Brazilian mining giant, Vale, will place the Integra mine complex in New South Wales, Australia, into care and maintenance, according to a company press release. The operation is “not economically feasible” under current market conditions.
Mining coal in the Hunter Valley
The Integra complex near the town of Singleton in the Hunter Valley comprises both opencast truck-and-shovel and underground longwall operations. The mine produced 1.410 million t of metallurgical coal and 87 000 t of thermal coal in 2013, but suffered operational problems underground with the longwall cutting mechanism. Adverse weather also hit production above ground.
The company did not say if any jobs would be lost as a result of this decision.
Written by Jonathan Rowland