Mt Thorley Warkworth Coal Mine

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The Mount Thorley Warkworth mine (also known as MTW) is an integrated coal mining operation comprised of two adjacent open-cut mines: the Mount Thorley and Warkworth sites. Each of these mines are owned by separate joint ventures.[1]

Additionally, Yancoal, the primary owner of each mine, as well as the operator, is exploring underground mining at the Mt Thorley Warkworth. This has not yet begun but is expected to produce 6 mtpa once it does.[2]

Location

The satellite image below shows the exact locations of the neighboring mines in New South Wales, Australia.

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Background

Coal mining operations began at both Mt Thorley and Warkworth in 1981. Each has continuously produced semi-soft coking coal and thermal coal for domestic and export markets since they opened in the 80s. The two mines were integrated into one operation in February 2004 to form Mount Thorley Warkworth.[1]

In 2017, Yancoal officially bought all of Rio Tinto’s coal assets in New South Wales, which included Mt Thorley Warkworth.[3] As of 2017, 28 million tonnes of Run Of Mine coal from Mt Thorley Warkworth is permitted in a calendar year, with 18 million from Warkworth and 10 million from Mt Thorley. In 2017, Warkworth produced 14 million tonnes and Mt Thorley produced about 4, adding up to 18 million tonnes of ROM coal. This was pared down to about 12 million tonnes of saleable coal in 2017.[4]

Opposition (Mt Thorley Warkworth)

In 2019, four Hunter Valley coal mines, including Mt Thorley Warkworth, were issued six notices to fix up their rehabilitation and other environmental management, according to a Hunter Valley News article.[5]

The article stated that: “At Mt Thorley Warkworth, an inspection recognised ongoing delays in the progression of rehabilitation areas; limited documented records to address the risks to rehabilitation; and limited documented measures or actions to improve progressive rehabilitation performance.”[5]

Lock the Gate, an anti-coal coalition, responded in the article that failing to keep up with rehabilitation duties was unacceptable.

Then, in April 2020, the mine was fined $15,000 by the EPA for “a large cloud of blasting dust that engulfed neighbouring properties in August last year.”[6]

Mine Details

  • Operator: Coal & Allied[7]
  • Owners (Mount Thorley): Yancoal (80%), POSCO (20%)[8]
  • Owners (Warkworth): Yancoal Australia (84.5%), Nippon Steel (9.5%), Mitsubishi Materials (6%)[8]
  • Location: Located 15 kilometres south-west of Singleton in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales.[9]
  • GPS Coordinates: -32.60700995, 151.0901636 (exact)
  • Status: Open cut is operating while underground is not yet[2]
  • Capacity: open cut - 12 mtpa,[4] underground - 6 mtpa[2]
  • Production: 11.2 million tonnes (2021)[10]
  • Total Resource: 613 million tonnes (as of 2015)[11]
  • Mineable Reserves: 315 million tonnes (as of 2018)
  • Coal Type: semi-soft coking and thermal coal[1]
  • Mine Size:
  • Mine Type: underground, open cut
  • Start Year: Open cut mining began in 1981[1]
  • Source of Financing:

two open cut mines located adjacent to each other, 15 kilometres south-west of Singleton in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales.

Articles and resources

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Mining Operations Plan: Mount Thorley Warkworth," "Yancoal Australia Ltd," May 23, 2019.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Louise Nichols, "Yancoal looks at 6 million tonnes/year underground operation at Mount Thorley Warkworth mine," "The Singleton Argus," January 21, 2019.
  3. Carrington Clarke, "Rio Tinto's NSW coal mines taken over by China-backed Yancoal," "ABC News," June 29, 2017.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "Mount Thorley Warkworth: 2017 Annual Review," "Yancoal," March 2018.
  5. 5.0 5.1 "Lock the Gate Alliance slams Mt Thorley Warkworth, Muswellbrook Coal, Ravensworth Operations and Rix's Creek coal mines following NSW Resources Regulator's recent compliance blitz," "Hunter Valley News," July 19, 2019.
  6. Donna Page, "EPA fines Upper Hunter Mt Thorley Warkworth mine $15,000 for dust plume that engulfed neighbouring properties," "The Newcastle Herald," April 8, 2020.
  7. About Us," Yancoal MTW website, accessed June 2022.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Mount Thorley Warkworth, Yancoal website, accessed June 2022.
  9. "About Us," "Yancoal Insite website," accessed June 2020.
  10. Production Report, Yancoal, accessed June 2022
  11. "Increase to Rio Tinto Coal Australia Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves," "RioTinto," March 3, 2016.

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