Heavy rains are again disrupting coal mining in Queensland, West Australia, though effects on supplies are believed far less than the 2011 devastation which brought much of its production to a standstill.
BHP Billiton has lost production from coking mines in its Bowen Basin after roads and other infrastructure were hit. Meanwhile, the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance joint venture—the world’s biggest coking coal exporter—has received major rains in places previously thought to be unaffected.
Anglo American, Australia’s second-largest coking coal producer, and the Chinese majority-owned Yancoal have also closed mines. Yancoal’s Middlemount open cut mine, jointly owned with Peabody Energy, has also been closed temporarily after a levee breach. Similarly, Aurizon said parts of its network were closed.
Ship loading at Port of Gladstone and Hay Point—the world’s largest met coal exporting facility—was also temporarily suspended but is now restored.
