The Queensland Government has given the final regulatory approvals that will see a new underground coal mine open in the Queensland Bowen Basin as soon as next week.
With all the approvals in place, the Mammoth underground mine, owned by Coronado Global Resources, is now ready to cut first coal by December 19 2024.
The mine is part of Coronado’s Curragh mining complex, which currently comprises two open cut mines, Curragh North and Curragh South.
Situated at the southern end of the Curragh North pit, Mammoth was first discovered in the 1990s but remained untouched until now.
Once production begins, Mammoth is expected to ramp up to 1.5–2 million tonnes per annum of coal in 2025.
Coronado’s journey underground is set to unlock around 41 million run-of-mine tonnes of metallurgical coal reserves.
Coronado chief executive officer Douglas Thompson said the opening of Mammoth will be an exciting step for Coronado, its shareholders and Queensland mining.
He also thanked the Queensland Government for its support, which saw a collaborative effort between the Government and the project’s team on the approvals required to reach the milestone.
“It will mark our first foray into underground mining in Australia and underpins our strategy of delivering organic growth to increase production and lower costs,” Thompson said.
“We have combined our well-established expertise and heritage in underground mining from our US operations with industry leading local partnerships to deliver this mine.
“Mammoth is expected to continue our strong track record of realising value from our existing assets.”
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