Queensland government takes control of abandoned Bluff mine — ABC News Australia
The government of the Australian state of Queensland has taken control of the abandoned Bluff coal mine in the central part of the state. This happened after liquidators relinquished the mining licence, the related environmental authority and exploration permits. The open-cut mine is located south of the town of Bluff, 20 kilometres east of Blackwater.
As ABC News Australia reports, Queensland's Department of Natural Resources and Mines confirmed the termination of the mining licence. The department said it had secured the site and was working with other agencies on appropriate management of risks to public safety and the environment.
The mine moved into a state program
Rehabilitation work at the site will be managed under the state's Abandoned Mine Lands Program. The mine's owner, Bowen Coking Coal, entered voluntary external administration in July last year. On September 14, a notice of the formal liquidation of Bowen PCI Pty Ltd was published on the website of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.
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Bowen Coking Coal acquired the Bluff mine from Carabella Resources in 2021. Carabella Resources received an initial 15-year licence from the state government in 2016 to produce up to 1.8 million tonnes of metallurgical coal per year. Mining there began in 2019, and after Carabella Resources entered voluntary external administration, the mine was placed into care and maintenance in December 2020. Bowen Coking Coal resumed operations and mined its first coal in the first quarter of 2022.
Questions over the cost of rehabilitation
Claire Grawnow, the Central Queensland coordinator for Lock the Gate, said the rehabilitation plan would likely need to be revised because the mine ceased operating before the end of its planned operating life. According to her, funding for such work comes from the state's financial assurance scheme, to which mining companies contribute.
The department and Queensland Treasury did not disclose the amount paid for rehabilitation. In the mine's environmental authority as of November 6 last year, the estimated cost of this work was put at $12,251,470.50. Grawnow noted that the site has a large pit, water bodies and about 500 hectares of bare land requiring ongoing environmental monitoring, including dust and water management during rainfall.
