China Stone project

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The China Stone project is a project being investigated by Macmines Austasia, a subsidiary of Meijin Energy, the largest private coke producer in China. The project would be located approximately 230 kilometres southwest of Charters Towers in Queensland's Galillee Basin. The company is owned by the billionaire Yao Junliang.

As of May 2019 it looks like Macmines is not currently pursuing this project. Their offices are not occupied and their phones lines are reported to be down.The company has abandoned its bid for a mining lease. The project could be restarted but some of the permissions would need to be granted a fresh.

The plans for the project include Australia’s first super-critical thermal power station, a three-unit power station that would be capable of producing 1,050 megawatts.

Coal from China Stone would predominantly be exported to China. China Huaneng Fuel, a subsidiary of China Huaneng Group, signed a long-term agreement to purchase up to 30Mtpa of coal from the China Stone project in July 2011.

If operations start Macmines Austasia plans to export coal from Abbot Point Coal Terminal via Adani's planned rail line. The lifetime of the mine is predicted to be 50 years.

The coal project is estimated to require 12,500 megalitres of water a year, which is proposed to be supplied through a new pipeline connecting the Cape River or the Belyando - Suttor River systems to the mine.

Location

The proposed site for the China Stone coal mine is 300 kilometres west of Mackay, in Pentland, Queensland, Australia. The undated image below shows the exact location.

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Coal Mine Background

The project was originally announced in October 2012 with the first draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was delivered to public consultation in September 2015. The EIS submission earned a request for more information from the Coordinator-General in November 2015 and, three extensions on the deadline for final documentation later, Macmines delivered.

The plans were approved in 2018 under strict conditions. Two of the aspects rejected by the The Coordinator-General were 1) to leave two voids unfilled when the mine finishes and 2) to be self-sufficient for electricity. The EIS states that the feasibility of the mine relies on the mine being able to create its own electricity. It is assumed that the coal power station units would be acquired from China. The Coordinator-General demands that the company consider renewable technology or other fuel sources, to power the site. If the electricity was from a coal power station on the site then Carbon Capture and Storage would be required. Macmines also said that refilling the last two voids on the site, covering 30% of the total area, would not be economically feasible, but the planning authority has ruled this out. There remains uncertainty about the viability of the project under these conditions.

Macmines Austasia acquired the Yarrowmere North coal mining exploration permit (relevant to this site) from the Queensland Government Natural Resources and Mines Department in 2005. Chinese company, Shanxi Meijin Energy Group, acquired 100 percent of Macmines Austasia in 2007.

Project Details

• Sponsor: Macmines Austasia
• Parent Company: Meijin Group
• Location: 300 kilometres west of Mackay, Queensland, Australia.
• GPS Coordinates: -21.166667, 145.750000 (exact)
• Status: Proposed
• Production Capacity: 38 Mt/year
• Total Resource: 10 billion tonnes
• Minable Reserves: 3.75 billion tonnes
• Coal type: Thermal
• Mine Size: 20,000 hectares
• Mine Type: Surface and underground(longwall)
• Start Year: 2024
• Source of Financing:

Articles and resources

Related SourceWatch articles

• Coal barons
• China and coal
• Australia and coal

External resources

• Macmines AustAsia, China Stone project, company website on the project.