Anglo American tackles subterranean fire at Australian coal mine
COAL & MINING

Anglo American tackles subterranean fire at Australian coal mine

Anglo American reported that it was contending with an underground fire at its Grosvenor metallurgical coal mine in Queensland, Australia. The fire had started on Saturday, igniting at the longwall section of the mine in Moranbah, a coal mining town situated around 1,000 km north of Brisbane. This incident occurred at the same mine where five workers were critically injured in an explosion in May 2020.

According to a statement on Facebook on Sunday, Anglo American stated, "We are currently managing a combustion event underground at Grosvenor Mine, following an ignition at the longwall on Saturday." They emphasized that their primary focus was on safely extinguishing the underground fire, which emergency response teams were handling from the surface.

The mine site had been closed, permitting only essential emergency services personnel to be present, as noted in an earlier social media update. The company also mentioned that efforts had commenced to temporarily seal the mine from the surface, a crucial measure aimed at preventing smoke from affecting the town's residents, numbering 9,425.

Acknowledging the complexity and evolving nature of the situation, Anglo American cautioned that ensuring the safety of all emergency teams involved would require significant time. All mine workers were successfully evacuated after the fire broke out.

A spokesperson for the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services clarified that their agency was not directly involved in managing the incident, which remained under the mine's jurisdiction. Queensland Mines Minister Scott Stewart, as reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corp on Sunday, assured a comprehensive investigation into the fire would be conducted.

In its annual report, Anglo American disclosed that Grosvenor mine had produced 2.797 million tons of metallurgical coal in 2023, constituting 17% of the company's coal output. It remains the world's third-largest exporter of metallurgical coal.

Anglo American reported that it was contending with an underground fire at its Grosvenor metallurgical coal mine in Queensland, Australia. The fire had started on Saturday, igniting at the longwall section of the mine in Moranbah, a coal mining town situated around 1,000 km north of Brisbane. This incident occurred at the same mine where five workers were critically injured in an explosion in May 2020. According to a statement on Facebook on Sunday, Anglo American stated, We are currently managing a combustion event underground at Grosvenor Mine, following an ignition at the longwall on Saturday. They emphasized that their primary focus was on safely extinguishing the underground fire, which emergency response teams were handling from the surface. The mine site had been closed, permitting only essential emergency services personnel to be present, as noted in an earlier social media update. The company also mentioned that efforts had commenced to temporarily seal the mine from the surface, a crucial measure aimed at preventing smoke from affecting the town's residents, numbering 9,425. Acknowledging the complexity and evolving nature of the situation, Anglo American cautioned that ensuring the safety of all emergency teams involved would require significant time. All mine workers were successfully evacuated after the fire broke out. A spokesperson for the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services clarified that their agency was not directly involved in managing the incident, which remained under the mine's jurisdiction. Queensland Mines Minister Scott Stewart, as reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corp on Sunday, assured a comprehensive investigation into the fire would be conducted. In its annual report, Anglo American disclosed that Grosvenor mine had produced 2.797 million tons of metallurgical coal in 2023, constituting 17% of the company's coal output. It remains the world's third-largest exporter of metallurgical coal.

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

Welspun Enterprises Wins 910 MLD Panjrapur WTP Contract

Welspun Enterprises (WEL), the infrastructure and energy arm of Welspun World, has secured a major contract from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to design, build and operate a 910 million litres per day (MLD) Water Treatment Plant (WTP) at Panjrapur, Maharashtra.Valued at approximately Rs 31.45 billion, the project encompasses end-to-end civil, mechanical, electrical and instrumentation works, including the construction of a treated water sump and pumping station. Of the total value, nearly Rs 11.56 billion is allocated to Operations & Maintenance (O&M), with an additional..

Next Story
Infrastructure Energy

Mitsubishi Power Wins Boiler Upgrade Contract for O Mon 1 Plant

Mitsubishi Power, a power solutions brand of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, (MHI), has been awarded a contract to support the oil-to-natural-gas fuel conversion at the O Mon 1 Thermal Power Plant in Can Tho, southern Vietnam. As the OEM of the plant’s existing boiler, Mitsubishi Power will supply key equipment—including new gas burners—and implement a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system to reduce NOx emissions and help the plant meet stricter environmental standards.The O Mon 1 facility includes two 330 MW units that commenced operations in 2009 and 2015, with all major equipment or..

Next Story
Equipment

Liebherr’s 10,000th XPower Wheel Loader Joins BERGER’s Fleet

BERGER Rohstoffe GmbH has welcomed the 10,000th Liebherr XPower wheel loader to its operations at the Schlag granite quarry in Passau. The milestone machine, officially handed over at Liebherr’s Bischofshofen plant in May 2025, underscores the long-standing partnership between BERGER, Liebherr, and the Beutlhauser Group. Equipped with Liebherr’s signature power-split travel drive, the new L 580 XPower is already delivering strong results under demanding quarry conditions.At the Schlag quarry, BERGER Rohstoffe processes approximately 200,000 tonnes of Bayerwald granite annually into high-qu..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement