Workers have moved back into the main offices, warehouse and workshop areas at the Grosvenor coal mine, where Anglo American has been grappling with an underground fire.

Anglo said it was continuing progress toward stabilisation of the Bowen Basin mine, with all monitoring data trending in the right direction.

“The GAG (inertisation unit) was de-coupled over the weekend and we are winding down the use of boilers as the mine pressurises to required inertisation levels,” the company said in its latest update.

“We successfully sealed another shaft with Rocsil foam. This product is a mix of resin and a catalyst that produces an immediate foaming reaction followed by a rapid expansion to as much as 35 times its original volume, and is effective in helping us create a temporary seal.

“We have been monitoring gas levels through surface to seam borehole connections in several areas and our underground atmospheric sampling indicates we are closer to stabilising the mine.

“We are now working through innovative solutions to begin safely mapping the underground environment once we finalise the temporary sealing of the mine.”

The Grosvenor workforce was evacuated on June 29 after coal gas ignited at the Moranbah district mine, which was also the site of an underground gas explosion in 2020 that seriously injured five workers.

Anglo American stated that ‘people remain our priority’, with an employee assistance program in action and efforts on multiple fronts regarding employment.

“We are in regular meetings with unions and employee representatives as we continue to finalise the ongoing labour requirements at Grosvenor Mine and redeployment options for our people across our other Anglo American operations in Australia,” the company said.

“We are working closely with impacted Grosvenor workers to seek alternatives linked with their preferences, where possible, including what options are available across the coal sector with our peer organisations via the Queensland Resources Council

“While we will continue to provide financial support until the end of August, our aim is to finalise this process during the next six weeks or so to reduce uncertainty for employees, contractors, their families and the Moranbah community.”