Commodore Mine

The Commodore Mine, located approximately 200 kilometers west of Brisbane in Queensland's Surat Basin, is an open-pit thermal coal mine adjacent to the 850-megawatt Millmerran Power Station. Since 2002, it has been the sole coal supplier for the power station, with a production capacity of 3.6 million tonnes per annum. Operated by Downer EDI Mining on behalf of InterGen Australia, the mine employs about 50 staff, nearly half of whom are from the local community. Notably, it was the first open-pit coal mine globally to operate entirely on biodiesel fuel. The mine's geology comprises gently folded Walloon coal measures of Middle Jurassic age, featuring three primary seams: Kooroongarra (up to 3 meters thick), Commodore (averaging 5.2 meters thick), and Bottom Rider (between 0.5 and 0.9 meters thick). In 2011, it received the Premier's ClimateSmart Sustainability Award for its environmental initiatives.