Drayton 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:

Drayton Mine was an open cut thermal coal mine in the Upper Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Australia.

The mine was closed in late-2016, after over 30 years of operation.[1]

Location

The satellite image below shows the exact location of the mine in New South Wales, Australia.

Loading map...

Background

Operations at Drayton mine began in 1983 under the ownership of a co-venture between the Shell Company of Australia and Thiess Bros. Pty Ltd.[2]

At some point, Anglo American came to be the majority owner of Drayton mine, with 88.17% interest in the project. The remaining owners were Mitsui Coal with 3.83% interest; NCE Australia with 3% interest; Daesung Australia with 2.5% interest; and Hyundai with 2.5% interest.[3]

In 2008, Drayton received approval for a mine extension, which would extend the mine’s life to 2017 and permit 8 million tonnes of coal per year to be removed.[4] However, for much of the mine’s life, the mine produced about 5 million tonnes of coal per year. By 2011, Drayton was exporting 100% of their coal, including Japanese power generators.[3]

In 2015, one of its last years of production, the mine produced only 1,167,500 tonnes, which was estimated to be the only coal remaining in the mine.[5] In 2016, Anglo American stopped mining operations, likely due to a lack of remaining coal reserves to mine.[6]

As the original Drayton mine closed, Anglo American eventually planned to open Drayton South nearby as a replacement mine. Proposals to develop Drayton South have been rejected twice, the latest in 2017.[7]

In 2017, Anglo American agreed to sell both their 88.17% interest in Drayton mine, and the Drayton South project, to Malabar Coal.[8] Malabar is using the infrastructure present at Drayton mine, including coal preparation plant, train load-out facility, and administrative buildings, for their nearby coal projects, Maxwell project and Spur Hill project. Additionally, Malabar is rehabilitating the Drayton mine.[9]

Project Details

  • Operator:
  • Owner: Malabar Coal Limited[8]
  • Location: 13 km south-west of Muswellbrook in the Upper Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia[10]
  • GPS Coordinates: -32.3551139, 150.9007463 (exact)
  • Status: Closed (2016)
  • Production: 1.167 million tonnes per annum (2016)[5]
  • Total Resource:
  • Mineable Reserves: 0 Mt[11]
  • Coal Type: Thermal[3]
  • Mine Size:
  • Mine Type: Open cut[3]
  • Start Year: 1983[3]
  • Source of Financing:

Articles and resources

References

  1. [1], Anglo American, Accessed April 2023.
  2. "Drayton Coal Mine: Mine Development Proposal," Thiess Bros Pty Ltd, The Shell Company of Australia Limited, June 1978.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "DRAYTON," Anglo American, September 2013.
  4. "Drayton," Anglo American website, accessed February 2014.
  5. 5.0 5.1 "ANNUAL REPORT 2016," Anglo American, 2016.
  6. Cecilia Connell, "End of an era for workers at Anglo American's Drayton Mine in NSW Upper Hunter Valley," ABC News, October 13, 2016.
  7. "Drayton South coal mine," Wood Mackenzie, May 31, 2018.
  8. 8.0 8.1 "Anglo American sells interest in Drayton project," Australian Mining, 5 May 2017.
  9. "Maxwell Infrastructure," Malabar Coal, accessed June 2020.
  10. "NSW Planning Assessment Commission Determination Report: Drayton South Coal Project," NSW Government: Planning Assessment Commission, February 22, 2017.
  11. "ORE RESERVES AND MINERAL RESOURCES REPORT 2015," Anglo American, 2015.

Related GEM.wiki articles

External articles