Name of the Mine
Werris Creek mine.

Location  
The mine is located 4 km south of the town of Werris Creek, in north-west New South Wales, in Australia. ​​

Mine Owner/s  
Werris Creek Coal, a wholly owned subsidiary of Whitehaven Coal.

Brief Description  
The Werris Creek mine overlays and intersects the former Werris Creek Colliery, which was a bord-and-pillar underground mine operated by the Preston Coal Company from 1925 to 1963.

The mine comprises nine coal seams within a sequence of nearly 200 m of sedimentary rocks.

Brief History  
Werris Creek started operations in 2005.

Primary Metals/Minerals  
Thermal and pulverised coal injection coal with low to medium ash, low-sulphur and low-phosphorous, and medium to high volatility.

Secondary Metals/Minerals  
None stated.

Geology/Mineralisation  
The coal measures at the Werris Creek mine were once connected to the Early Permian Greta Coal Measures in the Muswellbrook and Cessnock areas of the Hunter Valley. Since the deposition of the coal measures, periods of uplift and erosion have left only the isolated remnant of coal measures at the mine.

There are nine coal seams at the Werris Creek mine within a sequence of nearly 200 m of sedimentary rocks. The coal measures have been folded by uplift events after deposition to form a north-south elongated bowl shape. At the edges of the bowl, coal seams dip at close to 60 °, whereas in the middle of the bowl the coal seams are generally flay lying.

Reserves  
Total proven and probable reserves as at Augusts 31, 2021, were estimated at 5.4-millon tonnes.

Resources  
Total measured and indicated resources as at August 31, 2021, were estimated at 7.2-million tonnes.

Mining Method  
Opencut.

Major Infrastructure and Equipment  
Not stated.

Prospects  
Following the completion of the Werris Creek extension in late 2013, the mine has continued to maintain its position as Whitehaven’s lowest-cost producer. As the mine progresses through the second half of its operational life, Whitehaven will begin rehabilitating parts of the mine footprint in accordance with planning approvals.

Contact Details
Whitehaven Coal
Email werriscreekcoal@whitehavencoal.com.au
Website https://whitehavencoal.com.au/

Sources
White Haven Coal. Werris Creek coal mine – Geology fact sheet (February 2014).
White Haven Coal. Website https://whitehavencoal.com.au/ (accessed October 11, 2021).