One of the Hunter Valley’s oldest underground mining operations is set to close within the next 18 months.
The decision, which will affect 300 jobs, comes after Yancoal hosted a town hall gathering with Ashton Coal employees in Singleton on Monday 29 June.
The company then conducted another emergency meeting with the workforce at the town’s Civic Centre the next morning.
It’s understood they were informed of Yancoal’s termination plans for the site, with immediate redundancies being offered to shocked workers.
Located 15 kilometres northwest of Singleton, Ashton’s Coal Handling and Preparation Plant produces about 2.5 million tonnes of high-quality semi-soft coal a year for use in the steel manufacturing industry and thermal coal for utilisation in power generation.
All exports travel through the Port of Newcastle.
Yancoal also oversees neighbouring Mount Thorley Warkworth and Hunter Valley Operations in the Upper Hunter as well as Stratford and Duralie in Gloucester.
More details to come.
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