Blair Athol Mine to finish production |
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Rio Tinto Coal Australia’s Blair
Athol Mine, near Clermont in Central Queensland, will finish mining operations
this year after almost 30 years of production.
Clermont Region general manager
operations Dawid Pretorius said the mine has been progressively scaling back
production in a transition towards closure since 2010.
“After close to three decades, Blair
Athol Mine’s coal seams are largely mined out and the time has come to finish
production,” he said.
“Coal mining has a long and proud
history at Blair Athol, dating back to the late eighteen hundreds when coal was
first discovered in this area. At its peak, Blair Athol Mine was Australia’s
largest exporter of thermal coal, blessed with uniquely thick coal
seams.
“Since 2005, Rio Tinto had planned to
close the mine at the end of this year and consulted with its community
consultative committee and workforce. However, as coal prices rose in recent
times we looked to extend the life of the mine by mining a poorer quality coal
and harder to reach seam for a few more years. Unfortunately, the recent
significant drop in thermal coal prices, and other factors such as rising costs
and the foreign exchange rate mean this is no longer a feasible option and we
will keep to the original plan to finish production in 2012.
“The final day of production at Blair
Athol Mine will depend on the progress of mining operations over coming months,
but we expect it will be before December.”
Rio Tinto Coal Australia has
consulted with workers over several years about their futures after mining stops
at Blair Athol Mine.
There are currently around 170
employees and contractors working at the operation.
There will be around 30 roles after
production finishes at the site. These will include work in the coal handling
and preparation plant and rail load-out facilities, which will continue to be
used for coal from the nearby Clermont Mine, as well as care and maintenance
work in the lead up to a rehabilitation programme.
“We have been planning for the
eventual closure of Blair Athol Mine for many years, as we know it will be a
significant adjustment for our workers, their families and the local community,”
said Mr Pretorius.
“Rio Tinto is committed to providing
support for employees and will continue to contribute to the strength of the
local community through its nearby Clermont Mine and ongoing investment in a
wide range of partnerships.
“A programme called My Future Plan
has given employees a chance to discuss their preferred options with their
leaders and obtain assistance with seeking other employment. The majority of
employees have expressed interest in taking redundancy and we will try to
accommodate other preferences such as redeployment where
possible.
“We have also started holding
information sessions to support family members of Blair Athol employees through
the closure process and will run similar sessions with the local
community.”
Planning for a rehabilitation
programme for the Blair Athol site is underway and further details of this
programme, including the final landform and use, will be determined in
consultation with the Queensland Government over coming
months.
About Rio Tinto Coal
Australia
Rio Tinto Coal Australia has been an
important contributor to Queensland’s community and economy for over a quarter
century and today manages three open cut mines and one underground mine. We aim
to achieve shared value with members of the communities in which we operate. Our
operations create not only economic value – but value for society by addressing
communities’ needs and challenges.
In 2011 our operations employed more
than 2400 employees and spent over $1.9 billion with close to 1700 Queensland
businesses. To date our community development funds have invested more than $10
million into Queensland community projects and partnerships in areas including
health, training and education, along with additional investments such as $10
million towards upgrading the Clermont airport. Rio Tinto Coal Australia
partners with the community to build stronger, smarter and more sustainable
communities around our operations.
About Rio
Tinto
Rio Tinto is a leading international mining group
headquartered in the UK, combining Rio Tinto plc, a London and New York Stock
Exchange listed company, and Rio Tinto Limited, which is listed on the
Australian Securities Exchange.
Rio Tinto's business is finding, mining,
and processing mineral resources. Major products are aluminium, copper,
diamonds, thermal and metallurgical coal, uranium, gold, industrial minerals
(borax, titanium dioxide and salt) and iron ore. Activities span the world and
are strongly represented in Australia and North America with significant
businesses in Asia, Europe, Africa and South America.
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Wednesday, August 8, 2012
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