South Galilee Coal Project

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South Galilee Coal Project is a shelved coal mine in Queensland, Australia.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
South Galilee Coal Project	Queensland, Australia	-23.720462, 146.391096 (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	Opening Year	Closing Year
Shelved	–	2027 (planned)	–

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
3	–	–	Underground & Surface	Mixed	11.5	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
–	–	1179	Alpha	Bituminous	Thermal	North Queensland Export Terminal

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
American Metals & Coal International Inc; Alpha Coal Pty Ltd	AMCI [50%]; Bandanna Energy [50%]	Australia

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

Coal Mine Background

At present there is no mining in the Galilee Basin. The opening of Adani's Carmichael Coal Project would change this and could mean that a number of the other proposals in the area are also advanced, including the South Galilee coal project. The Queensland Resources Council has said the projects other than the Carmichael mine would have a "much easier run" if the rail line was already established and the environmental approvals had been cleared for Carmichael.

In July 2015 the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection accepted the Environmental Management Plans.

The Queensland Coordinator-General approved the project on 2 December 2014. The project still has to receive the necessary federal approvals.

Bandanna was placed in Voluntary Administration on 22 September 2014 due to deterioration of coal markets and delayed approvals for its Springsure Creek Coal Project, preventing the company raising funds to meet take-or-pay obligations at the Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal. The Company's shares have been suspended from trading on the Australian Stock Exchange.

Macquarie Capital (Australia) Ltd has been engaged by Bandanna to conduct a process to consider recapitalisation, restructure or asset sales options for all or part of the Company and its subsidiaries. Macquarie is currently seeking formal expressions of interest from potential investor parties.

The expansion relies on third party access to a new railway to Abbot Point Coal Terminal, port capacity at Abbot Point and the provision of an external power and water supply in conjunction with the other southern Galilee Basin mining proponents.

The first part of the extraction will be by surface mining methods. Underground operations would be started in the second phase of the project. This would be by long-wall mining methods.

There are concerns from graziers and environmentalists of the potential impact on groundwater of this mine, especially in conjunction with the other mines proposed for the Galilee Basin.

The project had an expansion plan of 19 million tonnes,, but the IEA supplied a figure of 3 million tonnes in 2022, suggesting the scope of the project has been significantly reduced.

As of 2022, the project is presumed shelved after years without progress, though it remains labeled post-approval "active" by the Australian government.

The project is being proposed by Australian exploration company Bandanna Energy, which has private equity firm AMCI as a 50% partners. If approved the project could operate for 33 years.

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Additional data

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