AUSTRALIAN coal miner Bengalla is seeking to continue mining westward if approval is granted next year, general manager Dan Janney told The National.
He said in New South Wales recently that in 2010, Coal and Allied and Bengalla’s joint ventures reached agreement on a A$141 million (314 million) Kexpansion of the mine.
The coal mine has marketable reserves of 128 million tonnes as of last December.
Janney said the proposal to extend the mine’s operation for a further 21 years intends to largely utilise established infrastructure upgrades, manning and equipment currently used at Bengalla.
He said the continuation of Bengalla would provide certainty and continued employment over the long term.
He added that in last year alone, Bengalla spent A$140 million (K312 million) with 200 suppliers in the Upper Hunter Valley region, which leads directly to local jobs and the sustainability of the region.
Janney said: “Bengalla mine has been operating since 1998 and is seeking approval to continue mining for a further 21 years beyond its existing 2017 approval, moving away from Muswellbrook to the west on land owned by Bengalla and Coal & Allied.
“This continuation will provide on-going employment for our existing workforce of more than 400 people, with the potential to create up to another 500 new permanent jobs if we decide in future to increase our production to the maximum 15 million tonnes a year.”
The miner has approval to extract up to 10.7 million tonnes of coal per annum until 2017.