Mining Intelligence and News
Australia

Foxleigh Mine

Click for more information
Australia

Foxleigh Mine

Location: 15 km SE from Middlemount, Queensland, Australia

Address:

Level 12 300 Queen Street
Brisbane
Queensland, Australia
4000

Contacts:

Additional Resources for Suppliers & Investors

Categories

Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Coal (metallurgical)
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotFoxleigh Mine is an open cut operation producing benchmark quality, LV PCI coal for the export market.

Mining is undertaken using the truck and excavator method, with raw coal delivered to Foxleigh’s coal handling and preparation plant for washing.

Product coal is hauled 27km on a private haul road to a dedicated train loading facility located alongside the Capcoal (German Creek) rail loop and then is railed 280km to the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal at the Port of Hay Point near Mackay, Queensland.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Nippon Steel Australia Pty Ltd. 10 % Indirect
POSCO Australia Pty Ltd. 20 % Indirect
Middlemount South Pty Ltd (operator) 70 % Direct
QMetco Ltd. 70 % Indirect
QMetco acquired the Foxleigh Mine in August 2016 via its 100% ownership of Middlemount South Pty Ltd (Middlemount South), which operates Foxleigh on behalf of the Foxleigh Coal Joint Venture. Joint Venture partners in the Foxleigh Mine are POSCO Australia Pty Ltd (20%) and Nippon Steel Australia Pty. Limited (10%).

QMetco Limited is an unlisted public company, formerly listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX:RRP) until it was delisted on 15th January 2019 following the successful aquisition of 100% of the issued shares by Taurus Resources investment funds.

Contractors

Lock

- subscription is required.

SourceSource

Deposit type

  • Sedimentary

Summary:

Foxleigh is on the eastern flank of the Comet Ridge in the southern Bowen Basin and is east of the Jellinbah Fault Zone, straddling the Foxleigh Syncline and the Foxleigh Fault Zone. The fault zones comprise numerous east-over-west thrust structures striking north-northwest with more than 200 m vertical displacement. Associated with these major structures are smaller scale thrust faults (20–100 m throw) which pass through Foxleigh mine areas and have uplifted coal to depths less than 200 m.

The generally north-east dipping Rangal Coal Measures contain the primary coal targets at Foxleigh. In descending stratigraphic order, the four main coal seams are Roper, Middlemount, Tralee, and Pisces. Down hole geophysical density logs confirm the consistency and continuity of the main coal plies that comprise these coal seams; Roper 1, 2 and 3; Middlemount 1; Tralee 1 and 2; and Pisces 1A and 1B and Pisces 2A and 2B. Mine production since 2000 combined with coal quality results throughout the unmined areas confirms that these seams can produce low volatile PCI coals.

Sequences of Tertiary clays, sands and gravels that overlie the Permian coal sequentially increase in thickness from several metres up to 80 m, with the thickest Tertiary sediments occurring in the Roper Creek area. The base of weathering of the Permian strata ranges from <5 m to 90 m from surface. Deeper weathering profiles are associated with thick Tertiary sediments. Permian weathering below the Tertiary cover is generally 10-15 m thick.

The coal seams subcrop along strike to the north-northwest and, in general, dip at 5° - 15°, with significantly steeper dips adjacent to the thrust faults and associated with fold structures.

The geology of the Foxleigh deposits is understood with a reasonable level of confidence and it is believed that coal volume estimations are sound. Confidence in the geological interpretation is directly related to the relative complexity of the geological structure, the drill hole spacing and the availability of seismic data.

The eastern deposits of Foxleigh Plains, One Tree, Pipeline and Carlo Creek are structurally complex and have closer spaced drill holes than the western deposits of Roper Creek, Eagle’s Nest, Foxleigh North, Western Corridor, Far South and Foxleigh West. Drill hole spacing is generally 25–150, but holes are up to 250 m apart in the eastern deposits and along the seam subcrop areas of the western deposits. In the down-dip areas of the western deposits, the southern area of Foxleigh West and at Roper Creek the drill hole spacing is generally 250–500 m but can also be up to 1,000 m. The consistency of the geophysical long-spaced density signature provides confidence in the consistency, continuity and general quality of each seam.

Reserves

Lock

- subscription is required.

Mining Methods

Lock

- subscription is required.

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

Lock

- subscription is required.

Production

CommodityUnits202320222021202020192018201720162015
Coal (PCI) t  ....  Subscribe
Coal (metallurgical) Mt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe3.1233.21.9
All production numbers are expressed as clean coal.

Operational metrics

Metrics20232022202120202019201820172016
Coal tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe4,081 kt2,938 kt4,027 kt4,366 kt
Tonnes processed  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe4,081,073 t
Stripping / waste ratio  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe12 11.4 7

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Lock

- subscription is required.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jan 15, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jan 15, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 14, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jan 15, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jan 15, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jan 15, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jan 15, 2024

EmployeesYear
...... Subscription required 2019

Aerial view:

Lock

- subscription is required.