PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Diversified miner Anglo American on Wednesday announced that it would invest more than $162-million to rehabilitate its Australian mining operations over the next five years.

The company’s Australian operations includes five metallurgical coal mines in Queensland, of which two are opencut and three are underground operations.

Anglo American will be spending some $82-million on rehabilitating its opencut Dawson mine, and some $40-million at its Capcoal opencut mine.

CEO for the metallurgical coal business, Tyler Mitchelson said on Wednesday that the company was committed to the highest standards of environmental performance.

“We continue to innovate and pursue best practice mine rehabilitation across our business, and this approach is already delivering outstanding results.

“Anglo American’s Dawson mine has been leading the way in innovation rehabilitation approaches, including the successful rehabilitation of an area previously containing void highwall, and use of rehabilitated land for cattle grazing.”

Meanwhile, the alliance between major BHP and Mitsubishi (BMA) has received environmental certification from the Queensland government over nearly 1 500 ha of rehabilitated land in the Bowen basin, including the largest tract of mining-affected land ever certified by the state.

BMA on Wednesday said that a 1 176 ha section of land related to underground operations at the Gregory Crinum mine, was the first of two separate parcels to be certified by the Department of Environment and Science. The second plot of 294 ha was located at the Norwich Park mine, which is currently under care and maintenance.

BMA asset president James Palmer said that the alliance was committed to its responsibilities to rehabilitate the land within its mining leases, and would continue to collaborate with the state government on further progressive certification.

BMA is in the process of selling its Gregory Crinum mine to Sojitz Corporation, and both parties are working towards completing the transaction.

The Queensland Resources Council on Wednesday said that the rehabilitation activities by the miners again demonstrated the mining industry’s commitment to world-class rehabilitation across thousands of hectares of land.