Curragh coal sales held back by congestion: Wesfarmers

<p>Rail and port congestion was limiting the sale of coal from Wesfarmers’s Curragh mine in Queensland, the company said today (Friday, July 21). </p> <p>The mine, 200 km west of Rockhampton, had increased its production of metallurgical coal in 2005&#4706 by 39%, to 6.2m tonnes.</p> <p>Total production reached 8.9m tonnes for the year, up by 27%, including 2.6m tonnes of steaming coal.</p> <p>Wesfarmers said &#8220rail and port capacity constraints&#8221 had an &#8220adverse impact&#8221 on sales at the end of June, leaving the company with coal it wanted to sell but could not export in time.</p> <p>Coal from the mine is railed 300 km to be exported through the port of Gladstone. </p> <p>The Curragh mine sold 6m tonnes of metallurgical coal and 2.6m tonnes of steaming coal in 2005&#4706, with total production across its three mines up by one-third this year.</p> <p>Wesfarmers expected production to continue to improve this financial year, but sales to remain limited by &#8220rail and port issues&#8221.</p> <p>The Central Queensland Ports Authority (CQPA), which owns and operates the port, was unavailable for comment by press time.</p> <br />