Commodore Coal Mine
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Commodore Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Millmerran, Queensland, Australia.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Mine Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Commodore Coal Mine | Millmerran, Queensland, Australia | -27.9343501, 151.2554422 (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 | – | 2002 | 2037 (planned)[1] |
Table 3: Operation details
| Capacity (Mtpa) | Production (Mtpa) | Year of Production | Mine Type | Mining Method | Mine Size (km2) | Mine Depth (m) | Workforce Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.8[2] | 3.014581[3] | 2025[3] | Surface | Open Pit | 23.16[4] | 60* | 140[5] |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 177 | – | – | – | Bituminous | Thermal | Coal Plant[6] |
Table 5: Ownership and parent company
| Owner | Parent Company | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Downer EDI [100.0%] | InterGen NV | Netherlands |
Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)
| ROM or Saleable | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saleable[3] | 3.58[3] | 3.81[3] | 3.42[3] | 3.84[3] | 3.54[3] | 3.51[3] | 3.31[3] | – | 3.01[3] |
Expansion/Extension
Table 7: Project status
| Status | Status Detail | Project Type | Project Phase | Added Capacity (Mtpa)* | Start Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposed[7] | Pre-Permit[8] | Expansion[8] | – | 0.4[8] | – |
Note: The above sections were automatically generated and are based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker August 2026 release.
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Background
The Commodore mine is an open cut thermal mine in Queensland, Australia.
The mine supplies coal to the Millmerran power station, an 850 megawatt coal-fired power station owned by Intergen. The power station is located near the town of Millmerran on the Darling Downs in southern Queensland.[9] . The mine is operated by Downer EDI and will likely operate through August 2024.[10]
It is unclear when mining at Commodore mine (also known as Millmerran) officially began. MiningLink reports that at the beginning of 1991, the Commodore coal mine was mining 3.25 million tonnes of coal per year.[11] According to Queensland Coal: Physical and Chemical Properties, Colliery and Company Information, published in 2003, “construction of the mine commenced in May 2001, and coal supply to the 840MW Millmerran power station commenced in 2002.”[12]
Commodore is the only coal provider for the Milmerran power station. The Commodore coal reserves are estimated to be sufficient to fuel the plant for at least 50 years of operation.[12] Also notable is that Commodore mine was the first open pit coal mine in the world to dedicate itself to using entirely biodiesel fuel.[11]
In September 2018, Downer EDI received a contract extension from the Milmerran Power Partners to continue mining for five more years, until August 2024.[10]
Following the conclusion of Downer EDI’s contract, the mine was reported to have been left in excellent condition, with an in-pit coal inventory of 406 kt, a RoM inventory of 110 kt, and a product stockpile of 80 kt—sufficient to supply the station for 60 days. While the site appeared to remain operational, as of December 2025, no information was available regarding the current operator.[13]
- Sponsor: Downer EDI[10]
- Parent Company: InterGen Australia (53.69%) Marubeni Corporation (30%) GEC (6.31%) EIF Group (5.00%) Tohoku Electric Power Company (5.00%) (as of at least 2014)[14]
- Location: Located 10km south of Millmerran, and approximately 180km south-west of Brisbane in Queensland.[12]
- GPS Coordinates: -27.9343501, 151.2554422
- Status: Operating[10]
- Production Capacity: 3.6Mtpa[14]
- Total Resource: 177 Mt (as of 1999)[14]
- Mineable Reserves:
- Coal type: High volatile, low sulphur bituminous thermal coal[12]
- Mine Size:
- Mine Type: open-cut[15]
- Start Year: 2002[12]
- Source of Financing:
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
- ↑ (PDF) https://storagesolutiondocsprod.blob.core.windows.net/register-documents-prc/PRCP-EPML00841513-V1_1_informationstage_Response_Attachment_01.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.bioregionalassessments.gov.au/assessments/12-resource-assessment-maranoa-balonne-condamine-subregion/12211-commodore-mine#:~:text=The%20mine%20has%20approximately%203.6;(Downer%20EDI%2C%202007).
{{cite web}}: 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) - ↑ (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20250305013102/https://minedocs.com/27/Commodore-Plan-of-operations-2019-2024.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 05 March 2025.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://buma.com.au/projects/commodore/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://miningdataonline.com/property/1341/Commodore-Mine.aspx.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://australiainstitute.org.au/coal-mine-tracker/mine/commodore-coal-mine/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 (PDF) https://epbcpublicportal.awe.gov.au/_entity/sharepointdocumentlocation/438afbe1-bc12-ed11-b83d-00224818a1ee/2ab10dab-d681-4911-b881-cc99413f07b6?file=00-2022-09294%20Referral.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Intergen, "Millmerran", Intergen webvsite, accessed June 2011.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "Downer receives contract extension at Commodore coal mine," "MiningTechnology," September 6, 2018.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "COMMODORE," "MiningLink," accessed June 2020.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Andrew J. Mutton, "QUEENSLAND COALS: Physical and Chemical Properties, Colliery and Company Information. 14th Edition.," "Department of Natural Resources and Mines: Bureau of Mining and Petroleum," 2003.
- ↑ "Commodore," BUMA, Accessed December 2025
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "COMMODORE," "miningoilgas," accessed June 2020.
- ↑ "Commodore Mine," "Australian Government: Bioregional Assessment," accessed June 2020.
