Gujarat NRE Group's third mine in Australia becomes operational

Ahmedabad, Apr 29 (UNI) New South Wales (Australia) Minister for Energy Ian Macdonald today officially opened the Gujarat NRE Group's latest Australian mine, NRE Wongawilli Colliery in south-west of Wollongong, on Australia's south-east coast.

Gujarat NRE's 50 million US dollar acquisition of the West Dapto mine, previously known as Elouera Mine and owned by BHP Billiton, had been operating under care and maintenance since last year.

Gujarat NRE Minerals Ltd, Australia now plans to spend a further USD 65 million over the next two years to bring the NRE Wongawilli Colliery to full production and hopes to ramp up production to around 2.5 million tonnes per annum by 2011-12.

The parent company, Gujarat NRE Coke Limited, is India's largest independent coke producer and the only listed Company in the domain.

Gujarat NRE Minerals Ltd chairman Arun Kumar Jagatramka said his company originally planned to re-open the neighbouring NRE Avondale Colliery, which it purchased in mid-2005. However, after the acquisition late last year of Elouera Colliery, it was decided to consolidate both the mines as NRE Wongawilli Colliery.

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