On February 21, UK-based mining giant Anglo American has announced the safe restart of its Grosvenor metallurgical coal mine in Queensland, Australia, following a suspension of operations as a result of a methane explosion in May 2020.
Last week, the company received a confirmation from the regulator, Resources Safety and Health Queensland, that longwall mining operations could now recommence. “Over the past 18 months, we have worked with leading industry experts and invested significantly in automation technology, remote operations, gas management and data analytics, introducing a number of advancements in the way underground coal mines can operate,” Tyler Mitchelson, CEO of Anglo American’s Metallurgical Coal business, said. According to the company, while export metallurgical coal production guidance for 2022 is said to be at 20–22 million mt, the real figures are expected to be at around the lower end of the guidance due to the impact of Covid-19 in early 2022 and due to the later-than-expected restart of operations at Grosvenor. Meanwhile, the unit cost guidance for 2022 is revised to approximately $85/mt, versus $80/mt previously and compared to $105/mt in 2021.