Malvern Hills mine

The Malvern Hills mine is an open cast sub-bituminous coal mine located near Coalgate in the Canterbury province of the South Island. The mine is owned by Canterbury Coal.

Project Details
Location: Near Coalgate, west of Christchurch in Canterbury (South Island) Coordinates: -43.4551,171.931565 Coal field: Malvern Hills, one of the small to very small coal deposits scattered along the eastern foothills of the Southern Alps Historical background: Over 120 mines have operated in the region since 1866, producing a total of about 2 Mt, with most coming from underground mines in the Malvern Hills and Mount Somers coalfields. Current owner: Canterbury Coal Status: Operating Production capacity: 25–30,000 tonnes Estimated recoverable reserves: 2–25 million tones (estimates vary) Mining technique: Opencast Type of coal: Sub-bituminous Solid fuel calorific value (gross) 19.50 MJ/kg (Range for NZ coal 15.25–31.95 MJ/kg) Market information: Used in boilers and similar plants Environmental and/or health & safety issues: Canterbury Coal opposed the Central Plains Water Enhancement Scheme (2008), stating that it would inundate some facilities as well as preventing mining and access in some areas.

Related SourceWatch Resources

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