Hunter Valley Operations

Hunter Valley Operations (HVO), located 24 kilometres north-west of Singleton in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales (NSW), produces high quality thermal coal as well as semi-soft coking coal.

For more information about HVO, including reporting, environmental management, planning and approvals documents related to Hunter Valley Operations, please visit the HVO website here.   

Mining and production

Hunter Valley Operations (HVO) is a multi-pit open cut mine, using a dragline truck and shovel method. The operation's employees work in shifts to keep the mine operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Operations are centred in the Whittingham Coal Measures of the Hunter Coalfield, which is part of a Permian coal basin known as the Sydney basin. After being washed and prepared for sale, the coal is loaded onto trains for transportation 90 kilometres to the Port Waratah Coal Terminal in Newcastle where it is shipped to international customers.

HISTORY

Production commenced at HVO in 1949 at the current West Pit, which was then part of the Howick mine. The Hunter Valley No. 1 mine began production in 1979. In 2000 Coal & Allied merged the Howick and Hunter Valley mines to create HVO. The Lemington mine, which began production in 1971, was acquired and merged into HVO in 2001.

Yancoal Australia acquired HVO on 1 September 2017. It jointly owns the mine with Glencore Coal Australia with a 51% stake in the business. The HVO joint venture is managed through a Joint Venture Management Committee.

HVO is seeking approval from the NSW and Federal governments to continue mining until 2050. For more information about the proposal to continue mining, please visit the HVO Continuation Project page here.

HVO Community Complaints and Blasting Information Line: 1800 888 733 (freecall)

The latest HVO blasting schedule is on its contact page here.