BHP and Mitsubishi Open Daunia Metallurgical Coal Mine

BHP Billiton Ltd. (ASX:BHP,LSE:BLT,NYSE:BHP) announced the opening of its Daunia mine, its ninth operating metallurgical coal mine in Central Queensland. Mitsubishi Corp. (TSE:8058) is BHP’s operating partner.

Dean Dalla Valle, BHP Billiton’s coal president, commented:

Last year, BHP Billiton’s global coal business produced 111 million tonnes of coal. With our partners in Queensland, we are the world’s largest seaborne supplier of metallurgical coal.

As the Daunia mine ramps up production and we continue to deliver our growth projects, it is critical to drive productivity measures right across our business to remain competitive. We will continue to work in partnership with governments, industry, our people and our communities to achieve that.

Construction of the Daunia mine started in 2011 and was completed in July this year, under budget and producing coal four months ahead of schedule. Large coal mines are complex projects, and this is a fantastic achievement for our team.

Click here to read the full BHP Billiton Ltd. (ASX:BHP,LSE:BLT,NYSE:BHP) press release.