Escarpment Coal Mine

This article is part of the Global Coal Mine Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.

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Escarpment Coal Mine is a shelved coal mine in Denniston, West Coast, New Zealand.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Escarpment Coal Mine	Denniston, West Coast, New Zealand	-41.775664, 171.779895 (exact)

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

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Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status	Status Detail	Project Type	Opening Year	Closing Year
Shelved	Announced	Recommission	2021	–
Shelved	–	–	2014	–

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
0	–	–	Surface	Open Pit	–	60*	*
0	–	–	Surface	Open Pit	–	60*	*

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
–	–	3.8	Buller	Bituminous	Met	Cement Industry
2.6	–	–	Buller	Bituminous	Met	Cement Industry

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Bathurst Resources	Bathurst Resources Ltd [100%]	New Zealand
Bathurst Resources	Bathurst Resources Ltd [100%]	New Zealand

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.

Background Information

The Escarpment mine is a part of Bathurst Resources' multi-mine Buller Coal Project. The mine received government approvals but was subject to appeals by environmental groups. After surviving the appeals process, the company began production in 2014. In early 2016, the closure of a local cement plant made the remaining coal reserves economically unrecoverable. This led to the mine being placed in care and maintenance in May of 2016.

Any minimal coal being produced from this mine now comes from stockpiles or former stockpiles at the site.

Planned Recommissioning and Extension

In October 2024, the Buller Plateaux Continuation Project (which includes the recommencement of operations at the Escarpment Mine as well as an extension to the Escarpment Mine which will allow for an additional 20 million tonnes of coking coal to be mined for export over a 25-year period) was accepted as one of dozens of mining projects under New Zealand's Fast-track Approvals Bill.

According to New Zealand's Ministry for the Environment, the purpose of the Fast-track Approval Act is to "facilitate the delivery of infrastructure and development projects with significant regional and national benefits." Under this fast-track pathway, the Escarpment mine's recommencement and extension will be processed more speedily since this legislation only requires a single application package be submitted to the Environmental Protection Authority to award approvals. This Fast-Track Approvals Act became law in December 2024. (This differs from current processes, which require separate applications for different types of approvals.)

According to Bathurst's 2024 annual report, the submission of this project's Fast-track Approval application is a focus for the company in FY2025.

Environmental Issues

Solid Energy states that the main environmental effects of the mining relate to the temporary disturbance of the land. The company states that dust and water quality are carefully managed and monitored, and that rehabilitation is undertaken progressively. Ponds, wetlands and a large lake will remain following the completion of mining and rehabilitation.

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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.