‘Second explosion’ at Anglo American’s Grosvenor mine
There has been a suspected second methane blast underground at Anglo American’s Grosvenor coal mine, where five miners were badly injured in an explosion on May 6
Anglo American suspects there has been a second underground methane explosion at its Grosvenor mine, where five miners were nearly killed by a blast in May.
The mining giant has been battling to control gas and the risk of spontaneous combustion at the central Queensland underground coalmine since May 6, when five contract miners suffered serious burns after methane ignited and exploded.
Anglo halted mining operations on site after the May blast, as the Queensland Mines Inspectorate and its own investigators tried to pinpoint the cause of the explosion.
In the past week senior staff at the mine have been told there was a likely second methane ignition shortly before 3am on June 8.
There were no injuries because all workers had been evacuated about an hour earlier after making major changes to the ventilation system at the coalface.
The senior staff previously had been told there was a “potential overpressure event” underground in the early hours of June 8, characterised by a sudden surge in gas levels and changes in the pressure being recorded.
On Wednesday night the Queensland Mines Inspectorate confirmed Anglo had notified it of the “suspected ignition of methane that occurred on June 8” at Grosvenor.
The second suspected explosion is being investigated by the inspectorate and might be probed by the Queensland Coal Mining Board of Inquiry, led by retired District Court judge Terry Martin, into the May blast.
A spokeswoman for Anglo American said there was no fire burning underground and the company could not be definitive about what occurred on June 8 because no one had been underground since.
“Since ceasing longwall mining activities on May 6, we have been closely monitoring the resulting levels of various gases to ensure the ongoing safety and integrity of the mine,” she said.
“We made the decision to withdraw personnel from the underground environment last month in line with our risk management processes, and have been working with our expert technical advisers to respond to the situation.
“The steps we are taking to address the coal oxidisation and heating risk at Grosvenor are tracking as expected, and we believe there is currently no combustion occurring.”
The spokeswoman said the suspension of longwall mining elevated the risk of spontaneous combustion, but during normal mining operations the risk was very low.
Isaac Regional Council mayor Anne Baker said the council was “closely monitoring issues around safety” at Grosvenor.
Leaked documents seen by The Australian show Grosvenor recorded dangerously high methane levels at least 98 times since the mine began operating in 2016.
The inspectorate knew of the repeated incidents but did not order Anglo to stop mining.
Of the five miners burned in the explosion, one has been released from hospital.
The remaining four are still being treated in the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital burns unit, but are no longer in intensive care.
Grosvenor staff have been told the four miners have a long journey to recovery, and face further surgeries and skin grafts.