Muswellbrook No. 2 Coal Mine

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Muswellbrook No. 2 Coal Mine is a shelved coal mine in Muswellbrook, New South Wales, Australia.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Muswellbrook No. 2 Coal Mine Muswellbrook, New South Wales, Australia -32.244988, 150.941392 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the coal mine:

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Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status Status Detail Project Type Opening Year Closing Year
Shelved Exploration New

Table 3: Operation details

Note: The asterisk (*) signifies that the value is a GEM estimated figure.
Capacity (Mtpa) Production (Mtpa) Year of Production Mine Type Mining Method Mine Size (km2) Mine Depth (m) Workforce Size
13.6[1] Surface Open Pit 60* *

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
Hunter Bituminous

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner Parent Company Headquarters
Idemitsu Australia Resources Pty Ltd Idemitsu Kosan Japan, Australia

Note: The above section was automatically generated and is based on data from the GEM April 2024 Global Coal Mine Tracker dataset.

Background

The Muswellbrook No. 2 coal mine was a surface coal mine near Muswellbrook, Central New South Wales, Australia, and operated by Muswellbrook Coal Company, a subsidiary of Idemitsu Australia Resources.[2]

As of late 2022, the mine site is closed. According to its owner, Idemitsu, the former mine site will be utilized as a base for a variety of renewable energy sources.[3][4] Underground coal mining commenced at Muswellbrook Coal Mine in 1907 and open-cut operations in 1944. Recent mining operations were focused on the No. 1 open-cut area, which began operation in 2005.[5]

The mine was operated by Muswellbrook Coal Company, a subsidiary of Idemitsu Australia Resources.

Muswellbrook Mine had a production limit of 2 million tonnes per annum (mtpa). It operated as a truck-and-shovel multi-seam coal mine. Coal was crushed, washed, and hauled to the Ravensworth Coal Terminal, where it was then transported by rail to the Port of Newcastle for export.[5]

The mine previously had an expansion plan known as "West Muswellbrook," which would have increased its coal production rate to 15 million tonnes per annum, however, this project was shelved while in the pre-permit stage.[6][7]

  • Operator: Muswellbrook Coal Company
  • Owner: Idemitsu Australia Resources
  • Location: Muswellbrook, New South Wales, Australia
  • GPS Coordinates: -32.244988, 150.941392 (exact)
  • Status: Closed
  • Production: 0.94 million tonnes per annum (2022)[8]
  • Total Resource:
  • Mineable Reserves:
  • Coal Type: (Thermal)
  • Mine Size:
  • Mine Type: Surface & Underground
  • Start Year: 1907 (underground); 1944, 2005 (surface)[5]
  • Source of Financing:

Closure

As reported in Idemitsu's 2022 annual report, the Muswellbrook Mine came to the end of its lifespan and closed in FY2022.[8] The company states: "Regarding the Muswellbrook mine, we aim to gradually shift to new businesses such as renewable energy using the mine assets, including the commencement of commercialization feasability studies of pumped-storage hydroelectricity using the former mine site."[8]

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. (PDF) https://www.iesc.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-07/iesc-advice-mangoola-2019-106.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. Muswellbrook Coal Description, 2016
  3. "Idemitsu begins a commercialization feasibility study of a pumped-storage hydroelectricity using mined areas of Muswellbrook Coal Mine in Australia", Idemitsu website, 14 Sept. 2022.
  4. Coal Mine to Transform into Energy and Training Precint, Hunter Valley News, October 26, 2021
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Muswellbrook Coal", Idemitsu Australia website, accessed March 2023.
  6. Idemitsu, West Muswellbrook Project Gateway Application, accessed June 15, 2020
  7. Idemitsu, West Muswellbrook Project, accessed November 2020
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Idemitsu Integrated Report 2022, Idemitsu website, 13 March 2023.