AFR reported that South32 Chief Executive Mr Graham Kerr says that mines that produce coking coal for steelmaking should not be dragged into any potential bans that federal parliamentarians impose on coal mines in Australia. Mr Kerr said “Politicians needed to appreciate that coking coal has an important role to play in making steel for construction and infrastructure, including clean energy infrastructure. I would hope they would take a more pragmatic view on how you look at metallurgical coal because today there is no substitute. For thermal coal today there are substitutions, you can get renewables, you can use other power sources. I think when it comes to metallurgical coal you need it to make steel. Ultimately green steel will come via hydrogen, and that is probably 20 years away.”For 85 years, Illawarra Metallurgical Coal has produced high-quality metallurgical coal used for steelmaking, which is shipped around Australia and around the world. South32’s Dendrobium Mine in the Illawarra region of New South Wales is an existing underground mine, primarily producing metallurgical coal for steelmaking. South32 is seeking federal and NSW government approval to spend AUD 853 million on extending the life of its Dendrobium coking coal mine in the Illawarra region. While Dendrobium would extend the life of an existing mine, an entirely new mine would come into production if South32 and its Chinese partner Baowu went ahead with development of the Eagle Downs coking coal mine in Queensland.Greens leader Adam Bandt told The Australian Financial Review that his party’s opposition to new coal and gas projects included the expansion of existing mines and was not just limited to those opening up new mining provinces as Adani has done in Queensland’s Galilee Basin.
AFR reported that South32 Chief Executive Mr Graham Kerr says that mines that produce coking coal for steelmaking should not be dragged into any potential bans that federal parliamentarians impose on coal mines in Australia. Mr Kerr said “Politicians needed to appreciate that coking coal has an important role to play in making steel for construction and infrastructure, including clean energy infrastructure. I would hope they would take a more pragmatic view on how you look at metallurgical coal because today there is no substitute. For thermal coal today there are substitutions, you can get renewables, you can use other power sources. I think when it comes to metallurgical coal you need it to make steel. Ultimately green steel will come via hydrogen, and that is probably 20 years away.”For 85 years, Illawarra Metallurgical Coal has produced high-quality metallurgical coal used for steelmaking, which is shipped around Australia and around the world. South32’s Dendrobium Mine in the Illawarra region of New South Wales is an existing underground mine, primarily producing metallurgical coal for steelmaking. South32 is seeking federal and NSW government approval to spend AUD 853 million on extending the life of its Dendrobium coking coal mine in the Illawarra region. While Dendrobium would extend the life of an existing mine, an entirely new mine would come into production if South32 and its Chinese partner Baowu went ahead with development of the Eagle Downs coking coal mine in Queensland.Greens leader Adam Bandt told The Australian Financial Review that his party’s opposition to new coal and gas projects included the expansion of existing mines and was not just limited to those opening up new mining provinces as Adani has done in Queensland’s Galilee Basin.
