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Valeria Coal Mine is a cancelled coal mine in Emerald, Queensland, Australia.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Mine Name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Valeria Coal Mine | Emerald, Queensland, Australia | -23.470142, 148.033559 (approximate) |
The map below shows the approximate location of the coal mine:
Project Details
Table 2: Project status
| Status | Status Detail | Project Type | Opening Year | Closing Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cancelled[1] | Pre-Permit | New | 2026 | – |
Table 3: Operation details
| Capacity (Mtpa) | Production (Mtpa) | Year of Production | Mine Type | Mining Method | Mine Size (km2) | Mine Depth (m) | Workforce Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20[1] | – | – | Surface | Open Pit | 283 | 60* | 1250[1] |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | 660 | Bowen | Bituminous | Thermal & Met | Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal |
Table 5: Ownership and parent company
| Owner | Parent Company | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Valeria Coal Holdings Pty Ltd[2] | Glencore PLC [100.0%] | Switzerland |
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
The Valeria coal project was a proposed mine project, owned by Glencore, near Emerald, Queensland, Australia.[3]
As of December 2022, the project has been cancelled.[4] Rio Tinto Coal Australia once held a 71.2% interest in the Valeria project, but Glencore has since taken ownership. The project has the potential to produce approximately 4% of Australia’s thermal and metallurgical coal.[5]
In September 2020, Australian pension fund UniSuper, which holds an indirect 15% stake in the project, announced that it had formally informed project partners that it was unable to support the development of the coal mine on economic grounds. Speaking to an audience of UniSuper members, John Pearce, the chief investment officer of the AU$80 billion fund, said, "We don’t believe the economics of [Valeria] stack up. We think thermal coal is bound to be a stranded asset."[6] Glencore immediately disputed that UniSuper approval was needed for the project to proceed due to the fund only having an indirect minority interest. According to Pearce, however, "You might think that, well 15%, how can you stop it? Well it turns out that some of the decisions require 100%, so it could be fairly problematic for those."[5]
According to company reports, the mine would have created 1,400 construction jobs and 1,250 operational jobs.[4]
In December 2021, it was announced the project would begin construction in 2024.[7] However, in December 2022, Glencore announced its plans to withdraw the mine project, citing increased global uncertainty and its 2050 net zero commitment as reasons behind the decision.[4] The project was in the drafting stage of its Terms of Reference (TOR).[8]
- Operator: Valeria Coal Holdings
- Owner: Glencore
- Location: 25 km North West of Emerald, Queensland, Australia
- GPS Coordinates: -23.470142, 148.033559 (approximate)
- Status: Cancelled[4]
- Production Capacity: 20 mtpa[4]
- Total Reserve: 762 mt[9]
- Minable Reserves:
- Coal Type:
- Mine Size:
- Mine Type: Surface
- Mining Method: Opencut
- Start Year: 2024[10]
- Source of Financing:
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
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20240718162531/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-08/glencore-valeria-coal-mine-canned/101747486. Archived from the original on 18 July 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20240125053716/https://www.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/coordinator-general/assessments-and-approvals/coordinated-projects/projects-discontinued-or-on-hold/valeria-project. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Glencore, Valeria Environmental Authority Application, ABC, accessed June 17, 2020.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Jasmine Hines and Paul Culliver, "Glencore pulls out of $1.5 billion Valeria coal mine project in central Queensland", ABC News Australia Capricornia, 7 December 2022.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Matthew Burgess, "Giant Glencore Mine Faces Threat as Fund Refuses Backing", Bloomberg, Sep. 18, 2020.
- ↑ James Fernyhough, "UniSuper blocks development of Glencore coal mine", The Australian Financial Review, Sep. 18, 2020.
- ↑ Katrina Beavan,Further details emerge for proposed $1.5 billion Valeria coal mine in central Queensland, December 19, 2021.
- ↑ Valeria Coal Project, Glencore, company website, accessed March 2023.
- ↑ Rio Tinto Coal Australia, 2009 Annual Report: Mineral resources", Rio Tinto, 2010.
- ↑ Glencore, Valeria Project – Initial Advice Statement, accessed September 18, 2020.
