Anglo American’s mining activities will return at the Moranbah North coal mine in Queensland this month, with the Grosvenor mine to resume in late-2021.
After both mines suffered major setbacks following a respective gas threat and an ignition, Anglo American has undertaken significant precautionary steps to enhance the safety of both operations.
Anglo American chief executive officer of metallurgical coal Tyler Mitchelson said the road back to ramp up had been comprehensive.
“I would like to thank our workforces at Moranbah North and Grosvenor mines for their patience and dedication in actioning a range of measures to ensure a safe return to mining activities,” Mitchelson said.
To ensure ongoing safety, as some workers enter the mines for the first time in over a year, Mitchelson said the height of technology will be deployed.
“We will continue our ambitious program of work in the automation, remote operation and the use of data science areas to deliver on further step changes in safety improvement in underground mining,” he said.
In April, Mitchelson detailed the exact safety measures implemented to allow for a safe ramp up.
“Following a substantive program of work that included permanently sealing the impacted area of the mine with five large, concrete seals and installing additional gas monitoring infrastructure, we completed a highly rigorous risk assessment process ahead of re-entry, drawing on both internal and external experts,” Mitchelson said.
Anglo American produced 3.3 million tonnes of metallurgical coal in the 2021 March quarter. This was down from 3.8 million tonnes in the 2020 March quarter.
Anglo American employs more than 600 people at Moranbah North, where the company holds an 88 per cent stake.