The Kestrel Mine is a major underground metallurgical coal operation located in Queensland’s Bowen Basin, approximately 40–50km north-east of Emerald in Central Queensland. The mine produces high-quality hard coking coal used primarily in the production of steel and is considered one of the world’s largest underground coking coal mines.

Mining at Kestrel began in 1992 and is conducted using longwall mining methods, where a mechanised shearer extracts coal from a continuous underground seam while hydraulic supports stabilise the roof. This approach allows efficient large-scale extraction from deep coal deposits.

The operation currently produces around 6–7 million tonnes of metallurgical coal annually. The coal is processed at an on-site coal handling and preparation plant and transported by rail along the Blackwater rail system to export terminals at the Port of Gladstone for shipment to international steel producers.

Yancoal Australia in April announced that it is acquiring an 80 per cent stake in the operation for up to $3.37 billion ($US2.4 billion).

The mine is operated by Kestrel Coal Resources, a joint venture owned primarily by EMR Capital and Indonesia’s Adaro Energy, with Mitsui holding a minority interest.