Echo Coal Mine

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The Echo mine is an opencast bituminous coal mine southeast of Reefton on the West Coast of the South Island. The mine is owned by Francis Mining, a subsidiary of New Zealand Coal and Carbon (NZCC Limited)[1].

Location

The map below shows the EXACT location of the mine.

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Background

Francis Mining operates the 2.35 km2 mine, which is owned by New Zealand Coal and Carbon. Francis Mining states that the tenement has more than 100 years of coal reserves. The opencast operation is continually being expanded and is in the planning phase for underground mine development, which will work a coal seam at considerable depth.[2] Coal is extracted using “truck and shovel” methods, processed on site, then transported by road and rail.[3] Doug Hood Mining described the work as being done, “mainly in difficult terrain with complex geology and underground workings … Coal folded and dipped over short distances making planning and recovery difficult.”[4] Coal produced at this plant is trucked to the nearby Reefton railhead before being brought by rail 260 kilometres to the Port of Lyttelton, on the east coast at Christchurch [5]. Primary overseas markets are coke and other carbon product producers including specialised silicon producers in Saudi Arabia, Canada and Australia.[6]

Mine Details

  • Operator: Francis Mining [1]
  • Owner: New Zealand Coal and Carbon [7]
  • Location: Reefton, West Coast, South Island, New Zealand [7]
  • Coordinates: -42.164326,171.957271 (Exact)
  • Status: Operating
  • Capacity: .07 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa)[1]
  • Total Reserves:
  • Mineable Reserves:
  • Coal Type: BITUMINOUS (Thermal)
    Solid fuel calorific value (gross) 30.87 MJ/kg (Range for NZ coal 15.25–31.95 MJ/kg[8]
  • Mine Type: SURFACE
  • Start Year:
  • Source of Financing:

Articles and Resources

Sources

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals, "Operating coal mines", Ministry of Economic Development, accessed December 2022.
  2. Solid Energy, "Expansion for Reefton's Terrace Mine", accessed December 2012
  3. New Zealand Coal, "Francis Mining Co Ltd", accessed December 2012
  4. Doug Hood Mining, "Echo Opencast coalmine", accessed December 2012
  5. New Zealand Coal and Carbon Limited "Operations: Echo Mine", NZCC Website, Accessed February 2021
  6. New Zealand Coal, "Francis Mining market information", accessed December 2012
  7. 7.0 7.1 New Zealand Coal & Carbon,"Echo Mine", NZCC website, Accessed February 2021
  8. Ministry of Economic Development, "New Zealand Energy Data File", accessed December 2012

Related GEM.wiki Resources

External Articles