The company said the mine successfully delivered under its fully owner-managed operational model, trading on a significantly reduced free-on-board operating cost base of sub $60 per tonne since transition.

"This places the Blair Athol mine in the first quartile of seaborne export FOB operating costs per tonne," it said.

Blair Athol achieved 1.2Mt of coal sales for the six months ended December 2020 and therefore operated at an annualised run rate of 2.41Mtpa.

Compared to the 2020 financial year, the company reduced annualised coal sales by 179,000t or 7%, yet at the same time refined the FOB operating costs to be sub $60/t, resulting in more than a 15% reduction.