Pike River Coal Mine West Coast NZ

It has been two long hard years, but a team of hard rock tunnellers on the west coast are celebrating after finally striking coal. The Pike River http://www.pike.co.nz/ mine north of Greymouth is hidden deep in the mountains and the coal there is worth millions. "After eight years of planning and now three years of construction and two years of tunelling and now we've hit coal," says Peter Whittall of Pike River Coal. For just over two years a team of tunnelling experts have been drilling into the mountains where their target, millions of tonnes of coal, is located 2.3 kilometres in. "This is a great thing thats going to be beneficial for the West Coast region," says Greymouth Mayor Tony Kokshoorn. There have been plenty of delays and doubters and so far the project has cost around $240 million, but it was all celebration on Friday. Coking coal used in steel mills is currently fetching record prices of around $400 a tonne. Pike River will start producing and stockpiling coal soon, before exporting it next year. It has been an expensive project but Pike River is now hoping to reap the rewards through mining a million tonnes of coal a year for at least 18 years.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Pike River
• mcconnell dowell
• greymouth
• mining
• coal
• new zealand
• underground
• westcoast

[MrPretzelbreath]

In the Royal Commission Strydom specifically commented that he smelt cordite when he entered the mine to which the barrister skillfully lured him away from the C word to other issues, only to briefly revisit the C word in his conclusion. Cordite is explosive, makes you think huh?

[DermAndtegs]

RIP brothers! from us Coal miners here in QLD.

[kridic199]

fuck the 4 dislikes who ever did that im gana put a explosion in your face and then feel wat the 29 miners felt like and RIP the 29 pike river miners and nz rules

[Legendliveon]

R.I.P,29 mIners lost there life's.

[gluesniffinggorilla]

coal miners are brave men and women i would love to be a coal miner

[shaabelbi]

Little did they know what was to happen... very sad...RIP guys, love to all the family & friends of the men lost xxx

[hizakyte999]

The world will miss you. RIP

[MissCLMcKoy]

So ironic and eerie listening to this song knowing it's fate. Everyone looks so happy in this clip and now we see these same faces nearly two years later broken and worn after such a TRAGIC event. All the love in the world to the miners and their families. xxxxxx

[Bramble1976]

Be At Peace Pike River 29

forever working the late shift

[coralnick1]

Happier times for PETER & TONY :)

R.I.P to all the miners xxx