Castle Hill mine

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Castle Hill Mine is an opencast sub-bituminous coal mine located near Kaitangata in South Otago, which is in the southeast of the South Island. The mine is owned by Kai Point Coal.

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Project Details

Location: Near Kaitangata, 9 km east of Balclutha in South Otago
Coordinates: -46.26813,169.876084

Coalfield: Kaitangata
Background: There was a Castle Hill coal mine operating at Kaitangata in the 1880s but the current mine site wasn’t opened until 1958 after many mines in the area had opened and closed over a period of time. The early underground mine was the scene of one of New Zealand’s worst mine disasters when 34 miners died after a gas explosion (1879).
Current owner: Kai Point Coal 

Status: Operating
Production capacity: 55,000 tonnes/year
Estimated recoverable reserves:
Mining technique: Opencast
Type of coal: Sub-bituminous high sulfur (1.69%)
Solid fuel calorific value (gross) 19.67 MJ/kg (Range for NZ coal 15.25–31.95 MJ/kg)
Market information: Used for domestic and industrial heating. About 80% is supplied to industries such as meat, dairy and timber. The balance is for the domestic market.
Environmental and/or health & safety issues:

Articles and Resources

Related SourceWatch Resources

• New Zealand and coal
• New Zealand Mining Industry Association
• Solid Energy