Aston seeks up to 8.5 mln tons coal capacity at Newcastle Port
Australian coal developer Aston Resources Ltd. has set plans in train to raise its coal exports to as much as 14 million metric tons a year, the company said Tuesday, Dow Jones reports,.
Aston, which plans to mine an average of 10.8 million metric tons a year from its Maules Creek project, said it had requested port operator Port Waratah Coal Services to deliver an extra 1 million tons per year from 2014 and 3.5 million tons from 2015. Aston expects allocations to be confirmed in December.
Last December, Aston was awarded 2 million tons per year from 2012, 5 million tons from 2013, and 10.5 million tons from 2015, taking its full capacity potential to 14 million tons a year from 2015.
The company said it was in final negotiations over a tender for a company to carry its coal to port from the mine site in the Gunnedah Basin north of the Hunter Valley coal basin, and would award contracts by the fourth quarter of 2011.
Australia's only major coal train operators, QR National Ltd. and Asciano Ltd. , are competing fiercely for new haulage contracts in the Hunter region.
The company has capacity on the railway of 5 million tons a year from 2013 through the government-owned track owner Australian Rail Track Corp.
Aston, which plans to mine an average of 10.8 million metric tons a year from its Maules Creek project, said it had requested port operator Port Waratah Coal Services to deliver an extra 1 million tons per year from 2014 and 3.5 million tons from 2015. Aston expects allocations to be confirmed in December.
Last December, Aston was awarded 2 million tons per year from 2012, 5 million tons from 2013, and 10.5 million tons from 2015, taking its full capacity potential to 14 million tons a year from 2015.
The company said it was in final negotiations over a tender for a company to carry its coal to port from the mine site in the Gunnedah Basin north of the Hunter Valley coal basin, and would award contracts by the fourth quarter of 2011.
Australia's only major coal train operators, QR National Ltd. and Asciano Ltd. , are competing fiercely for new haulage contracts in the Hunter region.
The company has capacity on the railway of 5 million tons a year from 2013 through the government-owned track owner Australian Rail Track Corp.