Rix Creek Coal Mine

From Global Energy Monitor
This article is part of the
Global Coal Mine Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Download full dataset
Report an error
Sub-articles:
Related-articles:

Rix Creek Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Singleton, New South Wales, Australia.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name Location Coordinates (WGS 84)
Rix Creek Coal Mine Singleton, New South Wales, Australia -32.52393559, 151.1208768 (exact)

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

Loading map...

Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status Status Detail Opening Year Closing Year
Operating 1990

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
8[1] 5.147[1] 2022[1] Underground & Surface Mixed 60* 504*

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
Hunter Bituminous Thermal & Met

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner Parent Company Headquarters
Bloomfield Collieries Pty Ltd Bloomfield Group [100.0%] Australia

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

ROM or Saleable 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
ROM 0[2] 1[2] 0[3] 0[3] 4[1] 5[1] 4[1]


Expansion/Extension

Table 6: Project status

* Added capacity of a coal mine refers to the enhancement in the mine's production capabilities beyond its initial production capacity.
Status Status Detail Project Type Project Phase Added Capacity (Mtpa)* Start Year
Proposed Permitted Extension

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

In December 2015, HV Coking Coal (Glencore) completed the purchase of 100% of the Integra Mining Operations Complex, renaming it Rix’s Creek North.[4] Bloomfield Collieries (BCL) subsequently purchased from Glencore, the previous Integra open cut operations, coal handling preparation plant, train loading infrastructure and the rail loop. Under the “Operating, infrastructure access and services agreement”, entered into by Glencore and BCL, all existing mining operations covered by the 2010 Integra complex consent, Integra underground project and project Integra open cut project, can continue. BCL operate the open cut operations as Rix’s Creek Northern Operations (RCN). This governs open cut mining in the Camberwell Pit area. Delivery of coal from the underground mine, coal preparation and train loading operations are all operated and managed by BCL.[5]

In 2009, the Integra mine was owned by Integra Coal, which is 61.2% owned by Vale Australia with other partners being NSC, JFE, Posco and Toyota.[6]

Expansion

The mine has had a number of extensions granted. Most recently in October 2019 with operations allowed to continue until 2040, instead of closing in 2020.[7]

Tim Buckley of the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis said, "The decision to approve expansion of the Rix’s Creek coal mine by the New South Wales (NSW) Independent Planning Commission (IPC) was based on a lopsided cost benefit analysis that minimised tax benefits and cost externalities to the people of NSW, a wrongful representation understating the mine’s rehabilitation needs, and extraordinary pressure from NSW government ministers following a campaign led by the NSW Minerals Council."[8]

The extension application was approved by the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) on 4 October 2019. A few hours later, the IPC reversed its approval. On 12 October the Rix’s Creek Extension Project was again approved by the IPC, less than 24 hours after new submissions were received. The IPC had failed to wait until the deadline for submissions regarding the extension application, hence making the decision twice, with little time to come consider fully all representations.[8]

Some of the opposition to the extension of this mine comes as a result of the cumulative impact of the significant number of mines operating in the Hunter Valley.[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. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20240208193734/https://www.bloomcoll.com.au/uploads/RCM_Annual_Review_YEM-2023_Final.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 08 February 2024. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |archive-date= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. 2.0 2.1 (PDF) https://www.bloomcoll.com.au/uploads/Reg-docs/Bloomfield/Annual-Review/Annual-Review-Report-2018.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. 3.0 3.1 (PDF) https://www.bloomcoll.com.au/uploads/Bloomfield-Colliery_Annual-Reveiw-2020.pdf. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. Bloomfield Group, "Our history", Bloomfield Group website, accessed 22 November 2019.
  5. Bloomfield Group, "Rix’s Creek Mine 2018 Annual Review", page 10, Bloomfield Group website, 29 March 2019.
  6. Vale, "Annual Report 2009: Coal", Vale, accessed January 2011.
  7. Bloomfield Group, "Rix’s Creek Mine 2018 Annual Review", page 2, Bloomfield Group website, 29 March 2019.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Tim Buckley, "IEEFA Australia: Rix’s Creek Coal Mine Extension approved despite wrongful representation of cost externalities and increase to global emissions", IEEFA website, 30 October 2019.