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Re-entry to a Central Queensland mine began on Friday, more than two months after elevated gas levels prompted an evacuation of the site.
Anglo American’s Moranbah North Mine was given the green light for re-entry following approval from Resources Safety and Health Queensland.
The move, which came a day after the one-year anniversary of Anglo’s Grosvenor mine explosion, marks the first step towards resuming mining operations.
Anglo’s metallurgical coal business chief executive Tyler Mitchelson said the Moranbah North re-entry team had safely entered the mine to undertake safety and compliance inspections, and restore operating systems.
Anglo American restarts Queensland coal mine amid union backlash
Grosvenor coal mine is being restarted after gaining regulatory approval. (
Anglo American (LON: AAL) has been granted approvals to allow workers to re-enter the Grosvenor coal mine in Queensland, Australia, almost a year after an explosion seriously injured five workers.
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Workers belonging to the CFMEU Mining and Energy union did not welcome the news. They say the miner had kept its workers fully informed of its plans to restart the underground mine.
“The workforce has said loud and clear that they want their union safety inspectors kept informed about re-entry plans,” CFMEU president for Queensland, Dean Smyth, said in a media statement.
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Safety regulators have approved the initial re-entry steps at Anglo American’s Grosvenor Mine almost a year after an underground explosion seriously injured five coal miners.
Resources Safety and Health Queensland began inspections at Grosvenor’s underground mine this week as Anglo started its re-entry process onsite.
Anglo American confirmed re-entry today.
It is just weeks shy of the 12-month anniversary of the May 6 explosion at the longwall panel.
RSHQ, in a statement, said the staged re-entry of the mine was scheduled to start on Thursday and followed works by Anglo to seal the longwall panel where the explosion occurred.
Grosvenor mine inches closer to underground re-entry cqnews.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cqnews.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.