Bulga Coal
| Company type | Private (joint venture) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Coal mining |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Headquarters | Singleton , Australia |
Area served | Australia |
| Products | Coal |
| Owner | Oakbridge Pty Ltd and Nippon Oil Australia Pty Ltd |
| Parent | Glencore (via Oakbridge subsidiary) |
Bulga Coal Pty Limited is an Australian coal mining enterprise headquartered in Singleton, New South Wales. It operates two mining sites—Bulga Surface Operations and Beltana Longwall Mining—that together constitute the Bulga Coal Complex. This company functions as a joint venture between Oakbridge Pty Ltd and Nippon Oil Australia Pty Ltd, with an annual coal production nearing 16 million tonnes.
Company Ownership
Ownership of Bulga Coal is shared between Oakbridge Pty Limited and Nippon Oil Australia Pty Limited.
Oakbridge Pty Ltd, previously an Australian publicly traded company on the ASX, is predominantly controlled by the multinational mining corporation Glencore through its subsidiary Enex Oakbridge Pty Ltd, which holds a 78% ownership interest. Additional investors include Toyota Tsusho Corporation (operating via Tomen Corporation) and JFE SHOJI Trade Corporation, resulting in Glencore’s overall effective ownership in Bulga Coal Pty Ltd amounting to 68.25%.
Links to Glencore
Management of the mine falls under Glencore Coal Assets, Australia. Furthermore, the Bulga Coal Complex functions as the central office for Glencore Coal NSW, which is the largest operational division of Xstrata Coal.
History
The origins of the Bulga Coal Complex trace back to the Saxonvale Mine, initially developed by BHP Limited in 1982. Elders Resources took ownership in 1988 before selling it to Oakbridge Limited in 1989. Soon after, Nippon Oil from Japan acquired a portion of the mine and rebranded it as Bulga Coal. In 2000, Glencore, through Enex Resources Limited, purchased a share which was subsequently transferred to Xstrata plc following its listing on the London Stock Exchange.