Gregory Coal Mine
Location
Location60 km north east of Emerald
Queensland
CountryAustralia
Production
ProductsCoking coal
History
Opened1979
Owner
CompanySojitz Corporation

The Gregory Coal Mine is an open-cut coal mine located at Crinum, 60 km north east of Emerald in Central Queensland, Australia. The mine has coal reserves amounting to 159 million tonnes of coking coal, one of the largest coal reserves in Australia and the world. The Bowen Basin mine has an annual production capacity of 5 million tonnes of coal.[1] Operations at the Gregory mine started in 1979. Coal from the mine is exported to the Port of Gladstone via the Blackwater railway system.

History

The underground mine at the site is known as Crinum. Together both mines are referred to as the Gregory Crinum complex. Operations at the Crinum mine began in 1997 and it employs about 200 people.[2]

Longwall mining at Crinum finished in 2007.[2] Crinum received the Queensland Mining Industry Health and Safety Innovations Award in 2009 for a safety guard which prevents falls onto a coveyor belt.[2]

Severe flooding affected operations at the mine in 2008.[3] The 2010–11 Queensland floods resulted in a force majeure declaration for numerous Queensland mines including the Gregory Crinum complex.[4]

In September 2012, it was announced that open-cut production at the mine was to cease on 10 October 2012.[5] Due to falling coal prices the mine had become uneconomic. The Crinum underground mine was not closed and the coal handling preparation plant at Gregory would continue to be used. In mid 2013, the Crinum mine contained 8.3 million tonnes of coal and was forecast to continue extraction for another four years.[6]

On 27 March 2019, BMA completed the sale of the mine to Sojitz Corporation for A$100 million. In addition to the sale of the mine to Sojitz, BMA is providing appropriate funding for rehabilitation of the site, with all rehabilitation liabilities transferred to Sojitz.[7]

Sojitz Blue contracted with Mackay company Mastermyne Pty Ltd to run the mine in May 2021.[8]

In September 2021, a mine worker was killed and another seriously injured at the mine.[8]

In October 2022, the Mining & Energy Union condemned an application by Sojitz Blue to import foreign labour. It said, "Most decent Australians would be appalled that a company, during a coal boom where prices have gone from $90 to $400 a tonne, could undercut good regional jobs by choppering in foreign workers." The Union also said that Sojitz Blue was offering current workers substandard work contracts and was also blocking career progression and preventing upskilling.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Bowen Basin coal mines". bowenbasin.com. 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "Crinum Coal Mine, Queensland, Australia". mining-technology.com. Net Resources International. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  3. ↑ Rebecca Le May (23 January 2008). "Floods hit BHP/Mitsubishi Qld coal mines". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  4. ↑ James Regan (20 January 2011). "Floods knock BHP coal output". Reuters. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  5. ↑ "Production To Cease at Gregory Open-Cut Operation". BHP Billiton. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  6. ↑ "BHP in talks with Linc Energy to sell coal mine". Business Spectator. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  7. ↑ "BMA completes sale of Gregory Crinum Mine". BHP. BMA Media Release.
  8. 1 2 "Gregory Crinum incident halts re-establishment". Australian Mining. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  9. ↑ "Mining Union condemns attempt to import foreign labour". Mirage News. 24 October 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.

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