Independent mines could power the future of mine development in the Bowen Basin, as two of Queensland’s future coal producers told a crowd of over 200 industry suppliers and contractors last Friday.
The Bowen Basin Mining Club’s luncheon heard stories from the coalface, with Mr Vaughn Wishart, General Manager of Stanmore Coal and Mr Michael Gray, Managing Director of Bandanna Energy, sharing on the progress of their upcoming greenfields ventures.
Stanmore Coal’s Belview project, located near Bluff, is a coking coal project with a targeted export of 5 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa). Bandanna Energy’s Springsure Creek project is a thermal coal project, set to begin exporting at 5.5Mtpa, increasing to 11Mtpa.
As independent locally based projects, both mines will have a particular focus on local workers and local suppliers during construction and production.
Forward planning was a focus of Mr Wishart’s presentation, with most new projects taking five to ten years between exploration and export, despite efforts to reduce green tape in mining approvals.
Mr Gray spoke about the ability of small mines to be dynamic, illustrated by Bandanna Energy’s efforts to invest in agricultural land and studies and future export capacity via the Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal.
Director of the Bowen Basin Mining Club, Jodie Currie, said that the culture and innovative approach of these mines is an affirmation of the premise of the Mining Contractor Awards, now open for submissions.
“The Inaugural Mining Contractor Awards aim to highlight operational excellence through improved efficiencies and improved relationships, so it is great to see the mining community gathering to hear how upcoming projects in the sector will do the same.”
The next Bowen Basin Mining Club luncheon will be in Moranbah on Thursday 27 March, and tickets to the Mining Contractor Awards Dinner will go on sale on Monday 31 March.
For more information on the BBMC or the Mining Contractor Awards, visit www.bbminingclub.com/awards.
ENDS
For additional Information contact:
Jodie Currie, BBMC Director
M: 0412 998 501
T: Follow us @bbmining
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