Australia’s newest metallurgical coal mine, Vitrinite Coal’s Vulcan Complex, located between Moranbah and Dysart in central Queensland’s Bowen Basin, was recently granted a mining lease for the first four years of an expected 15-year-plus mine life. The A$160 million ($115 million) open-cut mine is expected to produce 9 million metric tons per year (mtpy) of premium hard coking coal.
“The Vulcan mining lease approval is a huge milestone for our company,” Vitrinite Coal Co-founder and Director Nicholas Williams said. “Going from greenfield to a producing mine is a huge feat for any company, especially in the short timeframe that we have accomplished it.”
Williams said he expects the mine to employ 150 once fully operational. Discussing the environmental impact, he said Vitrinite takes its environmental responsibility very serious. “We’re adopting world-class innovative technology to progressively rehabilitate the pit beyond our statutory requirements,” he added.
The next step, according to Williams, is for Vitrinite to gain approval for the second mining lease, which will provide an additional 10 to 15 years of mining and it will allow the company to build its own rail loop and wash plant.
