Blackwater mine

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The Blackwater mine is an open cut coal mine near the town of Blackwater in the Bowen Basin, Queensland, Australia.[1] The mine is owned and operated by BMA, a 50:50 joint venture between BHP Billiton and Mitsubishi Development.

With a strike length of 80 kilometers, it's one of the longest coal mines in the Southern Hemisphere.[2]

Location

The satellite image below shows the exact location of the mine in Queensland, Australia.

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Background

Blackwater mine was established by the Utah Development Company in 1962, with the first load of coal shipped out in 1967.[3]

In 2001, BHP Billiton and Mitsubishi Development Pty Ltd partnered to become the BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) and share equal ownership and management of seven Central Queensland coal mines: Goonyella Riverside, Broadmeadow, Peak Downs, Saraji, Norwich Park, Gregory Crinum and Blackwater. BMA is Australia's largest coal miner and exporter.[4]

Today Blackwater mine is one of the longest open-cut coal mines in the Southern hemisphere and exports more than 14 million tonnes of coal annually to consumers in Australia and Asia.

BMA also operates the Peak Downs mine, Saraji mine, Norwich Park mine, Goonyella Riverside mine, Broadmeadow, and the Gregory Crinum mine as well as the Hay Point Coal Terminal.[4]

Project Details

  • Operator: B.M Alliance Coal Operations Pty Ltd[4]
  • Owners: BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance, which is owned by BHP Billiton Ltd (50%) and Mitsubishi Development Pty Ltd. (50%)[5]
  • Location: Located 24 kilometers south of Blackwater and 315 km from the port at Gladstone in the Bowen Basin in Queensland, Australia[6]
  • GPS Coordinates: -23.771393,148.855729 (exact)
  • Status: Operating[7]
  • Production: 11.6 million tonnes (2022)[8]
  • Total Resource: 1.6 billion tonnes (2022)[8]
  • Mineable Reserves: 372 million tonnes (2022)[8]
  • Coal Type: Medium volatile hard coking coal, medium volatile weak coking coal and medium volatile thermal coal[4]
  • Mine Size: 21,000 square hectares[9]
  • Mine Type: Open cut[6]
  • Start Year: 1967[6]
  • Source of Financing:

Articles and resources

References

  1. BHP Billiton, "About BMA", BHP Billiton website, accessed June 2010.
  2. "Blackwater", BHP Billiton website, accessed March 2023.
  3. "Big birthday bash for Blackwater coal mine", Industry Queensland, 5 October 2017.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance to acquire The New Saraji Coal Project", Domain-B.com, 18 July 2008.
  5. "Blackwater Mine", Mining Data Solutions, accessed May 2020.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 "BLACKWATER", MiningLink, accessed May 2020.
  7. "BHP Annual Report 2019", BHP Website, September 2019
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 BHP Annual Report 2022, BHP website, accessed March 2023.
  9. "Asset Report: Blackwater coal mine", Wood Mackenzie, accessed May 2020.

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