Gregory Crinum Coal Mines
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Gregory Crinum Coal Mines is an operating coal mine in Emerald, Queensland, Australia.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Mine Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Gregory Crinum Coal Mines | Emerald, Queensland, Australia | -23.1491384, 148.3875874 (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[1] | – | 1979[1] | – |
Table 3: Operation details
| Capacity (Mtpa) | Production (Mtpa) | Year of Production | Mine Type | Mining Method | Mine Size (km2) | Mine Depth (m) | Workforce Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.9 | 0.586[2] | 2025[2] | Underground & Surface | Mixed | – | 85 | 231.8708467* |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19.6[3] | 2015[3] | 121.3[4] | Bowen | Bituminous | Met | – |
Table 5: Ownership and parent company
| Owner | Parent Company | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Sojitz Blue Pty Ltd [100.0%] | Sojitz Corporation | Australia, Japan |
Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)
| ROM or Saleable | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROM[2] | – | – | – | 1.12[2] | 2.52[2] | 2.39[2] | 1.84[2] | – | 0.59[2] |
Expansion/Extension
Table 7: Project status
| Status | Status Detail | Project Type | Project Phase | Added Capacity (Mtpa)* | Start Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposed[5] | Permitted[5] | Expansion[5] | – | – | – |
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 Gregory Crinum mine is comprised of the Gregory open-cut operations and the Crinum underground mine.[6] The mine complex is owned by Sojitz Blue, a subsidiary of Japan-based Sojitz Corporation, and is located approximately 60 kilometers north-east of Emerald in Queensland, Australia.[7]
Following a mine collapse that claimed the life of a miner, Crinum Underground was put on care and maintenance in 2021.[8] Sojitz was due to ramp up production in 2022, but does not expect to restart mining underground until October 2023 to March 2024 at the earliest.[9] (Meanwhile, the open pit site is still operating.)[9] Mining began at Gregory Crinum in 1979, with open-cut operations at Gregory becoming operational in 1979 and the first shipment taking place in 1980. Underground mining began at the adjacent Crinum in 1997.[10]
The BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) commenced operations on 1 July 2001, after the 50-50 joint venture between BHP Billiton Limited and Mitsubishi Development was finalized.[11] Throughout much of its time of operation under BMA, the mine’s production capacity was 6 million tonnes per year.[12]
BMA also operates the Peak Downs mine, Saraji mine, Norwich Park mine, Blackwater mine, the Goonyella Riverside mine as well as the Hay Point Coal Terminal.
The mine was put on care and maintenance in 2016 by previous owner and joint venture BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA).[12]
BMA sold the mine to Sojitz Corporation in March 2019. Sojitz has the intention of reopening the mine with an annual capacity of 3 million tonnes per year when fully operational.
When Sojitz Corporation acquired the mine in 2019, they announced plans to reopen the mine, which they did in October 2020.[13][14] Sojitz believes the mine’s life is more than 20 years.[13]
Gregory Open cut
Open-cut mining at Gregory Crinum slowed when underground mining began, and by 2012, open-cut mining came to a halt entirely and the Gregory mine closed.[15] BHP-Billiton stated that, "the Gregory open-cut mine production was no longer profitable in the current economic environment of falling prices, high costs and a strong Australian dollar." [16]
The mine site later reopened in 2020 shortly after Sojitz acquired it.
Crinum Underground
In 2021, a roof collapse occurred at the Crinum underground mine site, killing one miner and temporarily suspending operations. However, it has taken longer than expected to recover from the fatal rock fall, and Sojitz doesn't expect to restart mining underground until October 2023 to March 2024 at the earliest.[9]
Mining contractor Mastermyne, which won its contract the same year of the mining accident, has notified Sojitz that as a result of the delay in restarting operations, it will terminate the contract and claim costs. In response, Sojitz is assessing its options, including taking over the mining operation directly.[9]
- Operator: Mastermyne[17]
- Owner: Sojitz Corporation[12]
- Location: 60 km north-east of Emerald in the Bowen Basin in Queensland, Australia[12]
- GPS Coordinates: -23.1491384, 148.3875874 (exact)
- Status: Operating (Gregory Opencast); Care and maintenance (Crinum Underground)[8]
- Production Capacity: 1 mtpa[18]
- Total Resource: 182 Mt[15]
- Mineable Reserves: 27 Mt[15]
- Coal Type: hard coking coal (Metallurgical)[12]
- Mine Size:
- Mine Type: Open cut mine (Gregory); underground longwall (Crinum)[10]
- Start Year: 1979 (Gregory); 1997 (Crinum)[15]
- Workforce Size: 400 (Gregory); 150 (Crinum)[7]
- Source of Financing:
Coal Mine Boundaries and Methane Sources
Global Energy Monitor researchers have identified coal mine boundary/boundaries and potential sources of coal mine methane (CMM) for this mine. These research results can be used to drive CMM attribution and mitigation efforts, particularly when combined with remotely sensed methane plume locations and mine ownership data. Explore the results with the embedded map at the top of this page by clicking on the mine boundary polygon or the CMM placemarkers to reveal more details. A detailed description of this research can be found in Coal Mine Boundaries and Methane Sources. This data is also available as a downloadable companion dataset to the Global Coal Mine Tracker and the Global Methane Emitters Tracker.
