Mining Intelligence and News
New Zealand

Escarpment Mine

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Categories

Overview

Mine TypeOpen Pit
StatusCare and Maintenance
Commodities
  • Coal (metallurgical)
  • Coal (hard coking)
Mining Method
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Production Start... Lock
SnapshotProduction from Escarpment began in 2014, and the mine was placed in care and maintenance in May 2016.

The Escarpment mine is part of the Buller Project. The project is located close to the Stockton mine, with the ability to synergise with Stockton’s infrastructure assets which include a coal handling and preparation plant and a rail loadout facility.

The Escarpment mine is intended to return to operation as part of Bathurst Resources Ltd.'s Fast-Track Approval application. The development of the Escarpment is seen as a significant component of the wider Buller projects strategy.

A focus for FY25 is the submission of the Fast-Track Approval application and the renewal of the Escarpment consents that are beginning to expire over the next few years, as well as completion of mine planning for an extension to the Escarpment Project (Escarpment Extension), as part of the wider Buller Project study.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Bathurst Resources Ltd. 100 % Indirect
Buller Coal Ltd. (operator) 100 % Direct
The Escarpment Mine is wholly owned and operated by Buller Coal Ltd. a wholly owned subsidiary of Bathurst Resources Ltd.

Deposit type

  • Sedimentary

Summary:

The Escarpment project is located in the Buller coalfield, New Zealand.

The Denniston Plateau is a north west dipping plateau bounded to the west by the Papahaua Overfold/Kongahu Fault zone, and to the east by the Mt William Fault.

The defined resource is contained within the Eocene aged Brunner Coal Measures. The coal measures consist of a fluviatile sequence of fine to very coarse sandstones, siltstone, mudstone and coal seams. The deposit generally has a single extensive seam with some localised splitting of the seam. The coal thickness can be up to 12m but generally averages 4-5m vertical thickness.

The dip of the plateau reflects the dip of the coal bearing sediments with localised exposures of basement units at structural highs and within incised gullies.

Little to no Quaternary deposits or soils overlay the Brunner Coal Measures with overburden generally around 40-50m.

A strong trend in coal rank exists across the deposit with coal rank increasing from east to west.

Dimensions
The main coal seam varies in thickness from less than 1m thick up to 14m thickness locally.

Depth of cover varies from 0m at outcrop to over 150m at the eastern margin of the Mt William Fault. Inferred and Indicated resources include coal up to 130m below surface, while the measured resource includes coal up to 75m below surface.

The deposit roughly covers a 6.5km by 4.5km area. The model is bounded by the Escarpment Fault to the south, the Waimangaroa Gorge to the north, and the Mt William Fault to the east.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Production

CommodityUnits20162015
Coal (metallurgical) Mt 48,36511,851
All production numbers are expressed as ROM coal.

Operational metrics

Metrics20162015
Waste 374,890 bcm60,244 bcm

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Nov 11, 2024
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Aerial view:

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