Lake lindsay

Westfarmers put their Girrah coal deposit, at German Greek in the Bowen Basin Region of Queensland, up for competitive tender in 2003 with the winning companies being Mitsui German Creek Investments Pty Ltd and Anglo Coal (German Creek) Pty Ltd. The deposit being 30 kilometres from the railway at Tieri, 25 kilometres from Middlemount and 16 kilometres from the German Creek mine. Mine Owner Capcoal Comprises 70 Percent Anglo Coal and 30 Percent Mitsui.

In 2005 Mitsui announced they had received approval to proceed with the Lake Lindsay metallurgical coal project at the site at a cost of $850 million. The Lake Lindsay project was finally off the ground with Anglo Coal Australia holding a 70 percent interest in the project and Mitsui 30 percent. The company owned by the two shareholders that will manage the project was to be known as Capcoal. The parent company of Anglo Coal being Anglo American plc. The Lake Lindsay Project under Capcoal was to increase their German Creek production from the current (at that time) six, to 10 million tonnes of coal a year. The additional tonnage being 0.3 million tonnes of thermal coal and 3.7 million tonnes of metallurgical (coking) coal. The Lake Lindsay mine would also extend the life of mining at German Creek by 11 years giving it production to 2027. Coal production began at the Lake Lindsay Open Cut Mine in 2006.

Main Production is Coking Coal for the Export Market
Capcoal operate two open cut and two underground mines in the Bowen Basin with their main focus on producing hard coking coal for the export market, mainly Asian, Indian, European and South American steel makers. The coking coal produced from the German Creek deposit is noted for being of exceptional high quality and Capcoal have 27,343 hectares under their control which gives the company more than one billion tonnes in coal resources with current accessible reserves of 125 million tonnes. The company employs about 900 people at their Bowen Basin operations. The coal is transported 360 kilometres by rail from the Lake Lindsay Mine to be exported overseas from the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal.

New CHPP and Overland Conveyor
A new Coal Handling Processing Plant (CHPP) was completed in September 2009 to handle the additional coal production from the Lake Lindsay open cut operations. The new CHPP is able to process 700 tonnes of coal an hour in its own right complimenting the existing infrastructure at the German Creek Mine. As well as constructing the new CHPP, Capcoal also built an overland conveyor to better handle the additional output.

Middlemount is Home to Most Mine Workers
Most workers at the Lake Lindsay open cut coal mine live at Middlemount where the community enjoys first class sporting and community facilities as well as educational opportunities. The company keeps a close relationship with the Middlemount community and plays an important role in providing many services as well as by supporting many community events. Capcoal have already invested over two and a half million dollars upgrading the Middlemount Shopping Centre and $25 million upgrading 100 homes in the town. It also assists local associations and innovations when able to do so. It has established a Cultural Heritage Management Plan with the traditional owners of the land, the Yetimaria and Barada Barna Kabalbara people.