Byerwen Coal Mine
| This article is part of the Global Coal Mine Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor. |
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Byerwen Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Glenden, Queensland, Australia.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Mine Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Byerwen Coal Mine | Glenden, Queensland, Australia | -21.242828, 147.835392 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the coal mine:
Project Details
Table 2: Project status
| Status | Status Detail | Opening Year | Closing Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating[1] | – | 2017[1] | 2040 (planned)[2] |
Table 3: Operation details
| Capacity (Mtpa) | Production (Mtpa) | Year of Production | Mine Type | Mining Method | Mine Size (km2) | Mine Depth (m) | Workforce Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10[2] | 5.01595[3] | 2025[3] | Surface | Open Pit | 69.97 | 60* | 800[2] |
Table 4: Coal resources and destination
| Total Reserves (Mt) | Year of Total Reserves Recorded | Total Resources (Mt) | Coalfield | Coal Type | Coal Grade | Primary Consumer/ Destination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | 690[4] | – | Bituminous | Thermal & Met[3] | Terminal (Export) |
Table 5: Ownership and parent company
| Owner | Parent Company | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Byerwen Coal [100.0%] | QCoal [85%]; JFE Steel [15%] | Australia, Japan |
Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)
| ROM or Saleable | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROM[3] | – | 2.22[3] | 4.98[3] | 5.38[3] | 7.46[3] | 6.2[3] | 6.25[3] | – | 5.02[3] |
Reported Methane Emissions Data
Global Energy Monitor collates facility-scale methane emissions data reported by government and company sources collected in a systematic fashion. This mine is associated with the following methane emissions reports:
Table 7: Methane emissions
| Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes CO2 equivalent) | Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes CH4) | Year of Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions | Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes) Reference | Reference type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.562107142857142 | 461.6548929 | 2024-25 | [5] | national government data |
Note: The above sections were automatically generated and are based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker August 2026 release.
Reported Methane Emissions Data
Global Energy Monitor collates facility-scale methane emissions data reported by government and company sources collected in a systematic fashion. This mine is associated with the following methane emissions reports:
Table 7: Methane emissions
| Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes CO2 equivalent) | Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes CH4) | Year of Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions | Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes) Reference | Reference type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.562 | 461.655 | 2024-25 | [5] | national government data |
Note: The above sections were automatically generated and are based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker May 2026 release.
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Background
The Byerwen Coal Project is a surface coal mine owned by Byerwen Coal, a subsidiary of joint venture between QCoal and JFE Steel Corporation. The mine is located approximately 20 kilometers west of Glenden and 100 km south of Collinsville, Queensland, Australia.[6]
The project plans to ramp up to produce 10 million tonnes of product coal a year from 15 million tonnes of run of mine coal.[7] Byerwen Coal company was granted the mining leases required for the Byerwen coal mine project in May 2017.
Mining operations have commenced and construction of the Stage 1 Coal Handling and Preparation Plant is complete.[6] This is a two-phase project with planning permission for the second phase still required in March 2019. The second phase lies to the north of the location of the first phase.[8]
Coal will be processed at two coal handing and preparation plants (CHPP) – northern and southern, which are proposed to be commissioned by the end of 2018. The southern CHPP will be used to process coal for the first 16 years of operation, while production will be scaled back when the northern CHPP is commissioned in the 17th year.[9]
Coal from the Byerwen Mine is railed to Abbot Point Coal Terminal for export.[6] The construction, operations and decommissioning are expected to last 50 years.[10]
Macmahon was awarded a three-year mining contract, worth $350m, for the Byerwen coal mine in August 2017. The scope of this work includes all the mining operations and bulk earthworks.[9]
Construction of the mine commenced on 8 December 2015.[11]
JFE Steel entered a long-term off-take contract with QCoal for the supply of two million tonnes of hard coking coal a year from Byerwen, in December 2009.[9]
When the feasibility study of the project was being undertaken and the notional commissioning date of the project was 2012.[12]
- Operator: Macmahon[13]
- Owners: QCoal (85%) and JFE Steel (15%)[14]
- Location: 20km west of Glenden, Bowen Basin, Queensland[6]
- GPS Coordinates: -21.242828, 147.835392[15]
- Status: Operating[6]
- Production Capacity: 10 mtpa of product coal[6]
- Total Resource: 690 million tonnes[9]
- Mineable Reserves:
- Coal Type: Hard coking coal and thermal coal[9]
- Mine Size: 6,997 hectares[9]
- Mine Type: Open-cut[6]
- Start Year: 2017[6]
- Source of Financing:
Contact details
Website: http://www.qcoal.com.au/page/byerwen_coal_project.html
Related GEM.wiki articles
External articles
Coal Mine Boundaries and Methane Sources
Global Energy Monitor researchers have identified coal mine boundary/boundaries and potential sources of coal mine methane (CMM) for this mine. These research results can be used to drive CMM attribution and mitigation efforts, particularly when combined with remotely sensed methane plume locations and mine ownership data. Explore the results with the embedded map at the top of this page by clicking on the mine boundary polygon or the CMM placemarkers to reveal more details. A detailed description of this research can be found in Coal Mine Boundaries and Methane Sources. This data is also available as a downloadable companion dataset to the Global Coal Mine Tracker and the Global Methane Emitters Tracker.
