JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The Isaac Plains coal mine, which Stanmore Coal reopened earlier this year, has managed to produce 231-million tonnes in the June quarter, which marked the ramp-up phase of operations.
Stanmore reported on Wednesday that it had sold 156-million tonnes from the Queensland mine, which it bought from Vale and Sumitomo for A$1 last year, and that it had completed five shipments of coking coal from the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal in the three-month period.
The company has secured a contract to supply top-tier Asian steel mills on a term basis with 900 000 t of coking coal.
“This strong result affirms the market support for the quality of Isaac Plains coking coal and underpins a positive outlook, as Stanmore’s coal will continue to be a sought-after commodity,” the miner stated.
Stanmore managed to achieve an average sale price of $60/t, which it said was affected by the lower proportion of coking coal sold in the start-up phase. The company is considering reintroducing a semi-hard coking coal product, as was historically produced at Isaac Plains.