Alpha West Coal Project

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Alpha West Coal Project is a cancelled coal mine in Alpha, Queensland, Australia.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Alpha West Coal Project Alpha, Queensland, Australia -23.115171, 146.332751 (approximate)

The map below shows the approximate location of the coal mine:

Loading map...

Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status Status Detail Project Type Opening Year Closing Year
Cancelled Announced New

Table 3: Operation details

Note: The asterisk (*) signifies that the value is a GEM estimated figure.
Capacity (Mtpa) Production (Mtpa) Year of Production Mine Type Mining Method Mine Size (km2) Mine Depth (m) Workforce Size
24 Underground 50* *

Table 4: Coal resources and destination

Total Reserves (Mt) Year of Total Reserves Recorded Total Resources (Mt) Coalfield Coal Type Coal Grade Primary Consumer/ Destination
1800 Galilee Subbituminous Thermal Abbot Point Coal Terminal

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner Parent Company Headquarters
Hancock Alpha West Pty Ltd[1][2] GVK Group [71.1%]; Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd [21.0%]; GVK Power & Infrastructure Ltd [7.9%] India

Note: The above section was automatically generated and is based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker April 2024 release and the September supplement.

Coal Mine Background

GVK Hancock is a joint venture that includes Hancock Prospecting, one of Australia's largest resource companies GVK, one of the largest business groups in India. The joint venture plans to develop the vast coal reserves of the Galilee Basin to provide energy in the Indian sub­continent as a mainstay to help underpin India's growing economic future.[3]

A concept study has been completed for this site.[4] If it goes ahead it could be the third coal project by GVKHancock Coal in the basin.

In August 2019 Alpha West is referred to by Renew Economy Australia as "GVK’s equally [along with GVK's other two coal proposals] stranded 24Mtpa Alpha West coal proposal." Due to the lack of a secure Indian market for the coal following India's move to become more independent in coal supply.[5]

At present, there is no mining in the Galilee Basin. The opening of Adani's Carmichael Coal Project would change this and could mean that a number of the other proposals in the area are also advanced, including the Alpha West project. The Queensland Resources Council has said the projects other than the Carmichael mine would have a "much easier run" if the rail line was already established and the environmental approvals had been cleared for Carmichael.[6]

Financing

The delay to GVK's projects in the Galilee basin has put the parent group into financial difficulty. In May 2017, GVK told stock exchanges that GVK Coal, a subsidiary, failed to achieve financial closure resulting in delay in mine development activity and in entering definitive agreements for port and rail development and agreement for the sale of coal.[7]

In 2019 GVK is still struggling financially. Mr Buckley from Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, said GVK Singapore, the dominant partner in the Kevin's Corner, Alpha and Alpha West projects, was effectively "bankrupt" with more than $US1 billion debt and no revenue or equity.

But billionaire Gina Rinehart, who is owed $US750 million by GVK, could bankroll Galilee Coal if she saw money in it.[8]

Articles and Resources

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of world coal mines, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Mine Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.

References

  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20240125044419/https://gvkhancockcoal.com/our-business/about-us. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20240125044641/https://www.gvk.com/ourbusiness/resources/coal.aspx. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named West
  4. Tim Buckley, "Coalition report on coal exports to India is missing the backstory"26 August 2019.
  5. Jemima Burt, "Adani could be 'ice-breaker' for six more proposed Galilee Basin mines, resources body says" ABC News, 11 June 2019.
  6. Economic Times, "What debt can do: Will this smallcap become a Rs 1 lakh crore firm some day?4 August 2017.
  7. ABC News, "Adani could be 'ice-breaker' for six more proposed Galilee Basin mines, resources body says"accessed 17 September 2019.