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Australia

Metropolitan Mine

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Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Coal (metallurgical & thermal)
Mining Method
  • Longwall
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Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotMetropolitan Coal is one of the earliest established and longest continually running coal mining operations in Australia.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Peabody Energy, Inc. 100 % Indirect
Metropolitan Collieries Pty. Ltd. (operator) 100 % Direct
The Metropolitan Coal Mine, operated by Metropolitan Collieries Pty Ltd. Metropolitan Collieries Pty Ltd (MCPL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Peabody.

Deposit type

  • Sedimentary

Summary:

Metropolitan Coal is located within the Southern Coalfield, within the southern part of the Sydney Basin, which is infilled with sedimentary rocks of Permian age (<270 million years ago) and of Triassic age (<225 million years ago).

Three formally named coal seams of the Illawarra Coal Measures are present in the Southern Coalfield, namely the Bulli, Balgownie and Wongawilli Seams.

Immediately overlying the Bulli Coal unit of the Illawarra Coal Measures are sandstones and claystones of the Narrabeen Group. The Narrabeen Group contains the Newport Formation (sometimes referred to as the Gosford Formation), the Bald Hill Claystone (also referred to as Chocolate Shale and formed as a result of laterite weathering Gerringong Volcanics), the Bulgo Sandstone, the Stanwell Park Claystone/Shale, the Scarborough Sandstone, the Wombarra Shale and the Coal Cliff Sandstone. At the top of the sequence in the area of interest is the Hawkesbury Sandstone (HCPL, 2008).

Many features of the NSW Coalfields surface topography are directly correlated to the basement structure, the depth of the basement from the surface through many sedimentary epochs and the deformational episodes of the basement rock. The Palaeozoic granite basement rock underlies the Sydney Basin sedimentary rocks. At Metropolitan Coal the total depth of Sydney Basin sedimentation is 2.3 km.

Surface lineaments are linear features in the surface landscape, preferentially eroded, that may be the surface expression of an underlying geological structure, fault or dyke or simply a result of surface joint sets. Lineaments are identified from aerial photography, LiDAR and from digital topographic sets. Lineaments mapped by Metropolitan Coal are shown on Figure 5. Additional LiDAR mapping was conducted by Metropolitan Coal in July/August 2019 to identify any new linear features within the Longwalls 305-307 35° angle of draw and/or predicted 20 mm subsidence contour. The 2019 LiDAR review confirmed the existing lineament mapping analysis.

A strike slip fault, F0008, with up to 1.2 m vertical displacement occurs over Longwalls 20-27, and this fault extends partially through Longwall 304. This fault is associated with a surface linear that aligns with the Eastern Tributary and then passes east of the Woronora Reservoir full supply level dissipating into the landscape. Longwall 20 through 27 were extracted through this feature directly under the Eastern Tributary with no moisture evident at seam level and no change in mine water balance during the seven years of extraction in the area. At the time of writing, Longwall 304 extraction had not intercepted F0008 projected extents.

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

The Metropolitan mine was idled in the fourth quarter of 2020. The mine restarted production in the second quarter of 2021.
CommodityUnits202320222021202020192018201720162015
Coal (metallurgical & thermal) Mt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1.41.50.91.71.9
Heat ContentBTU/lb12,60012,60012,60012,60012,60012,600
All production numbers are expressed as clean coal. ^ Guidance / Forecast.

Operational metrics

Metrics202320222021202020192018201720162015
Coal tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe
Reject  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe368,873 t439,506 t327,369 t519,997 t
Coal tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe1,851,831 t of ROM coal2,024,404 t of ROM coal1,370,574 t of ROM coal2,237,138 t of ROM coal2,297,856 t of ROM coal
^ Guidance / Forecast.

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Heavy Mobile Equipment

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Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNamePhoneEmailProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 31, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Dec 24, 2023
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....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ........... Subscription required ........... Subscription required Subscription required May 31, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 31, 2023
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ........... Subscription required ........... Subscription required May 31, 2023

EmployeesTotal WorkforceYear
...... Subscription required 2022
...... Subscription required 2019
...... Subscription required 2018
...... Subscription required 2017
...... Subscription required 2016

Aerial view:

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