Griffin Coal
Location
LocationShire of Collie
StateWestern Australia
CountryAustralia
Coordinates33°25′37″S 116°18′59″E / 33.427077°S 116.31646°E / -33.427077; 116.31646 (Griffin Coal)
Production
ProductsCoal
History
Opened1923 (1923)
Owner
CompanyGriffin Coal Mining, a subsidiary of Lanco Infratech
Websitewww.griffincoal.com.au
Year of acquisition2011 (2011)
Official nameBucryus Erie Dragline
TypeMunicipal Inventory
Designated30 Apr 1996
Reference no.6345
MunicipalityShire of Collie

Griffin Coal is a large coal mine near the town of Collie in Western Australia, producing about 2.5 million tonnes (5.5 billion pounds) of coal annually.[1] In September 2022 its current owner, the Griffin Coal Mining Company, a subsidiary of Lanco Infratech, entered receivership.[2] In December 2022 the Western Australian government announced a grant – effectively a loan – to the receivers and managers of the insolvent mine to enable it to continue supplying the privately-owned Bluewaters Power Station over the Western Australian summer.[3]

History

The mine was in operation in the 1930s and was a supplier of coal to the Western Australian Government Railways, in competition with Newcastle Coal.[4]

In January 2011, the owner defaulted on debts of A$475 million, and sought outside buyers.[5] Two months later, it was acquired by the Indian firm Lanco Infratech for A$730 million. The logic of the purchase has been questioned in the business media, as the company has faced difficulties and has been forced to defer pension and other payments to suppliers.[6]

Since the purchase in 2011, major concerns have been raised about the financial viability of the mine. In 2016, workers went on strike following paycuts of 43% to 70 maintenance workers.[7] In 2019, it was estimated that the mine was losing A$6 million a month, with total losses since 2011 running up to A$1.3 billion.[8] In 2021, Griffin Coal invoked force majeure in response to large-scale rainfall affecting coal pit operations.[9] State politicians raised concerns that the force majeure declaration was indicative of the poor financial state of the company.[9] Later in the year, the company was fined for a failure to pay former mine manager Carna Civil and Engineering, who ran the mine for a 9 month period between March and December 2014.[10] In November 2021, the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) filed criminal charges against the owner, alleging that the company had failed to lodge audited financial accounts for the 2019 and 2020 financial years.[11] The case was later expanded to include charges over the company's failure to have an Australian director.[12]

Concern has been expressed over the possibility of bankruptcy, as the Griffin mine acts as the sole supplier of coal to the Bluewaters power station, responsible for generating approximately 15% of Western Australia's electricity.[13][14] Griffin also acts as a supplier to South32's Worsley alumina refinery.[13][15]

References

  1. ↑ Mercer, Daniel (26 November 2022). "Indian owners of failed West Australian coal in $1 billion quest to salvage calamitous bet". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  2. ↑ Mercer, Daniel (17 September 2022). "Growing WA coal crisis sparks warnings of possible power crunch as summer looms". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  3. ↑ Stephens, Kate; Pancia, Anthony; De Poloni, Gian (20 December 2022). "McGowan government hands cash to struggling Griffin Coal amid looming summer energy crisis". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  4. ↑ "GRIFFIN COAL MINE". The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 – 1954). Perth, WA: National Library of Australia. 19 August 1932. p. 18. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  5. ↑ Sobia Khan (5 March 2011). "Lanco acquires Griffin coal for A$730 mn". The Economic Times.
  6. ↑ Rajesh Kumar Singh & David Stringer (4 July 2013). "Lanco Rebuffs Griffin Liquidation Concern With Vow to Keep Unit". Bloomberg News. "No winding-up order has been issued" against Griffin Coal Mining, A. Narasimhan, a spokesman for Lanco, said in an e-mail. "We are confident that there is no basis for winding up and that the matter with the Australian Taxation Office will be resolved as soon as possible."
  7. ↑ "Griffin Coal workers strike over planned pay cut". ABC News. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  8. ↑ "WA coal 'in crisis', MP says, as major mine losing $6m a month teeters on the brink". ABC News. 29 October 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  9. 1 2 "Griffin Coal workers strike over planned pay cut". ABC News. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  10. ↑ "Indian-owned Australian coal mine suffers 'another nail in the coffin' after big legal loss". ABC News. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  11. ↑ "Embattled coal mine suffers blow as corporate cop presses charges". ABC News. 11 November 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  12. ↑ "Besieged Indian-owned coal mine hit by further charges as corporate cop widens case". ABC News. 27 November 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  13. 1 2 Mercer, Daniel (18 December 2022). "Dev Sindhu: The mystery man at the centre of a deepening crisis threatening an Australian energy grid". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  14. ↑ "Australian coal-fired power plant bought for $1.2b now 'effectively has no value'". ABC News. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  15. ↑ "WA coal in crisis as Griffin accused of contract breaches". Australian Financial Review. 21 July 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2022.


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