Castle Hill mine

Castle Hill Mine is an opencast sub-bituminous coal mine located near Kaitangata in South Otago, which is in the southeast of the South Island. The mine is owned by Kai Point Coal.

Project Details
Location: Near Kaitangata, 9 km east of Balclutha in South Otago Coordinates: -46.26813,169.876084 Coalfield: Kaitangata Background: There was a Castle Hill coal mine operating at Kaitangata in the 1880s but the current mine site wasn’t opened until 1958 after many mines in the area had opened and closed over a period of time. The early underground mine was the scene of one of New Zealand’s worst mine disasters when 34 miners died after a gas explosion (1879). Current owner: Kai Point Coal Status: Operating Production capacity: 55,000 tonnes/year Estimated recoverable reserves: Mining technique: Opencast Type of coal: Sub-bituminous high sulfur (1.69%) Solid fuel calorific value (gross) 19.67 MJ/kg (Range for NZ coal 15.25–31.95 MJ/kg) Market information: Used for domestic and industrial heating. About 80% is supplied to industries such as meat, dairy and timber. The balance is for the domestic market. Environmental and/or health & safety issues:

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * New Zealand and coal
 * New Zealand Mining Industry Association
 * Solid Energy