Stockton Mine
Encyclopedia
Stockton, New Zealand
Stockton is a former settlement in the northwestern South Island of New Zealand in the West Coast region. It is located in the Papahaua Ranges about 30 kilometres linear distance north east from Westport....
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The mine is operated by Solid Energy
Solid Energy
Solid Energy is the largest coal mining company in New Zealand and is a state owned enterprise of the New Zealand Government.The company was formed from the former government department State Coal Mines. It was then established as a state owned enterprise called Coal Corporation in 1987, and...
, who obtained the Stockton Coal Mining Licence (CML) in 1987 for a period of 40 years. The coal field is situated between 5 to 10 kilometres linear distance south west of Stockton. The southernmost part of the coal field is only 5km away from the historic mining town of Denniston. The elevation of the coal field varies between 500 and 1100m above sea level.
The extracted coal is transported from the mine to an aerial ropeway near Stockton. The coal is transported to Ngakawau using this ropeway, doing away with the dangerous railway operation that plagued the Millerton
Millerton, New Zealand
Millerton is a small settlement in the northwestern South Island of New Zealand in the West Coast region. It is in the Papahaua Ranges, around 25 kilometres north east of Westport, on SH67 from Westport to Karamea....
and Denniston Inclines. From Ngakawau, most of the coal is transported by rail to Lyttelton
Lyttelton, New Zealand
Lyttelton is a port town on the north shore of Lyttelton Harbour close to Banks Peninsula, a suburb of Christchurch on the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand....
, where it is exported via ship to steel makers in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Parcels of coal are barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
d from Westport to Port Kembla, New South Wales
Port Kembla, New South Wales
Port Kembla is a suburb of Wollongong 8 km south of the CBD and part of the Illawarra region of New South Wales. The suburb comprises a seaport, industrial complex , a small harbour foreshore nature reserve, and a small commercial sector. It is situated on the tip of Red Point, first sighted...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
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While the Stockton mining has created local jobs, the environmental impact has created some resistance against extending the operation to include the proposed Cypress mine at Happy Valley. This led to the formation of the Save Happy Valley Campaign
Save Happy Valley Campaign
The Save Happy Valley Coalition is an environmental activist movement formed with the express purpose of preventing the Cypress mine, an open cast coal mine on the West Coast of New Zealand, from proceeding....
(SHVC). The planned extension was halted when the rare indigenous Powelliphanta
Powelliphanta
Powelliphanta, common name amber snails, is a genus of large, carnivorous land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. As a group their survival status is endangered.- Taxonomy :...
snail was found on the 2310 hectares covered by the CML.
There are plans for two hydroelectric power stations in and around the mine. The Stockton Plateau Hydro Project
Stockton Plateau Hydro Project
The Stockton Plateau Hydro Project is a proposed hydroelectric power station planned on the Ngakawau River in the northern section of the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand....
instigated by Hydro Development Ltd has been granted approval and Solid Energy
Solid Energy
Solid Energy is the largest coal mining company in New Zealand and is a state owned enterprise of the New Zealand Government.The company was formed from the former government department State Coal Mines. It was then established as a state owned enterprise called Coal Corporation in 1987, and...
has applied for resource consent
Resource consent
A resource consent is the authorisation given to certain activities or uses of natural and physical resources required under the New Zealand Resource Management Act . Some activities may either be specifically authorised by the RMA or be permitted activities authorised by rules in plans...
s for their Stockton Hydro Scheme
Stockton Hydro Scheme
The Stockton Hydro Scheme is proposed by Solid Energy in the vicinity of the Stockton Mine.The Stockton Plateau Hydro Project, a similar for the area has been granted resource consents....
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External links
- Solid Energy - Stockton Mine page
- Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment - Stockton revisited: The mine and regulatory minefield