Earlier, privately owned company York Mining was named preferred tenderer but the deal fell apart last week when York was reportedly unable to secure the finance to finalise the purchase.
The assets, near Lake Macquarie, 100km north of Sydney, were put up for sale prior to the BHP Billiton merger, and their long-term future is now uncertain.
COAL holds an 80% interest in the assets, which include the Moonee longwall mine, Catherine Hill Bay coal preparation plant and ship loading jetty, self-discharging vessel MV Wallarah, Chain Valley colliery and Wallarah mine, currently under care and maintenance. The remaining 20% is owned by Nissho Iwai Corp.
A review process is expected to be undertaken in the near future so BHP Billiton can decide what to do with what are essentially regarded as non-core assets.
The Moonee longwall mine meanwhile enjoyed a month of record tonnage in August, producing a total of 208,000 tonnes ROM coal. The mines together produce about 1.6 million tonnes a year of high-quality Wallarah Brand thermal coal, sold domestically and overseas.
