There was no real change in the status quo at the top end of the table, with Beltana once again leaving all in its wake producing 7.85 million tonnes for the financial year. That is 1.6Mt ahead of the second biggest producer.
Part of Beltana’s success can be attributed to its development tonnage which was significantly higher than other mines at 705,500t.
The figure was also ahead of 2006-07 results when it produced 7.2Mt.
Beltana will be replaced by the $375 million Blakefield South project in the first half of 2010.
Coming in second and third was Xstrata’s dynamic duo – Oaky Creek No. 1 and Oaky North. Oaky Creek No. 1 produced 6.26Mt and Oaky North produced 5.34Mt.
For the first half of 2008, Oaky Creek was able to take advantage of extra port capacity due to other producer shortfalls during the extreme weather and overall export sales increased to 4Mt. Its figures were back on a par with its usual performance after slipping to sixth spot on the ladder in 2006-07 with 3.9Mt.
Not letting go of its stranglehold on the top of the table, Xstrata operation Newlands Northern came in fourth place, producing 4.9Mt. Output was ahead of its performance in the 2007 financial year when it produced 4.4Mt.
The top New South Wales mine to make the table in fifth place was Centennial Coal operation Mandalong.
Mandalong has had a ripper of a year producing 4.77Mt, above the 3.35Mt in 2006-07.
Currently Centennial is awaiting a final design to construct a haul road linking Mandalong to Newstan enabling it to use Newstan’s spare washing capacity and rail facilities.
Mandalong is also considering a longer-term operation involving the construction of a rail loop and possible coal handling and preparation plant. The rail loop would have both a northern and southern exit, enabling Mandalong to rail to Port Kembla or Newcastle Port.
Always a strong performer, Rio Tinto’s Kestrel mine produced 4.76Mt to take sixth place.
Kestrel is expected to add about 1.7Mt per annum of coking coal capacity from 2012 when a $1.1 billion expansion ramps up.
Anglo Coal made its first listing on the table with its Moranbah North mine which produced 4.55Mt for the 2008 financial year. The mine managed to produce the figure through some trying times.
Moranbah is now on track to overcome its strata issues at the mine, set to install a new longwall – which includes 151 of the world’s largest roof supports – in May 2009.
In eighth place was BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance’s Crinum mine which produced 4.14Mt.
Anglo re-entered the scene at number nine with its Grasstree mine which produced 3.84Mt.
Rounding out the 10 was the only other New South Wales entry – BHP Illawarra’s Dendrobium mine with 3.62Mt.
The new mine on the list was Peabody Energy’s Wambo North longwall which ramped up in October 2007. The mine produced 1.48Mt from October.
