How many coal mines are in NSW?

NSW has more than 15 billion tonnes of recoverable coal reserves contained within 40 operating mines, and over 20 new major development proposals.

Where are Australia’s coal mines?

Australia’s principal black coal producing basins are the Bowen (Queensland) and Sydney (New South Wales) Basins. Locally important black coal mining operations include Collie in Western Australia, Leigh Creek in South Australia and Fingal and Kimbolton in Tasmania.

What mines are in NSW?

NSW has world-class deposits of metallic minerals such as gold, copper, silver, nickel, lead, zinc, cobalt and lithium, and industrial minerals like mineral sands, clays and limestone.

Are there any underground mining areas in NSW?

Some mine subsidence districts are declared in areas where underground coal mining may occur in the future. The underground mining areas on the NSW Planning Portal only show areas where coal extraction has already occurred.

Where did coal mining occur in New South Wales?

Historically, underground mines throughout New South Wales extracted coal through bord and pillar mining methods. Bord and pillar mining occurred all over New South Wales but was predominant in the Hunter and Newcastle regions. Bord and pillar mine workings were often shallow but left supporting structures after mining.

What causes subsidence in mines in New South Wales?

Most active underground mines in New South Wales use longwall mining methods. Longwall mining involves the extraction of entire sections of coal using high powered machinery. As the machinery moves ahead, the mined-out area falls in, causing the ground above to subside. Subsidence from longwall mining generally occurs over a large area.

What do you mean by underground coal mining area?

To account for slight discrepancies, the Underground Coal Mining Areas include a buffer zone around historical mine workings. The underground mining areas only relate to areas where coal has been extracted and do not include other types of mining such as metalliferous or open cut coal extraction. 2.