Appin Mine was established in 1962 and is the oldest of Illawarra Coal's operating mines.
It is immediately south of the township of Appin, 37 km from Wollongong and is a finalist in the 4th Annual Australian Mining Prospect Awards.
Appin's coal is mined from the Bulli Seam at depths of up to 550 m.
Coal extracted from this seam is premium quality hard coking coal and is used for coke making by the Australian steel industry, and is also exported to customers around the world.
The mine is serviced by two vertical ventilation shafts and two inclined tunnels or drifts.
Illawarra Coal’s $6 million water filtration plant at its Appin West mine (formerly Douglas) is saving the company – and the State – a significant amount of water.
The plant has already returned more than 75 Ml of treated mine water underground, replacing fresh water which would have otherwise been purchased from Sydney Water.