Cumnock ML1669

 invisible, coal mine

 Upload a photo

This is mining lease ML1669 which is for the Cumnock Coal Mine that is part of the Ravensworth Operations which is owned by a joint venture between Glencore Coal at 90%, and Itochu at 10%. The lease was granted February 8, 2012 with an expiry date of February 8, 2033. The approximate area of the is 2664 hectares and the lease falls under Act year 1992.

Mining at Cumnock started in the 1950's with the original Liddell State Coal Mine which was an underground mine purchased from the Electricity Commission in 1991. Xstrata Coal acquired 100% of Cumnock Coal through its subsidiary Helios Australia Pty Limited. Xstrata and Glencore then merged to make the mine part of the Ravensworth Surface Operations.

Initial underground mining was carried out using longwall methods and in the period of 1993 and 1994 coal was extracted using open cut methods. Open cut mining recommenced within Stage 3 in November 2002 and both underground and open cut mining ended in 2008. After that a small coal reserve called the Wash Plant Pit which was below the Cumnock coal handling and preparation plant was mined at 1 million tonnes per annum. The Wash Plant Pit was mined out in 2011 at which time all coal mining activities ended. Cumnock is now used for pumping of wet tailings from Ravensworth Coal Plant to voids and pits approved for tailings placement, and on going rehabilitation works.