Phone

+61 7 3031 7777
Call us: (Australia)+61 7 3031 7777

Australian operations

Curragh complex

  • Location: Approximately 14km north of Blackwater in the Bowen Basin, Central Queensland – one of the world’s largest coal basins and Australia’s largest source of metallurgical coal.
  • Size: Approximately 256km²
  • Reserves (ROM): 290 Mt
  • Resources: 936 Mt
  • Year opened: Curragh has been operating since 1983 and was acquired by Coronado in 2018.
  • Active mines: Two open cut mines – Curragh South and Curragh North
  • Fleet Size: Four large draglines, one electric rope shovel, 13 truck and excavator fleets and two coal preparation plants
  • Coal Products: High-quality low-vol HCC, SCC, PCI and thermal coal
  • Key Customers: Curragh’s met coal is exported to leading steelmakers throughout Asia, Europe and South America. Curragh’s thermal coal is primarily sold domestically to Stanwell Corporation Limited to generate electricity. Our Curragh mine is under a long-term contractual obligation to supply thermal coal to Stanwell, a Queensland Government-owned entity and the operator of the Stanwell Power Station near Rockhampton, Queensland.
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Projects

Curragh underground expansion

The Curragh underground expansion project, now officially named Mammoth Underground, is a key organic growth project for our Curragh complex. Subject to the receipt of regulatory approvals, Mammoth is expected to mine first coal in December 2024, ramping up to a production rate of 1.5 – 2.0 Mtpa in 2025. Mammoth will be an underground bord and pillar operation, gaining access to 41 million ROM tonnes of met coal reserves via the existing open cut pit highwall in S-Pit.

Mammoth Underground is expected to offer the Curragh complex several strategic improvement opportunities, namely:

  • Diversified coal production: The underground mine will continue to produce coal in periods of wet weather, thereby derisking production continuity as the existing two open cut mines may be impacted in periods of wet weather
  • Lower cost per tonne: The cost per tonne from Mammoth is forecast to be in the second cost quartile, thereby improving the overall cost structure of the Curragh complex
  • Quality products which are in demand: Mammoth has substantial high-quality met coal reserves, with a reserve base of 41 million ROM tonnes, with coal quality expected to mirror the existing Curragh North open cut mine
  • Increased production capacity: Once fully operational, the project is expected to deliver 1.5 – 2.0 Mtpa saleable production in its first phase, incremental to the existing open cut mines and ensuring higher utilisation of existing infrastructure.
Visit the Mammoth Underground website
Read more about our Curragh Bord and Pillar Mine Project EA Amendment Application Documents

Gas pilot project

The gas pilot project is considered industry leading for open cut coal mines as we explore and appraise gas reservoir characteristics, to better understand the potential to effectively reduce open cut fugitive emissions.

The project plans to flow and appraise beneficial use cases of waste mine coal gas, such as a diesel substitute for our operating fleets or for power generation.

Drilling works for the pilot project were completed in 2023, and a dual-fuel mine truck 12-week trial using gas transported from Brisbane was completed without incident.

Read more about our emissions reduction projects

Environmental sustainability

We are committed to extracting high-quality coal in an environmentally responsible way via our approach to climate, biodiversity and rehabilitation, water, air and waste.
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Social sustainability

We continuously evaluate the social impacts of our operations, improving safety and health, and the rights and wellbeing of our people and the communities in which we work.
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