The Blackwater coal mine is a
coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal is formed when ...
mine located in the
Bowen Basin
The Bowen Basin contains the largest coal reserves in Australia. This major coal-producing region contains one of the world's largest deposits of bituminous coal. The Basin contains much of the known Permian coal resources in Queensland includ ...
in
Central Queensland
Central Queensland is an ambiguous geographical division of Queensland ( a state in Australia) that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton. The region extends from the Capricorn Coas ...
, south of the town of
Blackwater. The mine has coal reserves amounting to 877 million tonnes of
coking coal
Metallurgical coal or coking coal is a grade of coal that can be used to produce good-quality coke. Coke is an essential fuel and reactant in the blast furnace process for primary steelmaking. The demand for metallurgical coal is highly coupled ...
, one of the largest coal reserves in
Australia and the world, and has a strike length of 80 kilometres, the open pit being 35 kilometres long.
It is owned by
BHP Mitsubishi Alliance
The BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) is an Australian coal mining company operating in Central Queensland. The largest coal producer in Australia, it is a joint venture with BHP and Mitsubishi each owning 50%. It was established in 2001.
The BMA ...
and has an annual production capacity of 13 million tonnes of coal.
The mine won the 2006 Mine of the Year award at the Australian Mining Prospect Awards.
History
The mine was established by the Utah Development Company in 1967.
Mining operations at South Blackwater mine were incorporated into Blackwater coal mine in late 2000.
In 2007, a new coal handling preparation allowed for a significant increase in production.
In August 2022, BHP sought federal approval for a new mine, an extension of the Blackwater mine, but named Blackwater South, to run until 2112, 90 years hence.
See also
*
Blackwater railway system
The Blackwater railway system is located in Central Queensland and services the coal mining area of the Bowen Basin. It carries coal, as well as products, to other destinations by way of connections to the North Coast Line at Rocklands and t ...
*
Coal in Australia
Coal is mined in every state of Australia. The largest black coal resources occur in Queensland and New South Wales. About 70% of coal mined in Australia is exported, mostly to eastern Asia, and of the balance most is used in electricity gener ...
References
Coal mines in Queensland
Surface mines in Australia
Mines in Central Queensland
1967 establishments in Australia
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