Green light for Bowen Basin project

International Coal (ICX) has been granted two exploration permits (EPCs) for the proposed Consuelo project in the Bowen Basin in Queensland, Australia. A third is currently going through a mandatory native title notification and objection period, which takes a minimum of four months. However, according to the company, it already has an agreement in place with the key native title claimant (Bidjara People), which includes a non-objection clause, clearing the way for the permit to be approved at the end of the period.

ICX’s CEO, Glenn Simpson said in a statement: “This is great news for the company and provides certainty of tenure over the project. It gives us the green light to move forward with our plans to explore and develop this flagship project in the Bowen Basin.”

The company is has an exploration target range of between 800 and 1200 million t of coal.

Located in the Bowen Basin between Glencore Xstrata’s Rolleston mine and Bandanna Energy’s Arcadia deposit, the Consuelo project is hoped to yield a high grade thermal to semi-soft coking coal product from a combined opencast and underground operation: “While we still need to see the results of the proposed exploration programme, the historical evidence suggests the project has high potential for coal at depths currently mined using opencast and underground methods and we are close to existing rail and port infrastructure,” Simpson said.

Adapted from press release by Jonathan Rowland

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/drilling-and-production/29072013/international_coal_granted_exploration_permits_for_bowen_basin_consuelo_project%C2%AC_286/