Bravus Mining and Resources, the Australian arm of Adani, is fast approaching the date to ship its first coal from the Carmichael mine. Adani says the first coal for export is “being assembled” at its coal port in Bowen, the North Queensland Export Terminal.
Bravus Mining & Resources CEO David Boshoff said the coal has been delivered to NQXT over the past few weeks during the testing and commissioning of Bowen Rail Company’s new trains. The coal will now be loaded and dispatched as per NQXT’s normal operations and subject to the port’s shipping schedule.
“This is a big moment for everyone who has worked so diligently and passionately to build this mine and its world-class supporting civil and commercial infrastructure,” Mr Boshoff said.
“From day one, the objectives of the Carmichael Project were to supply high-quality Queensland coal to nations determined to lift millions of their citizens out of energy poverty, and to create local jobs and economic prosperity in Queensland communities in the process.
“With the support of the people of regional Queensland we have delivered on that promise.”
Mr Boshoff said the Carmichael Project had provided more than 2,600 direct jobs and paid more than $1 billion to regional Queensland contractors and businesses since construction began.
“High-quality Australian coal will have a role to play, alongside renewables, for decades to come as part of an energy mix that delivers reliable and affordable power with reduced emissions intensity,” he said.
“That’s why Carmichael makes sense, and why, as a group, Adani is also heavily investing in renewables.
“Carmichael shows the value to Queensland of meeting global demand with a product that not only has a lower emissions profile than coal supplied by international competitors, but one that is mined in a highly-regulated environment with the right checks and balances in place.”
Adani plans for the mine to be Australia’s biggest, but has faced 10 years of opposition from Wangan and Jagalingou Traditional Owners and climate campaigners. The first coal announcement also comes a mere weeks after the Glasgow climate summit, where the world agreed to phase down coal.
Dr Lissa Schindler, Great Barrier Reef campaign manager, Australian Marine Conservation Society said the first coal from the Adani mine is symbolic of where Australia stands on climate action – dead last.
“With this first coal transport, Adani is as flagrant as the Morrison Government in its disregard of global agreement to phase down coal to tackle the climate crisis and its catastrophic impacts on precious environments like the Reef.”
“The science shows every fraction of a degree of warming we avoid helps our Reef, the livelihoods of those in the tourism industry, and the marine wildlife that depend on a healthy Reef.”
Professor John Quiggin, Professor of Economics at the University of Queensland said the fight to stop Adani’s Carmichael mine is part of a larger struggle to prevent the extraction of the massive coal deposits under the Galilee Basin. If fully extracted, the 27 billion tonnes of coal in the Basin would generate several years worth of emissions for the entire world.
“Although Adani has managed to begin exports of coal, the broader struggle has had some big successes. Adani has had to scale its project back because no bank in the world is willing to finance it because of concerns about climate change. Other coal projects in the Galilee Basin have been abandoned or put on hold. With the end of most financing for new coal mines and coal-fired power stations, it seems unlikely that any of these will proceed.
“However, big threats remain. Adani has not abandoned an expansion of its mine to extract its approved volumes of 60 million tonnes of coal each year.”
Bravus has secured the market for the 10 million tonnes per annum of coal that will be produced at the Carmichael Mine. The coal will be sold to customers in the Asia-Pacific region at index adjusted pricing.
