Escarpment mine

From Global Energy Monitor

The Escarpment mine is a coal mine owned by Bathurst Resources on the Denniston Plateau 25 kilometres east of Westport on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island.

The company proposed recommissioning the mine to produce 0.9 million tonnes, but without any updates in recent years, the project appears to be shelved.

Location

The map below shows the Approximate location of the mine.

Loading map...

Background Information

The Escarpment mine was proposed by Bathurst Resources as a part of its multi-mine Buller Coal Project. The mine has received government approvals but was subject to appeals by environmental groups. After surviving the appeals process, the company began production in 2014. In early 2016 the closure of a local cement plant made the remaining coal reserves economically unrecoverable. This led to the mine being placed in care and maintenance in May of 2016. [1] The coal being produced from this mine now comes from stockpiles or former stockpiles at the site as part of rehabilitation [2]

Environmental Issues

Solid Energy states that the main environmental effects of the mining relate to the temporary disturbance of the land. The company states that dust and water quality are carefully managed and monitored, and that rehabilitation is undertaken progressively. Ponds, wetlands and a large lake will remain following the completion of mining and rehabilitation.[3]

Mine Details

  • Operator: Buller Coal [2]
  • Owner: Bathurst Resources[1]
  • Location: Denniston Plateau, West Coast, New Zealand [1]
  • Coordinates: ' -41.722325,171.822917 (Approximate)
  • Status: Operating
  • Capacity: .001248 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa)[2]
  • Total Reserves: 2.6 million tonnes[1]
  • Mineable Reserves: 6.7 million tonnes[1]
  • Coal Type: Bituminous (Met)
  • Mine Type: Surface
  • Workforce:
  • Start Year: 2014 [1]
  • Source of Financing: Bathurst Resources [1]

Articles and Resources

Sources

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Bathurst Resources,"Escarpment", accessed February 2021
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals, "Operating coal mines", Ministry of Economic Development Website, accessed February 2021.
  3. Solid Energy, "Rotowaro Mine", August 2008

Related GEM.wiki Resources

External Articles