The Dartbrook coal mine in New South Wales is set to re-start in the second half of the year, after it was closed in 2006.
Australian Pacific Coal and its joint venture partners have been working to recommission the mine.
“AQC and our Joint Venture partners have made good progress on all major critical path activities since the end of December, particularly the remediation operations at the mine site and efforts to secure funding to enable production restart in H2 2023,” Australian Pacific Coal interim chief executive officer Ayten Saridas said.
“The strong interest in the data room confirms the attractive investment proposition of the Dartbrook project.”
The terms for re-commissioning Dartbrook were only agreed upon in September 2022, but Australian Pacific Coal has been working hard to get the project up and running since then.
The company is currently working on dewatering the main access Hunter Tunnel in order to re-establish the ventilation circuit, a critical component that will facilitate work on supporting the roof and ribs of the mine.
The tunnel held approximately 57 megalitres of water, of which approximately 45 megalitres have been removed.
Dartbrook is ideally placed to support mining operations in the immediate vicinity, including the Bengalla JV (a joint venture between New Hope, Wesfarmers, Mitsui and Taipower), Mt Arthur (BHP) and the adjacent Mt Pleasant approved development project (Mach Energy).
The recently completed mine plan review has resulted in superior outcomes, according to Australian Pacific Coal, and Dartbrook now has the potential to enhance coal quality when it re-opens.