Central Queensland Coal Mine

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Central Queensland Coal Mine is a cancelled coal mine in Marlborough, Queensland, Australia.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Central Queensland Coal Mine	Marlborough, Queensland, Australia	-22.679446, 149.659662 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the coal mine:

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Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status	Status Detail	Project Type	Opening Year	Closing Year
Cancelled	Pre-Permit	New	2027	–

Table 3: Operation details

Note: The asterisk (*) signifies that the value is a GEM estimated figure.

Capacity (Mtpa)	Production (Mtpa)	Year of Production	Mine Type	Mining Method	Mine Size (km2)	Mine Depth (m)	Workforce Size
2	–	–	Surface	Open Pit	–	60*	500

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
–	–	206	Styx	Bituminous	Thermal & Met	Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Central Queensland Coal Pty Ltd	Mineralogy	Australia

Note: The above section was automatically generated and is based on data from the GEM April 2024 Global Coal Mine Tracker dataset.

Coal Mine Background

On 2 February 2018 the proponent applied for a 12 month extension to the period to respond to submissions on the Environmental Impact Statement. The department agreed to the longer period to allow the proponent to address all submissions received on the EIS.

On 22 May 2018 the proponent provided a response to the submissions and an amended EIS. Subsequently, the proponent requested an additional two-year period to provide responses to those key matters raised in the department’s submission and other advisory bodies’ submissions on the amended EIS. The proponent was required to submit the updated EIS on or before 18 June 2020.

Central Queensland Coal Pty Ltd (CQCPL) was established in 2017 with the specific purpose of delivering the Central Queensland Coal project within the Styx Basin.

The mine would last for 20 years. Coal would be transported from the mine via the existing North Coast Rail Line to Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal for export.

Opposition

According to the Daily Mercury, two issues the council has the greatest concern about are the haulage of the coal on the coastal train line and the access to emergency services in the region.

"Significantly, St Lawrence and Clairview have been identified as host communities for members of the workforce at the planned mine,” Councillor Baker said.

"However, at this point there appears to have been little consideration given as to the impact of such a population growth scenario on these small communities, particularly the increased demand on local services and existing infrastructure. This extends to the capacity of existing emergency services to adequately provide coverage locally and in response to significant incidents. It is also proposed that the project will utilise the existing coastal rail line, which passes through our coastal communities, to access port facilities. The constraints of this rail line compared to the Goonyella system, which services mining interests to the west, is a particular issue. Small passing bays on the coastal line will require the configuration of coal trains to be shorter, meaning a higher number of train movements to achieve the same volume of freight.”

The Australia Institute says that Central Queensland Coal Project is not financially or economically viable and should not be granted any form of project approval. The project is not viable without government subsidies. It will not produce economic benefit for the proponents or the Queensland community unless major royalty holidays and subsidies are provided, subsidies that would come with a major opportunity cost for other Queenslanders. The Australia Institute's analysis is that, "The Styx proposal is less about developing a mine and more about increasing the asset value of the project for the proponent."

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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.