Appin has endured outages due to gas and geotechnical issues.
South32 also plans to complete the design of a staged ramp-up and recommence activity at longwall 707 in September, according to a presentation given by CEO Graham Kerr.
The company will focus on a safe start of a staged ramp-up, gas drainage and ventilation, and steady state production at Appin’s longwall 707.
“The reliability and predictability of Appin colliery’s performance, and our associated gas management activities, will inform our future plans and ability to ramp-up to historical rates of production,” Kerr said.
“Operating unit cost guidance for Illawarra Metallurgical Coal will be provided when we have finalised our operating plans for FY18.”
Going forward South32 will assess optimal configurations of a two longwall operation at Appin.
