Tag: Hunter Valley mining

IT’S been a hive of activity in the Hunter Valley over the past few months. The region’s coalfields contain largely thermal and soft coking coal. Mines near the eastern edge of the basin are spread along the Hunter Valley from Newcastle in the south to Muswellbrook in the north, most of which are open-cut. Both soft coking and thermal coal products are produced from mines such as Hunter Valley Operations and Bulga. With the NSW Independent Planning Commission giving United Wambo the green light on August 29, the region will now be bolstered by another massive open-cut pit. Meanwhile, Mount Arthur has welcomed a new chief executive in Adam Lacey, and the Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group (NCIG) is expecting a...

Yancoal’s recently acquired Hunter Valley Operations project.  Image: Yancoal.   BY CAMERON DRUMMOND   MANY Hunter Valley communities are intrinsically linked – historically and economically – to a mining industry which currently injects about $6bn in wages and payments to local businesses each year. Now, as coal prices receiver and stabilise, the Hunter’s economy is set for a welcome boost.   With a 2016 population of 732,000, the Hunter Valley accounts for 28 per cent of NSW’s inhabitants outside Sydney. Since the early 1800s, the Hunter’s mining operations have been a stalwart of economic activity in the region. The Hunter is no stranger to coal price cycles. Having just navigated the post-global financial crisis depression, it is looking toward a...