Mining Intelligence and News
Australia

Blackwater Mine

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Australia

Blackwater Mine

Location: 73 km SE from Emerald, Queensland, Australia

Address:

Ardurad Road
Blackwater
Queensland, Australia
4717

Contacts:

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Categories

Summary

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Coal (metallurgical)
  • Coal (thermal)
  • Coal (coking)
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
  • Dragline
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotThe Blackwater open-cut coal mine is one of the largest producing metallurgical coal mines in Queensland with a strike length of 80 kilometres.

Blackwater’s current operation has 8 separate pits with the largest dragline fleet in the southern hemisphere. The mine includes 2 active Train Load Out facilities with more than 16Mtpa capacity.

Blackwater produces predominantly low-ash, low-sulphur metallurgical coal products, as well as high-energy thermal coal. Coal products are exported to customers across Asia through the RG Tanna Terminal within the Port of Gladstone.

Blackwater has the capacity to pursue expansion options considered in the LOM plan.
Latest NewsA new joint venture at Blackwater     April 1, 2025

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
JFE Steel Corp. 10 % Indirect
Nippon Steel Corporation 20 % Indirect
Whitehaven Coal Ltd. 70 % Indirect
On April 2, 2024, Whitehaven Coal completed the acquisition of 100% of the Blackwater metallurgical coal mine from BHP and Mitsubishi Development (“Mitsubishi”) (together, BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (“BMA”)).

On April 1, 2025, Whitehaven has officially formed a 70:30 joint venture at its Blackwater coal mine with Nippon Steel Corporation and JFE Steel Whitehaven. Nippon Steel owns a 20 per cent interest in Blackwater, with JFE Steel owning 10 per cent. Whitehaven has retained a 70 per cent stake in the mine.

Contractors

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SourceSource

Deposit type

  • Sedimentary

Summary:

Bituminous coal is mined from the Permian Moranbah and Rangal Coal measures. Products range from premium quality, low volatile, high vitrinite, hard coking coal to medium volatile hard coking coal, to weak coking coal, some pulverised coal injection (PCI) coal and medium ash thermal coal as a secondary product.

Rangal Coal Measures of Late Permian age, dipping 3-5° to the east. Three major coal seams are present: Top (Aries) - 0.8-1.5m; Middle (Castor) - 2-3.5m; Main Lower (Taurus/Argo) - 5-7m. Complex seam splitting occurs along the 35km strike length of the mine.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Commodity Production

CommodityUnits2024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Coal (thermal) t  ....  Subscribe
Coal (coking) t  ....  Subscribe
Coal (metallurgical & thermal) kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe13,20613,37614,59215,25213,988
All production numbers are expressed as clean coal.

Operational metrics

Metrics202420232022202120202019201820172016
Coal tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe15,261,759 t13,678,878 t16,581,448 t16,524,952 t
Tonnes processed  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe15,262,320 t14,598,569 t16,097,035 t16,277,870 t

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 4, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 31, 2025
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 9, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 9, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Oct 4, 2024

Workforce

Total WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required 2024
...... Subscription required 2023
...... Subscription required 2022
...... Subscription required 2021
...... Subscription required 2020
...... Subscription required 2017
...... Subscription required 2016

Aerial view:

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