Cockatoo Coal, an Australian metallurgical and thermal coal producer, has reported JORC-compliant marketable reserves of 260.2 million t at its Taroom and Collingwood projects, comprising the following:
161.7 million t at the Taroom project.
98.5 million t at the Collingwood project.
The Taroom and Collingwood projects are located within the Taroom coal measures and will form part of the North Surat Joint Venture (NSJV). Cockatoo holds a 51% stake in the NSJV, which also includes the Woori coal project, with Mitsui Moura Investment, a subsidiary of Mitsui Coal Holdings, holding the remaing 49%.
Further drilling is now expected to elevate the remaining Taroom and Collingwood JORC resources (662 million t) within the current pit shell design to measured or indicated reserve estimations. Pre-feasibility studies have been completed and are under peer review by the NSJV partners.
BHP Billiton has given the Queensland Government notice of a proposed rail corridor alignment to the Port of Abbot Point, which can be used to accommodate multiple rail lines, including a dedicated rail line for BHP Billiton and its joint venture partners in the Bowen Basin.
Peabody Energy will increase its production at the Wilpinjong and Millennium mines in Australia after expansions at both sites were completed. It is expected that the increased production will allow the company to supply an additional 3 – 5 million tpa to the Asian seaborne market.
Anglo American has approved the development of the Grosvenor metallurgical coal project in Queensland, Australia. The project is situated immediately south of the company’s Moranbah North coal mining and is expected to produce 5 million tpa of coal over a period of 26 years.