In May 2019 the Government of Queensland approved Pembroke Resources’
proposed Olive Downs mine. The A$1bn open-cut metallurgical coal project is now inching towards final approval from the Federal Government, although industry experts have warned final approval isn’t yet assured, with the company yet to be granted a mining licence for the project.
Should the application be successful, the company says the mine will employ up to 1,000 permanent workers once operational, producing as much as 15 million tonnes of metallurgical coal a year. During the construction phase 500 jobs will be available, according to company representatives.
Significantly, the mine will use existing infrastructure for water, power and the transportation of its metallurgical coal, which will be exported via the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal near Mackay. It, like the 25 other operational mines in the region, will have a projected lifecycle of 79 years.
Speaking after the approval from the regional government, Barry Tudor, Pembroke’s chairman and chief executive, said: “There is no viable alternative to coking coal in the primary steel production process for the foreseeable future and Olive Downs will be a major supplier to the world’s leading steel producers, and as such, will be a valuable contributor to the Queensland and Australian economy for generations.”
The news was welcomed by the Queensland Resource Council (QRC), which said it was a ‘commitment of confidence’ at a time when the region’s unemployment rate was rising. QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane says: “Olive Downs is a clear and practical example of all levels of government working together to provide big city economic opportunities in regional areas surrounding the mines. This investment from Pembroke underpins the high quality coal sourced from the Bowen Basin, which is the largest coking coal export basin in the world.”
