Clermont

The Clermont open cut thermal coal mine, 12 kilometres from the town of the same name, in Central Queensland, is operated by Rio Tinto Coal Australia for joint venture owners; Rio Tinto (50.1 percent), Mitsubishi Development Pty Ltd (31.4 percent), J-Power Australia Pty Ltd (15 percent) and JCD Australia Pty Ltd (3.5 percent).

The Clermont Coal Deposit was Discovered in 1978 by Gold Prospectors
The Clermont Mine began coal production in 2010 and is now producing up to 12 million tonnes of thermal coal a year for the coal export market. The coal seam being exploited by the Clermont coal mining operation was discovered in 1978 by an exploration company searching for gold. It is situated inside the Wolfang Basin that is located at the western edge of the coal rich Bowen Basin. The Wolfang coal seam has an average thickness of 45 metres. The project got underway in 2007 with the construction of the mine infrastructure and clearing of the overburden. The first coal was shipped out of the operation in 2010. The coal deposit at the Clermont mine contains around 177 million tonnes of black thermal coal.

Clermont is an Open cut Coal Mine
The open cut mining method being carried out at the Clermont Mine is conventional open cut using truck and shovel technology. The mine shift workers keep the mine operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Once the coal is removed from the coal seam it is washed and made ready for export. It is then transported a relevant stockpile and railway facility at the site of the former Blair Athol Mine. The coal is taken from here, by rail, the 280 kilometres to the Dalrymple Bay Coal terminal for exporting to the company's various overseas customers.

Clermont Mine Receives Outside Recognition
The Clermont open cut black coal mine has received various national and state awards for its recruitment of women, Indigenous people and workers without any previous mining experience. One of the most successful innovations being the Indigenous Land Use Agreement between the Jagalingou and Wangan traditional land owners of the mining lease and Rio Tinto Coal Australia. This partnership program has already resulted in trainee Aboriginal mine workers being accepted into the mine workforce.

Koala's are Given High Priority in Clermont Mine Rehabilitation Programs
The Clermont Mine has also taken on Koala research in partnership with the Queensland University. This important partnership began at the Blair Athol Mine in 1988 and has been continued with the Clermont Mine. It involves the monitoring of the local wild Koala population, in a study, establishing the success of the local koala population becoming resettled on rehabilitated land after an area has been mined out.

Clermont Preferred Future Strategy
The Clermont Mine management is also involved in an ongoing project with the local Isaac Regional Council in providing a 'Preferred Future Strategy' for the immediate area surrounding the town of Clermont.
The strategy seeks to support projects which contribute to the implementation of the Clermont Preferred Future Strategy. The key themes of the strategy includes the following:

-Community well being and health
-Cultural heritage and natural capital
-Leadership capacity
-Investment in transport and infrastructure
-Economic development of entrepreneurship and general business development

There is also a Clermont Community Development Fund that was established in 2009. This fund has been set up by Rio Tinto Coal Australia to enable it to support local communities in the addressing and development of emerging opportunities.
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