Blackwood Coal Mine

From Global Energy Monitor
This article is part of the
Global Coal Mine Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Download full dataset
Report an error
Sub-articles:
Related-articles:

Blackwood Coal Mine, also known as the Cornwall Colliery, is an underground coal mine owned by Cornwall Coal Company — a subsidiary of Cement Australia — and is located in the Fingal Valley in north-east Tasmania, Australia.[1][2]

Location

The map below shows the exact location of the mine in Australia's island state of Tasmania.

Loading map...

Background

Blackwood Mine is owned and operated by Cornwall Coal Company, a subsidiary of Cement Australia.[2]

The mine has been operating in Tasmania since the 1980s.[3] There have been several iterations of the Blackwood mine, with the latest known as Blackwood No. 4. Previous iterations were Blackwood No.1 - No.3.[4] (As of 2016, rehabilitation has begun at Blackwood No.3.)[5]

Blackwood 4, which is currently being mined, is expected to have 30 more years remaining in its mine life.[6]

Major consumers of Blackwood’s coal include the Norske Skog Paper mill at Boyer, and Cement Australia at Railton. Years ago, Blackwood had more customers, but many switched over to natural gas instead of coal.[2]

Mining has played an important role in the Fingal Valley since the 1860s, when black coal was discovered there. A railway line built in 1886 running from Fingal Valley to St Marys, a nearby town, allowed mining to flourish and provide the majority of Tasmania’s coal. The Cornwall Coal Company is the only supplier of coal mined in Tasmania.[7]

Mine Details

  • Operator: Cornwall Coal Company[6]
  • Owner: Cornwall Coal Company[6]
  • Location: 4 kilometers north-west of St Mary’s and 85 km south-east of Launceston, Tasmania, Australia[6][2]
  • GPS Coordinates: -41.559798, 148.130942 (exact)
  • Status: Operating[6]
  • Production Capacity: 600,000 mtpa[2]
  • Total Resource:
  • Mineable Reserves:
  • Coal Type: Bituminous (Thermal)[2]
  • Mine Size:
  • Mine Type: Underground, bord and pillar[6][5]
  • Workforce Size: 70[2]
  • Start Year: 1980[3]
  • Source of Financing:

Articles and resources

References

  1. John Skinner, "Cornwall Mine Miracle", Christian Today, accessed May 2020.
  2. 3.0 3.1 "The Coal Resources of Tasmania", Tasmania Department of Resources and Energy: Division of Mines and Mineral Resources, 1991
  3. "Record of Investigation into death", Magistrates Court of Tasmania, 25 August 2010.
  4. 5.0 5.1 "Australia Business and Investment Opportunities Yearbook Volume 8 Tasmania Mining and Minerals", International BUSINESS PUBN, 16 December 2016.
  5. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 "Blackwood Coal Mine", Mindat.org, February 2020.
  6. "Cornwall", Our Tasmania: East Coast and Tasman Peninsula, accessed May 2020.

External articles