Bowen Coking Coal Ltd. has processed first coal from its Broadmeadow East mine near Moranbah whilst shipping a second vessel of approximately 40,000 tonnes of ultralow volatile pulverised coal injection (ULVPCI) coal from its Bluff Mine near Blackwater, cementing itself as Queensland's next independent metallurgical coal producer. Broadmeadow East Pit: Mining at Broadmeadow East, the first pit in the enlarged Burton Complex which also includes the nearby Lenton and Burton pits, has gained momentum with more than 100 000 tonnes of run of mine (ROM) coal mined to date and further coal uncovered in the pit. Initial coal haulage to Fitzroy's nearby Carborough Downs mine Coal Handling and Processing Plant (CHPP) has been slower than anticipated but is expected to ramp up during September as the haulage contractor mobilises more equipment.

First coal has been processed over the weekend and sample analysis is underway for statutory export permits to pave the way for first coal sales in coming weeks. Refurbishment work at the Burton CHPP and Train Load Out facility (TLO) is underway. A fast tracked, phased recommissioning of the TLO is planned to start from early next quarter, opening the potential for additional bypass thermal coal sales while the CHPP is recommissioned.

The refurbished CHPP is expected to wash first coal from Broadmeadow East in the first quarter of 2023. In the interim the company will utilise the Fitzroy CHPP and potentially other third party infrastructure to process and ship coal until such time as the Burton CHPP and TLO are ready to do so. Some 200 rooms of the 350 plus person camp have now been fully refurbished and are being utilised by the mining contractor and infrastructure refurbishment crew.

Bluff Mine: The additional 400t excavator mobilised at Bluff Mine is performing well and is assisting in accelerating overburden removal to achieve an ongoing RunofMine (ROM) target of 80,000t to 100,000t per month early in the next quarter, representing an annualised production rate of between 1Mtpa and 1.2Mtpa ROM1 over four to six years to supply the global steel industry. Unseasonal wet weather required additional surface water management actions and COVID impacts on the mining and haulage workforce had some impact on shortterm production.