Queensland Coal Mines/Sites
135
Blair Athol
Bowen
Operator
Blair Athol Coal Joint Venture
Principal Holder Rio Tinto Coal Australia Pty Limited
Phone: +61 7 3361 4200 Fax: + 61 7 3361 4370
Location
20km northwest of Clermont and approximately 280km southwest of
Mackay.
Coal Measures:
Major Beneficial
Owner/s
Main tenements
Geology
Blair Athol Coal Measures of Early Permian age deposited in a small
intracratonic basin near the western margin of the Bowen Basin. Dips
generally range between 0 & 2 degrees, though dips up to 7 degrees
were recorded in the subcrop zone along the western & northwestern
magins of the basin. Four coal seam groups: No.1 seam - 5m to
7.5m; No.2 seam - 0.5m to 1.5m; No 3 seam - 29m; & No.4 seam -
3m to 5m are present. Seam Nos 3 is currently worked.
Mining Method Open-cut using a dragline for overburden removal.
Blair Athol
Transport
282 km by rail from the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal at Hay Point.
Preparation plant ROM coal is crushed & screened to produce a saleable product
Product Coals Low ash & low sulphur, high volatile thermal coal.
Comments
Feasibility studies to develop a new open-cut mine at the Clermont deposit, 10km to the east of Blair Athol, are progressing, with
production proposed to begin in 2008, to progressively replace that from Blair Athol as its economically extractable coal reserves are
depleted.
Working
Status:
Mine
Type:
Related Website
Basin:
Synonyms:
Address
Level 3 410 Ann Street
Brisbane Qld 4000
Very Large
Very Large
Very Large
Very Large
Size*:
Production
12.9 Million tonnes per annum (2003 - 04).
GPO Box 391
Brisbane
Qld 4001
Street
Postal
Rio Tinto Limited
ML 1804
ML 1881
Coal Quality
Brand
Moisture Ash
Specific Sulphur
Total (ad)
energy (ad)
(ad)
(ad)
Volatile
matter (ad)
Fixed
carbon (ad)
CSN
Blair Athol
5.5 8.7
28.3
0.36
27.6
58.2
0.5
* Sites: Small < 50Mt, Medium 51 to 150Mt, Large 151 to 500Mt, Very Large > 500Mt measured and indicated
Mines: Small < 2Mt, Medium > 2Mt < 10Mt, Large > 5Mt < 10Mt, Very Large > 10Mt annual saleable coal production
Data updated March 2005