders.
Trading giant Vitol Group is to take over Canadian producer Hillsborough Resources Ltd.
Vitol was expected to buy thermal coal mines in key producers during the next few years, industry sources said.
Swiss Glencore remains a giant in the world coal market partly because, its rivals freely admit, it is as much a producer as it is a trader through its ownership of huge, low-cost mines and its stake in Xstrata.
INDONESIA APPEALS LESS, S.AFRICA IS FOCUS
Recent and new entrants to the coal market are struggling to find working mines for sale which are, or have potential to be, large-scale, low-cost and have transport links to ports.
"There are some high-quality coal reserves left in Indonesia not owned by the major players but they are in Central Kalimantan a long way from any river, to move coal to the ports," said an Indian trader trying to buy Indonesian mines.
"And these are small-scale. There's only low-quality reserves left but the costs doesn't work into India," he added.
Indian companies, including Jindal, bought remote Indonesian mining concessions but these became loss-makers when prices for their low energy content coal fell below cash costs.
South Africa is increasingly the focus for Indian traders and end-users.
Jindal Steel & Power part of the Jindal Group in July bought South Africa's Kiepersol mine.
Buyers said they still hoped to find small to medium-sized South African mines at the higher end of the cost curve which may struggle to survive at current prices.
Failing that, some keen buyers said they are looking for undeveloped greenfield coal reserves in Africa which would take up to 10 years and huge investment before generating cash.
"If you take a longer-term view and do expect another commodity boom in several years' time, this kind of investment makes sense," one would-be buyer said.
(Reporting by Jackie Cowhig, editing by William Hardy)