Bowen Coking Coal (BCC) has made headway on the strategic review of its Bluff coal mine in Queensland.
BCC is currently engaging with customers, contractors and key stakeholders about the future operations of the mine.
“The coal industry has been historically characterised by price rises and falls and coal companies across the board are now taking action to weather softer pricing, tighter labour markets, and significantly increased input and operational costs,” BCC chief executive Mark Ruston said.
“Bowen will come out the other side in a stronger position.”
The company said that the reduction in coal sale prices has had an affect on the Bluff coal mine as a high-cost operation and will be a key consideration in the review process.
BCC is pivoting its Burton Complex’s Ellensfield south pit to become its operations cornerstone. The company has shipped 183,000 tonnes of coal from the pit to date.
The Broadmeadow east pit at Burton was formally BCC’s focus, but it has now switched to Ellensfield south as the pit is set to deliver up to 2.75 million tonnes of first run-of-mine coal per year.
“We remain focused on making the most of the company’s very promising future and delivering a return on our investments,” Ruston said.
“At Burton we have considerable reserves and mine life, relatively low-cost operations, valuable infrastructure and an experienced team.”