Table SMP1: Coal mine boundaries and methane sources data
| ID | Mine feature category | Mine feature subcategory | Description | Coordinates precision | Data source date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M0018.B1 | mine boundary | surface | Byerwen mine boundary | extracted | 2024-12-23 00:00:00 |
| M0018.P1 | other | preparation plant | preparation plant | extracted | 2024-06-10 00:00:00 |
Table SMP2: Coal mine boundaries and methane sources data (continued)
| ID | Notes |
|---|---|
| M0018.B1 | Row 1 of Table 1 on page 6 of the Compliance report Byerwen Coal Project EPBC 2010/5778 6 March 2024 Byerwen Coal Project, Queensland EPBC 2010/5778 9 December 2022 to 8 December 2023, published 6 March 2024, https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.qcoal.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/240311-EPBC2010-5778-Annual-Compliance-Report.pdf, describes the project area in terms of mining lease applications 10355, 10356, 10357, 70434, 70435, 70436 and 700058.
Figure 2.2 Sequential progress plot map, page 5, of the Byerwen Coal project: Coordinator-General’s evaluation report on the environmental impact statement, July 2014, https://web.archive.org/web/20250417170244/https://eisdocs.dsdip.qld.gov.au/Completed%20Projects/Byerwen%20Coal/CGER/Coordinator-General%20s%20Evaluation%20Report%20for%20the%20Byerwen%20Coal%20project%20_signed_reduced%20size.pdf, shows the development over time of the 8 pits planned located in these leases. Mining lease geometries were extracted from the Queensland Mining Leases dataset, https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.data.qld.gov.au/dataset/queensland-mining-and-exploration-tenure-series/resource/f87794b8-7b9a-4732-89bb-56ccb2228d27. The boundary is the perimeter of these mining leases. The area of the boundary is 210 sq km. |
| M0018.P1 | Identified visually from Google Earth Pro satellite imagery. |
Articles and Resources
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of world coal mines, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Mine Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20260526231214/https://www.qcoal.com.au/project/byerwen-mine/. Archived from the original on 26 May 2026.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20260707053018/https://www.qcoal.com.au/project/byerwen-mine/. Archived from the original on 07 July 2026.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 https://web.archive.org/web/20260626195933/https://www.data.qld.gov.au/dataset/coal-industry-review-statistical-tables/resource/bab54159-f38b-4e6f-8652-4b04bca29139. Archived from the original on 26 June 2026.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/projects/byerwen-coal-project-queensland/?cf-view.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://cer.gov.au/document/baselines-and-emissions-table-2024-25-0.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 Qcoal Group, "Byerwen Mine", accessed 20 January 2020.
- ↑ Qcoal Group, "Compliance report Byerwen Coal Project EPBC 2010/5778", page 2, 2 March 2019.
- ↑ Qcoal Group, "Compliance report Byerwen Coal Project EPBC 2010/5778", page 3, 2 March 2019.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 NS Energy, "Byerwen Coal Project, Queensland", NS Energy website accessed 20 January 2020.
- ↑ QCoal Group"EIS - Summary", page 1, Queensland Government website 2013.
- ↑ Qcoal Group, "Compliance report Byerwen Coal Project EPBC 2010/5778", page 1, 2 March 2019.
- ↑ Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics, "Minerals and energy: Major development projects", April 2010. (Pdf). The list is also available in Excel format here.) (Unavailable January 2020)
- ↑ "Byerwen Coal Mine", Macmahon website, accessed March 2023.
- ↑ State development, manufacturing, infrastructure and planning, "Byerwen Coal Project", Queensland Government website June 2019.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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