Blair Athol Mine

Blair Athol Mine seeks to be more than just a major source of local employment and economic growth, rather to work in partnership with the local community. Through Rio Tinto Coal Australia's community relations programme and the Clermont Community Development Fund the mine is working to help provide positive long term outcomes for the Clermont region prior to the opening of Clermont Mine.

The Clermont Community Consultative Committee (CCC) includes members of the Clermont community and representatives from Rio Tinto Coal Australia. The group meets quarterly to discuss the Clermont and Blair Athol mines. CCC documents including meeting minutes, key points from meetings and the CCC Charter can be found in the Blair Athol Mine library.

2008 Sustainable development report


 

2008 2007
Employees 199 males, 18 females, total 217 203 males, 22 females, total 225
Saleable production 10.1 million tonnes 7.9 million tonnes
Health & safety LTIFR (200,000) 0.88 1.09
Freshwater use (litres per tonne of product coal)

Target 76, 2008 performance 138

Blair Athol Mine did not meet its target for water use due to higher than expected levels of truck shovel operations during 2008, especially in overburden movement for the Clermont Coal overland conveyor.  Higher than expected mining rates during 2008, in response to increased demand, required the operation of several mining faces in tandem which was not originally planned for during the target setting process.

99
Energy use (gigagoules per tonne of equivalent material moved)

Target 0.015, 2008 performance 0.016

Blair Athol Mine did not meet its voluntary energy use target due to higher than expected levels of truck and shovel operations which increased fuel usage.

0.013
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg -CO2 per tonne of equivalent material moved)

Target 1.64, 2008 performance 1.84

Blair Athol Mine did not meet its greenhouse gas target due to increased fuel usage, as outlined above.

1.66
Annual rehabilitation & disturbance (hectares)

Target rehabilitation 38, 2008 performance 35

Target disturbance 51, 2008 performance 35

While Blair Athol Mine disturbed less land than targeted, it narrowly missed its land rehabilitation target. This was because some of the land planned for rehabilitation was located in the path of an overland conveyor being constructed between the new Clermont Mine and Blair Athol Mine. This land was therefore unavailable for rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation 64

Disturbance 54

Community The Blair Athol Mine Community Development Fund committed $198,865 to four projects, including a programme with training provider, MRAEL to assist apprentices and a programme to help the Clermont Museum plan its future strategy. The Blair Athol Mine Community Development Fund committed $209,576 to 10 projects aimed at providing positive benefits to the Clermont community.

 

2008 highlights

  • Blair Athol Mine funded an emergency coordinator to assist the Belyando Shire Community Recovery Committee following the floods in Central Queensland in February 2008
  • Blair Athol Mine delivered improvements of $23.1 million in 2008. Part of this value was delivered by a project which introduced a hydroscreen plant to improve coal recovery
  • In 2008, Blair Athol Mine recognised the 20th anniversary of the Koala Venture partnership which continues to provide strategic direction for the ongoing koala research and management efforts at Blair Athol Mine and the new Clermont Mine. The partnership seeks to develop a more sustainable approach to land use across the region and throughout Queensland
  • A newsletter for local stakeholders, called the Clermont Conveyor helped keep local stakeholders informed about Clermont Mine and Blair Athol Mine throughout 2008
  • Blair Athol Mine continued to engage the Clermont community through regular Community Consultative Committee meetings and mine visits.