Glencore to restart the Integra Underground mine
Mining giant Glencore has announced plans to restart mining operations at an underground coking coal mine in South Australia, the second mine restart announcement in October this year.
The Integra underground mine in the Hunter Valley area of New South Wales, which has been on care and maintenance since July 2014, could potentially bring about 275 new jobs.
Over the next two years, the company will plan to produce around 1.3 million tonnes of high fluidity saleable coking coal in 2017, following a resurgence in the price for coal.
The Integra Underground mine
Glencore acquired the underground mine in December 2015, in which it was formerly known as Glennies Creek Coillery.
The Integra Underground mine was owned by Vale and placed into care and maintenance in July 2014 as a direct result of falling commodity prices.
Mining operations at Integra began in 1991 and peaked at an estimated 2Mtpa run of mine coal and 1,4Mtpa of product coal.
The mine site is comprised of open cut operations and an underground mine.
The underground mine commenced operations in 1999 and had an annual production of around 2.8Mtpa before being “mothballed” in 2014.
This isn’t our first time…
The Integra Underground mine would not be the first mine that Glencore has restarted. In October, this year, the company announced that it would be restarting the Collinsville Coal mine in early 2017.
The Collinsville Coal mine is the oldest coal mine in Queensland, having operated as an underground and open cut mine for almost 100 years.
While the mine was never in maintenance and care, operations at the site had all but ground to a halt in 2016 following a waning demand for coal.
Through a focus on rehabilitation work and management of mine water, as well as a number of initiatives aimed at increasing tourism in Collinsville and surrounding areas.
The company is alreadyundergoing a recruitment process for more than 200 jobs through the restart.
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