Kestrel

Overview

Kestrel Mine, located 40 km north east of Emerald in central Queensland, is an underground operation supplying world markets with up to 4.2 million tonnes of coking and thermal coal per annum.

The mine is currently constructing the Kestrel Mine extension, a project to access the mine's existing resources more efficiently.  The extension is due for completion in 2013, will extend the life of the mine by 20 years, and increase mine capacity to up to 5.7 million tonnes per annum.

Rio Tinto Coal Australia manages the operation on behalf of the joint venture partners, Queensland Coal Pty Limited (80 per cent) and Mitsui Kestrel Coal Investment (20 per cent). Rio Tinto has managed the operation since 1999.

 In 2011, Kestrel mine produced 3.545 million tonnes hard coking and 326 kt thermal coal.

Location

Kestrel Mine, located 51 km north east of Emerald in central Queensland, Australia.

Queensland  is the second-largest and third-most populous state  of Australia, located in the northeast of the country. To the east it is bordered by the Coral Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The capital and largest city in the state is Brisbane, Australia's third largest city. Moranbah is a coal mining town located 191 km west of Mackay.

The 60,000 square kilometers Bowen Basin contains the largest coal reserves in Australia. Coal was discovered in the basin in 1878 by
Robert Logan Jack - a Queensland Government geologist.

The Kestrel Mine Extension occupies 9,500 ha of the mining lease area and 1,800 ha in mineral development licences.

Geology & Mineralization 

The coal deposit is part of the Bowen Basin, a significant Permian coal basin stretching 600 km long and 250 km wide.

Coal seams in the Bowen Basin exhibit major variations in rank and  quality, reflecting both the depositional and tectonic history of the
basin. Coal rank increases from west to east.

Kestrel mine coal is ranked as hard/semi hard coking coal and a smaller quantity as thermal coal.

Mining & Operation

The Kestrel Coal mine, previously known as Gordonstone Mine, commenced operation in 1992.

It is an underground mine, using a longwall and continuous miner method. Approximately 375 employees (as at December 2008) work in shifts to keep the mine operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In 2011, the mine produced 3.545 million tonnes of coking coal and 0.326 million tonnes of thermal coal.

The mine is currently (2012) constructing the Kestrel Mine extension, a project to access the mine's existing resources more efficiently. The proposed Kestrel mine extension would rise average annual production to 5.7 million tonnes of coal per year and create 250 jobs during construction.

The new longwall would be 375 m wide and would be able to extract the full 2.9 m thick seam by employing three continuous miner units. Panel lengths would vary from 2,000 m to 6,500 m. Rubber tyred vehicles would be used for the transport of personnel and equipment. The mine would be accessed via new drifts.

Processing

After being washed and prepared for sale, the coal is loaded onto trains  for transportation 300 km to the Port of Gladstone where it is shipped
to international customers.

Environment & Community

Kestrel Mine seeks to be more than just a major source of local employment and economic growth, rather to work in partnership with the local community. Through its community relations programme, Rio Tinto Coal Australia is working to help provide positive long term outcomes for the Emerald region.

Recent examples of our consultation and involvement in the community include:

• Kestrel Mine Community Develpment Fund
• Kestrel Mine Aboriginal Community Development Fund
• Newsletters and publications
• Feedback through Rio Tinto Coal Australia's sustainable development report.

Kestrel Mine will ensure compliance with the control of dust, noise, odour, water and vibration, throughout the construction and operation of the extension.