Roa Mining and Solid Energy Sign 10 Year Transport Deal

Roa Mining Company Ltd and Solid Energy New Zealand Ltd have signed a 10 year contract, which will see Solid Energy transport up to 150,000 tonnes per annum of coal from Roa Mine, north of Greymouth, to the Port of Lyttelton.

The coal will be railed to Lyttelton from Stillwater and then shipped to international markets.

Coal from Roa Mine has been exported from the West Coast since 1989 when a blend of Solid Energy and Roa coal (then produced by Francis Mining) was shipped. This coal was handled and transported by Solid Energy. Since then, Solid Energy and Roa Mine have blended their coals on many occasions for international export.

Barry Bragg, Solid Energy's chief operating officer said: “We’re pleased that with the support of Toll Rail and Lyttelton Port of Christchurch we have been able to offer Roa Mining and their customers a secure, flexible and efficient transport solution.”

Brent Francis, managing director of Francis Mining, said he was pleased to have come to an agreement with Solid Energy to provide a critical transport and shiploading service to Roa. "Other options have been tried over the period leading up to this agreement and we have now settled on what we view at the most logical and economic option available to Roa Mining.”

Roa Mining, which employs 32 people on the West Coast, will undertake a full refurbishment of the coal-loading facility at Stillwater to accommodate the rapid loading of trains required.