Isaac Downs Coal Mine
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Isaac Downs Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Moranbah, Queensland, Australia.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Mine Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Isaac Downs Coal Mine | Moranbah, Queensland, Australia | -21.97936646, 148.1290409 (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] | – | 2022[1] | – |
Table 3: Operation details
| Capacity (Mtpa) | Production (Mtpa) | Year of Production | Mine Type | Mining Method | Mine Size (km2) | Mine Depth (m) | Workforce Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | 3.498907[2] | 2025[2] | Surface | Open Pit | 23.66[3] | 60* | 400[4] |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18[1] | 2022[1] | 29[1] | Bowen | Bituminous | Thermal & Met | Terminal (Export) |
Table 5: Ownership and parent company
| Owner | Parent Company | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Stanmore IP South Pty Ltd [100.0%][5][3][6] | Stanmore Resources Ltd | Australia |
Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)
| ROM or Saleable | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROM[2] | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4.21[2] | – | 3.5[2] |
Reported Methane Emissions Data
Global Energy Monitor collates facility-scale methane emissions data reported by government and company sources collected in a systematic fashion. This mine is associated with the following methane emissions reports:
Table 7: Methane emissions
| Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes CO2 equivalent) | Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes CH4) | Year of Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions | Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes) Reference | Reference type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.949 | 110.562 | 2024 | [7] | national government data |
Note: The above sections were automatically generated and are based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker August 2026 release.
Reported Methane Emissions Data
Global Energy Monitor collates facility-scale methane emissions data reported by government and company sources collected in a systematic fashion. This mine is associated with the following methane emissions reports:
Table 7: Methane emissions
| Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes CO2 equivalent) | Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes CH4) | Year of Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions | Reported Coal Mine Methane Emissions (thousand tonnes) Reference | Reference type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.949 | 110.562 | 2024 | [7] | national government data |
Note: The above sections were automatically generated and are based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker May 2026 release.
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Background
Isaac Downs Coal Mine is an open-cut coal mine and a part of the Isaac Plains Complex in Queensland, Australia. The mine is owned by Stanmore Resources and operated by ESPA Pacific.[8][9] It produces an estimated 1 to 4 million tonnes per annum.[10] Isaac Downs is located 10 kilometers south of the existing Isaac Plains operations.
The project received approval in July 2021.[8][10][11]
It operates as an open-cut mining operation utilizing the existing Isaac Plains infrastructure Stanmore also owns the mine to the south of Isaac Plains and Isaac Plains East. In April 2022, EPSA Pacific took over as Isaac Downs' new mining operator.[12] Early during the financial year 2022 period, the dragline commenced operations at Isaac Downs at which point full scale production commenced.[12] Most mining operations now occur at Isaac Downs.[13]
- Operator: ESPA Pacific[12]
- Owner: Stanmore Resources Limited[13]
- Location: 10km southeast of Moranbah, Queensland, Australia[8]
- GPS Coordinates: -21.97936646, 148.1290409 (exact)
- Status: Operating
- Production Capacity: Up to 4 mtpa[10]
- Total Resource: 39 million tonnes[12]
- Mineable Reserves: 18 million tonnes[12]
- Coal Type: Coking coal (Metallurgical)[12]
- Mine Size:
- Mine Type: Surface[8]
- Mining Method: Open cut, dragline[8]
- Start Year: 2021
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M0053.B1 | mine boundary | surface | Isaac Downs mine boundary | extracted | 2023-12-31 00:00:00 |
Table SMP2: Coal mine boundaries and methane sources data (continued)
| ID | Notes |
|---|---|
| M0053.B1 | Table 1: Coal Resources as at December 31, 2023, column 'Tenement' of the Annual Coal Resources and Reserves Summary from 12/2023 at https://web.archive.org/web/20250708202620/https://www.listcorp.com/asx/smr/stanmore-resources-limited/news/2023-annual-coal-resources-and-reserves-summary-2998504.html lists the mining leases ML 700046-48 for Isaac Downs mine. Also Section 2 paragraph 3 on page 11 of Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) from March 2021 describes the https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0021/156612/isaac-downs-project-eis-assessment-report.pdf describes the mining lease applications MLA 700046-48. The associated mining leases ML 700046-48 were granted on 7/26/2021. The boundary includes mining leases ML 700046-48. The area of the boundary is approximate 24 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). |
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 1.2 1.3 1.4 (PDF) https://www.annualreports.com/HostedData/AnnualReports/PDF/ASX_SMR_2022.pdf.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 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 https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/projects/isaac-downs-and-isaac-plains-coal-projects/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/management/environmental/eis-process/projects/current-projects/isaac-downs-extension-project.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://miningdataonline.com/property/3437/Isaac-Plains-Complex.aspx.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240125052930/https://stanmore.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Stanmore-Resources-Annual-Report-2022.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-01-25.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 https://cer.gov.au/document/2023-24-baselines-and-emissions-table-0.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Stanmore Resources, Operations: Isaac Plains Complex, Stanmore Coal website, accessed 8 June 2020.
- ↑ Isaac Downs Mining Services Agreement, Stanmore Coal website, 19 January 2022.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Isaac Downs Project, Queensland Government website, accessed 8 June 2020.
- ↑ "Australia's Stanmore gets approval to develop Queensland coal project", Reuters, 27 July 2021.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 Annual Report 2022, Stanmore Resources website, 27 Feb. 2023.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Operations, Stanmore, accessed March 2023.
