Operations at the Wongawilli coal mine in New South Wales, Australia, are expected to restart this month with first shipments in the 3Q16, according to a press release from mine owner, Wollongong Coal.

Mining contractor, Delta SBD, will undertake mining operations after signing a mining services agreement with Wollongong. Under the agreement, the Delta will supply technical expertise, personnel and equipment services at the mine, as well as day-to-day operations.

The agreement with Delta covers an interim period of around two years and covers the extraction of up to 1.45 million t of coal while Wollongong focuses on the future approvals and longer-term management for Wongawilli.

“This is good news for workforce employed at the mine and also provides an impetus to leverage synergy from the two entities to deliver economic benefits to the Illawarra region,” said Rhys Brett, Wollongong’s Operations Manager.

Wongawilli is among the oldest mines in Australia with a history dating back to 1916. It is located 80 km south of Sydney and has direct access to coal export facilities at Port Kembla Coal Terminal.

Edited by Jonathan Rowland.