indian miner jubilant at first coal shipment, page-2

Great stuff GG

20,000 tonnes from Wongawilli & 52,000 tonnes from NRE No 1

The GUJ is off and running!!

:)


Indian miner jubilant at first coal shipment
BY GREG ELLIS
13/06/2008 4:00:00 AM

Coal-mining company Gujarat NRE achieved another milestone yesterday when it loaded the first shipment of coking coal produced at its NRE Wongawilli Colliery.

More than 20,000 tonnes of coal from the recently acquired mine is bound for India after it was loaded onto the bulk carrier Sea Urchin at Port Kembla's coal loader.


The Wongawilli coal was placed in separate compartments to 52,000 tonnes of coking coal from Gujarat NRE 1 Colliery at Russell Vale.


Yesterday's event was the first of what are expected to be monthly shipments from the two Gujarat mines in Wollongong.


Once it arrives in India it will be washed and prepared for the steel market at one of the company's three metallurgical coke plants where waste heat recovery processes are being established to generate electricity, improve profitability and earn carbon credits.


Gujarat is also considering wind farming in India.


In Wollongong yesterday, technical services head Dr Chris Harvey said coal production at Wongawilli was expected to ramp up to 2.5 million tonnes per annum by 2010-11 when the workforce was expected to double to 200.


He said Gujarat would spend $65 million to bring the mine at West Dapto to full production within two years.


The mine also gives the company direct rail access to the Port Kembla coal terminal, where general manager Peter Green said yesterday's shipment provided more certainty for its workforce.


Mr Green said India was an important market that already represented more than 20 per cent of coal shipments from Port Kembla.


He said that market share was increasing now Gujarat NRE was operating two mines in the Wollongong area. The company's first shipment of coal to India occurred in December 2005.