First operational coal is expected in the second half of this year from the Mavis Downs underground mine, with development drivage continuing to progress.

Stanmore Resources provided an update on the project, near Moranbah, today as part of its quarterly activities report.

A joint venture between Stanmore Resources and M Resources – MetRes – acquired the Mavis Downs and Millennium site from Peabody Energy Australia in July 2021 and brought it out of care and maintenance.

It began production in September 2021 – enlisting Coal Augering Services to kick off mining with auger production, followed by open-cut mining and progressing to underground mining.

Stanmore said the past quarter saw MetRes continue conventional open-cut truck and shovel production and auger mining from available highwalls at the site.

The Millennium and Mavis Downs operation produced 65,000 tonnes of ROM coal and 43,000 tonnes of product coal in the March quarter, Stanmore reported. Net shipments of 41,000 tonnes of high-quality coking and PCI coal were completed.

It said MetRes was continuing to mine open-cut strips at the Millennium pit, which would assist with coal volumes to support the ramp-up of underground operations.

Stanmore previously reported that flood damage to the fan foundation in late 2022 and geological variation had delayed the first development coal from the Mavis Downs underground mine.

PIMS Group has a $425 million contract to provide underground mining services at the project and recently shared an update on social media to mark the arrival of a 12CM27 continuous miner for the site (pictured below).