Kopuku Coal Mine

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Kopuku Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Kopuku, Waikato, New Zealand.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Kopuku Coal Mine	Kopuku, Waikato, New Zealand	-37.280917, 175.200942 (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	Opening Year	Closing Year
Operating	–	1948	–

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
–	0.205	2022	Surface	Open Pit	–	50*	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
1.3	2023	–	Maramarua	Subbituminous	Thermal	Glenn Brook Steel Mill

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
BT Mining	Bathurst Resources [65.00%]; Talleys Energy [35.00%]	New Zealand

Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)

ROM or Saleable	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
ROM	0.86	0.17	0.24	0.24	0.27	0.2	–

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

Background

The Kopako mine (also known as Maramarua) is an open cut coal mine operated by BT Mining (a joint venture by Bathurst Resources Ltd and Talleys), located near Kopuku, approximately 70 kilometres south of Auckland. Mining first began in Kopuku in 1948. The mine produces sub-bituminous coal. The current mine, sometimes referred to as the Kopako 3 Opencast mine, is located approximately two kilometres to the south east of the now flooded Kopako 1 & 2 open cut pits.

In a 2008 submission Glencoal stated that it had been mining coal in the Waikato region since 1919 to provide a secure long-term energy supply for dairy factories in the region. It had been a significant coal producer in the Maramarua Coalfield since 1946, when Glencoal purchased the United Coal Company (UCC)and developed the Kopako opencast mine to supply its parent companies’ dairy factories. In 1958 Glencoal joined with the New Zealand government (later Coalcorp, then Solid Energy) to develop the Kopako 1 & 2 open cut pits to supply the Meremere power station, which was decommissioned in 1991.

Glencoal mined the number 2 opencast until 1996 and then developed the no 3 opencast with the coal transported back to the coal processing plant at Coalfields Road. Coal from the mine is used in the boilers at Fonterra's Waitoa, Hautapu and Te Awamutu milk processing plants. The coal-fired boilers generate high pressure steam for electricity and low pressure steam to evaporate water from concentrated milk for milk powder production. In 2008 Glencoal stated that the Waitoa and Te Awamutu plants each used 55,000 tonnes while the Hautapu plant used 10,000 tonnes.

In 2008, Glencoal stated that at the current rate of extraction, the Kopako 3 Opencast mine would be depleted by approximately 2017. As part of its long term plans, Glencoal intended to utilise its coal reserves in the Maxwell block as part of the eastward development of the Kopuki sector of the Maramarua Coalfield. Extraction of the coal in the Maxwell Block would need to be mined at the same time as the adjacent Stirling Block. Glencoal stated that these blocks were part of the last remaining significant blocks of low cost, low sulphur opencast coal available in the Waikato, and could yield approximately 1,666,700 tonnes.

In September 2012, Fonterra announced that Glencoal would be applying for resource consents to develop an open cast coal mine on 30 ha of farmland that it owns near Maramarua in north Waikato. The proposed mine would replace the 18 year-old Kopako 3 mine.

The mine was purchased by BT Mining in 2017 and continues to produce approximately 250,000 tonnes of coal per year, employing 60 full time workers. The customers of coal from Kopako include Genesis Energy, Glenbrook Steel Mill, and Open Country Dairy and Fonterra (Waikato dairy factories).

Extensions

In FY2024, BT Mining was granted approval to mine 0.4 million tonnes of coal from the M1 pit at the Maramarua mine over a period of 10 years. According to BT, this extension will allow the country to replace a small amount of imported Indonesian coal used for New Zealand steelmaking. Overburden stripping operations are underway at the site, and the pit is expected to enter full production in FY2025.

BT Mining Limited has also proposed another extension project referred to as the M2 pit. According to the company's 2024 annual report, the project is in the resource consent planning phase.

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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.