Minerva

The Minerva open cut coal mine located in the Bowen Basin region of Queensland's Central Highlands is owned by Sojitz Coal Mining Pty Ltd (96 percent) and Korea Mining Promotion Corporation (four percent). Sojitz is the only Japanese trading house to own and operate a coal mine in Australia. The coal produced at the Minerva mine is exported to both Korea and Japan.

The Minerva Mine Currently has a Life of Mine for Another 10 Years
The Minerva Mine is situated 45 kilometres south of Emerald in Central Queensland, on the far western edge of the coal rich Bowen Basin. It produces 2.8 million tonnes of coal a year to Asian clients and has a workforce of around 200 personnel. It is expected that the Minerva mine will last for the next 10 years with the expectation that underground reserves could also be exploited in the adjacent Athena coal mining exploration area.

All Coal Produced at the Minerva Mine is Exported
The open cut mining method used at the Minerva mine is the 'terrace' model. Following the careful removal of the top soil, the exposed rock overburden is drilled and blasted before being removed by hydraulic excavators. The rock is then loaded onto trucks and taken away. The exposed coal is in six main seams. These seams are mined and the removed coal crushed to a diameter no larger than 50mm before being stockpiled according to its quality. When ready, the stockpiled coal is taken by truck the four kilometres across the mining lease to the rail loading facility. Automatic sampling takes place at the crusher and at the train loading facility to make certain premium quality is maintained. The coal mined at the Minerva open cut is either PCI (pulverised coal injection) or premium thermal coal. All coal produced is exported.

Minerva Coal is Blended With Other Sojitz Coals at the Gladstone Coal Terminal
Coal from the Minerva Mine is taken by the Blackwater rail system the 413 kilometres to the RG Tanna coal terminal at Gladstone. This is a world standard multi-user terminal where different coals can be blended from a wide range of south Bowen Basin coal producers to satisfy customers around the world. Minerva mine owner Sojitz, has joint venture partners in three projects and seven operating mines in Australia, some of these are; Moolarben, Moorvale, Coppabella, Lake Vermont and Jellinbah as well as the Minerva Mine.

Sojitz has Been Developing the Minerva Mine Since 1994
The Sojitz Corporation has been involved with the development of the Minerva coal mine since 1994. It has been part of a joint venture partnership with Cathrine Hill Resources, an Australian owned coal mining company that was also a subsidiary of Sojitz and mining development company Felix Resources. At the end of 2010 Sojitz acquired majority ownership of the Minerva coal mining operation.
High grade thermal coal production began at the Minerva Mine in 2005 and it holds marketable reserves of around 26.8 million tonnes of coal. Considerable reserves are also indicated at depth in the Gindie area to its north.
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