MARKETS

Declining output turns around

PRODUCTION from Australias longwall mines picked up this year, with a ROM output of just over 78 ...

Staff Reporter
Declining output turns around

NSW-based Coal Services reported 26 longwall mines were operating during the year, with New South Wales mines accounting for 45Mt of the total and Queensland mines accounting for 33Mt.

The Xstrata Coal-owned Beltana operation in NSW was the leading producer with an output of 6.234Mt, 8% better than the mine’s record last year.

The company’s Newlands Southern mine came in second with 5.057Mt, followed by its Oaky North mine with 4.801Mt, delivering an impressive 65% jump over last year.

Rio Tinto’s Kestrel mine produced 4.636Mt, up 7%, followed by Anglo Coal’s Moranbah North mine with 4.304Mt, a huge improvement of 102%. This was partly thanks to additional bord and pillar mining that contributed 422,000t to the mine’s overall total.

Centennial Coal-owned Angus Place delivered its best year ever with 3.124Mt, achieving a 173% leap in performance, while the company’s new purchase, Tahmoor, produced 2.284Mt, up 61%.

Xstrata Coal’s Baal Bone mine improved 56% over last year with an output of 2.918Mt, while the company’s West Wallsend operation improved by 2%, with 3.337Mt.

Excel Coal’s Metropolitan operation produced 1.725Mt of coking coal, a 28% increase.

Centennial Coal’s Mandalong mine began mining in January and made a 1.4Mt contribution to this year’s total, while BHP Billiton Illawarra mine, Dendrobium, commissioned in April, contributed 700,000t.

The most recent mine to start cutting longwall coal was BHP Billiton’s Broadmeadow punch longwall operation in Queensland, which began on schedule in August.

Resource Pacific’s Newpac longwall development project remains on schedule for a January 2007 start-up; Excel Coal’s 3Mtpa Wambo longwall mine is scheduled to be in production by the end of 2006; and Ango Coal’s Grasstree mine is expected to be in production in the first half of 2006.

Xstrata Coal dominates Australian longwall production with its mines accounting for 32Mt, or 43%, of total output.

TOPICS:

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Monthly Intelligence team.

A growing series of reports, each focused on a key discussion point for the mining sector, brought to you by the Mining Monthly Intelligence team.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Exploration Report 2024 (feat. Opaxe data)

A comprehensive review of exploration trends and technologies, highlighting the best intercepts and discoveries and the latest initial resource estimates.

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Future Fleets Report 2024

The report paints a picture of the equipment landscape and includes detailed profiles of mines that are employing these fleets

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Digitalisation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations that use digitalisation technology to drive improvements across all areas of mining production

editions

Mining Magazine Intelligence Automation Report 2023

An in-depth review of operations using autonomous solutions in every region and sector, including analysis of the factors driving investment decisions