Table SMP1: Coal mine boundaries and methane sources data
| ID | Mine feature category | Mine feature subcategory | Description | Coordinates precision | Data source date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M0044.B1 | mine boundary | underground and surface | Gregory Crinum mine boundary | extracted | 2023-06-29 00:00:00 |
| M0044.P1 | ventilation system | vent | ventilation system | extracted | 2023-03-05 00:00:00 |
| M0044.P2 | other | slope access or production shaft | mine entrance/exit and/or production shaft | extracted | 2023-03-05 00:00:00 |
| M0044.P3 | other | preparation plant | chpp | extracted | 2023-03-05 00:00:00 |
Table SMP2: Coal mine boundaries and methane sources data (continued)
| ID | Notes |
|---|---|
| M0044.B1 | Section 2.1 Project Overview, page 6, of Public Environment Report Gregory Crinum Mine M-Block Extension, June 29 2023,
https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.sojitzblue.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Gregory-Crinum-Mine-M-Block-Extension-Project-EPBC-2021-9127-Public-Environment-Report-Jul-2023-Rev.-No.-7.pdf, describes the mining leases comprising the mine as MLs 1789, 1923, 70061, 7007. Undergound mining is located in ML 1923 in the southern eastern section of the boundary of the mining leases as shown in Figure 2.1: GCM mining infrastructure on page 7, and partially shown extended westwards from the southeastern corner in Figure 2: M-Block proposed open-cut and underground operations areas on page 6 of Offset Area Management Plan Gregory Crinum M-Block Extension 14 April 2023, https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.sojitzblue.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/GCM-M-Block-Expansion-Offset-Area-Management-Plan_V2.pdf. The area of the extracted boundary is 127 sq km. Mining lease geometries were extracted from the Queensland Mining Leases dataset (https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.data.qld.gov.au/dataset/queensland-mining-and-exploration-tenure-series/resource/f87794b8-7b9a-4732-89bb-56ccb2228d27). |
| M0044.P1 | Visually identified with Google Earth Pro satellite imagery. |
| M0044.P2 | Visually identified with Google Earth Pro satellite imagery. |
| M0044.P3 | Visually identified with Google Earth Pro satellite imagery. |
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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 (PDF) https://www.iesc.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-10/iesc-advice-gregory-crinum-coal-mine-2022-136.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 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) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20260520171537/https://minedocs.com/23/Kestrel-TR-2015.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 May 2026.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://miningdataonline.com/property/297/Gregory-Crinum-Mine.aspx.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 https://australiainstitute.org.au/coal-mine-tracker/update/this-cant-be-allowed-to-continue-gregory-crinum-expansion-approved/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ BHP-Billiton,"BHP Billiton production report for the year ended 30 June 2012", Media Release, July 2012, page 14.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Projects", Sojitz Blue website, accessed April 2023.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Henry Ballard, "Gregory Crinum incident halts re-establishment", Australian Mining, 15 September 2021.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Jo Clarke, "Mixed results in plan to revitalise Australian coal hub", Argus Media, 15 December 2022.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "About BMA," "BHP Billiton website," accessed January 2010.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 "BMA completes sale of Gregory Crinum Mine," BHP website, March 27, 2019.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Daniel Gleeson, "DRA Global to help Gregory Crinum coal mine get back to business," "International Mining," March 28, 2019.
- ↑ Gregory-Crinum Mine, Mining Data Solutions, accessed Jan 2022
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 "BHP Coal Mine – Crinum – Queensland Australia," "Mining Technology," accessed June 2020.
- ↑ BHP Billiton, "Production to cease at Gregory open-cut operation", Media Release, September 10, 2012.
- ↑ "Mastermyne wins $510m contract for Gregory Crinum coal mine in Australia", NS Energy, 31 May 2021.
- ↑ "IEA Coal 2021 Analysis and Forecasts, accessed Jan 2022.
