Ensham coal mine

{{Short description|Mine in Queensland, Australia}}

{{Use Australian English|date=June 2020}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}

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| state/province = Queensland

| country = Australia

| owner = Thungela Resources Limited

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| products = Thermal coal

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The Ensham Coal Mine is a coal mine located 40 km east of Emerald in Central Queensland, Australia. The Bowen Basin mine has coal reserves amounting to 1.48 billion tonnes of coking coal, one of the largest coal reserves in Asia and the world. The Ensham mine had an annual production capacity of 3.2 million tonnes of high-quality thermal coal in 2022.{{cite news |last=Eastwood |first=Alexandra |date=9 February 2023 |title=Ensham coal mine changes hands |url=https://www.australianmining.com.au/ensham-coal-mine-changes-hands/ |work=Australian Mining |publisher=Prime Creative Media |access-date=3 October 2023}} In 2023, the mine was sold to Thungela Resources Limited.{{cite web |url=https://www.idemitsu.com.au/mining/idemitsu-kosan-announces-the-sale-of-its-stake-in-the-ensham-coal-mine/ |title=Idemitsu Kosan announces the sale of its stake in the Ensham Coal Mine |date=3 February 2023 |website=Idemitsu |access-date=3 October 2023 }} It has approval to run until 2045.{{cite web |url=https://australiainstitute.org.au/coal-mine-tracker/update/ensham-mine-approved/ |title=Ensham mine Approved |date=3 July 2023 |website=The Australia Institute |access-date=3 October 2023 }}

Ensham consists of six pits on either side of the Nogoa River. Operations currently utilise the open-cut method of mining. Extraction is conducted by dragline and truck and shovel operations. A transition to underground mining is required to access the highest quality coal.{{cite web |url=http://www.ensham.com.au/updated/projectshtml.asp |title=Projects |publisher=Ensham Resources |accessdate=25 August 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911044620/http://www.ensham.com.au/updated/projectshtml.asp |archivedate=11 September 2013 }} Extensive rehabilitation has resulted in Ensham being the largest certified area of progressive rehabilitation in an open cut mine in Queensland.

Coal is transported to port via the Blackwater railway system. Some of the coal is fuel for Gladstone Power Station.

As thermal coal prices declined in 2012 mining operations were reduced to 40% of capacity and a further round of permanent job cuts was announced.{{Cite news |url=https://www.australianmining.com.au/ensham-to-slash-coal-mining-jobs/ |title=Ensham to slash coal mining jobs |author=Cole Latimer |accessdate=3 October 2023 |date=17 October 2013 |work=Australian Mining }}