Coal
- Coal was first discovered in Western Australia in 1846 at Irwin River, 300 kilometres north of Perth. However, this deposit was not economic and the more significant Collie fields were discovered in 1883, a region that is still in production today. Between1995-98 the Premier Mine in Collie was developed for dedicated supply to the new 300 megawatt Muja power station.
- Whilst coal can be mined underground, all WA coal mines are open cut. Extraction is performed by people operating high-tech machinery to dig out and transport the coal to either a crusher or Verve energy's coal receivable point for the Muja power station.
- The two coal producers in Western Australia are Westfarmers Premier Coal Ltd and Griffin Coal.
- Coal is primarily used in WA for the generation of electricity but is also used in the production of steel, gas and liquid fuel, cement manufacturing and brick making.
- In 2007 coal sales revenue totalled $264 million.
To download a copy of the Coal fact sheet click here.
| Maps |
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| Major Mineral and Petroleum Projects in Western Australia (530.84 KB .pdf) |
