Name of the Mine
Blackwater mine.

Location  
About 73 km south-east of Emerald, on the traditional lands of the Gaangalu people, in the Queensland Bowen basin of Australia. 

Mine Owner/s  
Whitehaven Coal.

Brief Description  
The Blackwater opencut coal mine is one of the biggest producing metallurgical coal mines in Queensland. The mine has a strike length of 80 km.

Brief History  
The mine has been operating since 1967. 

Whitehaven Coal announced the acquisition of 100% of the Daunia and Blackwater coal mines from BHP and Mitsubishi Development in October 2023. Whitehaven took ownership following completion of the acquisition on April 2, 2024.

Primary Metals/Minerals  
Low-ash, low-sulphur metallurgical coal products, as well as high-energy thermal coal.

Secondary Metals/Minerals  
While coal is the primary mineral of interest at the Blackwater mine, the Bowen basin also hosts other mineral deposits, including minor occurrences of coal seam gas, clay and sandstone. 

Geology/Mineralisation  
The Blackwater mine operates within one of the world's premier coal-producing regions. 

It primarily targets coal deposits within the Rangal Coal Measures, a geological formation within the Bowen basin characterised by layers of coal-bearing strata interspersed with sandstone, siltstone and shale. These coal seams were formed from the burial and subsequent compression of plant material over millions of years, resulting in the formation of bituminous coal.

The mineralisation at the mine predominantly comprises high-quality thermal coal, which is prized for its relatively low-ash and sulphur content, making it suitable for electricity generation and industrial applications. The coal seams within the Rangal Coal Measures vary in thickness and quality, with multiple seams targeted for extraction depending on economic viability and market demand.

Reserves  
The Blackwater mine had Joint Ore Reserves Committee- (Jorc-) compliant recoverable proven and probable reserves of 183-million tonnes as at June 30, 2023.

Resources  
The Blackwater mine had Jorc-compliant measured, indicated and inferred mineral resources of 1.84-billion tonnes as at June 30, 2023.

Type of Mine
Opencut.

Mining Method  
Mining is undertaken using a conventional multiseam dragline strip methodology, with seven draglines used in multiple simultaneous pits along strike.

Coal can be processed at about 14-million-tonnes-a-year through the northern coal handling processing plant, commissioned in 2007, with an additional two-million tonnes-a-year by-passed coal.

Major Infrastructure/Equipment  
Mining is undertaken in conjunction with a large fleet of trucks, electric rope shovels, hydraulic excavators and dozers. A separate contract fleet supports prestrip activities.

Prospects  
The Blackwater mine has a significant coal resource, long-life, flexible product strategy, high-quality infrastructure and options to undertake expansion options. It has a potential mine life of more than 50 years.

Between the 2024 and 2028 financial years, an average run-of-mine (RoM) production of 14.8-million-tonnes a year is planned, with the potential to increase RoM production through several initiatives, including optimisation of existing dragline sequence and prestrip designed to unlock latent dragline capacity. 

Expansion opportunities are also being considered, including underground mining, mining the Blackwater South deposit, dragline optimisation, and coal handling and processing plant throughput expansion.

Contact Details 
Whitehaven Coal (Blackwater mine)
Email information@whitehavencoal.com.au

Sources
Whitehaven Coal. Website: https://whitehavencoal.com.au/ 
Whitehaven Coal. Annual Report 2023 (August 24, 2023).
Whitehaven Coal. Whitehaven Coal to acquire 100% of BMA’s Daunia and Blackwater coal mines through a compelling and transformational acquisition (October 18, 2023).