Green light on mining lease for Lake Lindsay extension

The State Government has granted the mining lease required for Anglo American to extend its Lake Lindsay coal operations in the Bowen Basin. Extending the life of the metallurgical coal mine will secure the long-term future of about 500 jobs. The Lake Lindsay mine is located within Anglo American’s Capcoal mining complex, about 21km south- south-west of Middlemount and 70 km north-west of Emerald. Anglo American Australia chief executive officer Dan van der Westhuizen said the Capcoal open-cut complex was a significant contributor in the group's steelmaking coal portfolio. Chief executive officer Dan van der Westhuizen. "We’re pleased this extension to our mining tenure has been granted, allowing for continuation of the mine and maintaining the employment for the existing workforce at Capcoal," he said. “Steelmaking coal is a critical element of steel, which is used in every aspect of modern life.” Related: High-tech training a reality thanks to Anglo partnership The mining lease announcement came on a day when the Queensland Resources Council’s annual forum in Brisbane, along with the release of its annual Economic Contribution Report, saw the government under fire once more for its coal royalties hike. QRC chief executive Ian Mr Macfarlane said the State Government’s decision to impose the world’s highest royalty taxes on the coal industry had placed the state’s ‘nest egg’ at risk. “Since the royalty tax increase last year, billions of dollars of investment has been cancelled, frozen or is under review and thousands of future jobs have been lost, and that’s just in the first 12 months,” he said. But Queensland Resources Minister Scott Stewart said the granting of the Lake Lindsay mining lease showed the state's resources industry continued to go from strength to strength. “It shows there is confidence from major mining companies that are investing in the future of Queensland’s resources industry into the future," he said. “Steel-making coal is one of our state’s biggest export earners, worth nearly $60 billion in the 12 months to May this year. “We need steel for construction, domestic appliances, automotive and mechanical equipment, and also for turbines to generate renewable energy on wind farms. “I want to congratulate Anglo American for their continued investment in their operations in the Bowen Basin because it means hundreds of good jobs and a boost to the local economy for years to come.” Capcoal, originally referred to as the German Creek mining complex, has been operating for more than 35 years. Operator Anglo proposes to extend the existing pits of Lake Lindsay mine in a north-easterly direction to access an additional 25 to 30 million ROM tonnes of predominantly high-quality metallurgical coal. Documentation completed late last year for the required environmental approvals indicated extraction of coal in the new area was likely to start about 2027 and end in 2044, with disturbed areas progressively rehabilitated.

Green light on mining lease for Lake Lindsay extension

Industry Queensland

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