NSW-based Coal Services reported 26 longwall mines were operating during the year, with New South Wales mines accounting for 45Mt of the total and Queensland mines accounting for 33Mt.

The Xstrata Coal-owned Beltana operation in NSW was the leading producer with an output of 6.234Mt, 8% better than the mine’s record last year.

The company’s Newlands Southern mine came in second with 5.057Mt, followed by its Oaky North mine with 4.801Mt, delivering an impressive 65% jump over last year.

Rio Tinto’s Kestrel mine produced 4.636Mt, up 7%, followed by Anglo Coal’s Moranbah North mine with 4.304Mt, a huge improvement of 102%. This was partly thanks to additional bord and pillar mining that contributed 422,000t to the mine’s overall total.

Centennial Coal-owned Angus Place delivered its best year ever with 3.124Mt, achieving a 173% leap in performance, while the company’s new purchase, Tahmoor, produced 2.284Mt, up 61%.

Xstrata Coal’s Baal Bone mine improved 56% over last year with an output of 2.918Mt, while the company’s West Wallsend operation improved by 2%, with 3.337Mt.

Excel Coal’s Metropolitan operation produced 1.725Mt of coking coal, a 28% increase.

Centennial Coal’s Mandalong mine began mining in January and made a 1.4Mt contribution to this year’s total, while BHP Billiton Illawarra mine, Dendrobium, commissioned in April, contributed 700,000t.

The most recent mine to start cutting longwall coal was BHP Billiton’s Broadmeadow punch longwall operation in Queensland, which began on schedule in August.

Resource Pacific’s Newpac longwall development project remains on schedule for a January 2007 start-up; Excel Coal’s 3Mtpa Wambo longwall mine is scheduled to be in production by the end of 2006; and Ango Coal’s Grasstree mine is expected to be in production in the first half of 2006.

Xstrata Coal dominates Australian longwall production with its mines accounting for 32Mt, or 43%, of total output.