About BMA
Loading coal at our Norwich Park Mine
BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) is Australia's largest coal miner and exporter, and the world's largest supplier to the seaborne coking coal market. BMA is a 50/50 alliance between the world's largest diversified resources company and the world's largest general trading company. Combined, our two owners employ more than 84,000 people and have operations in more than 80 countries.
BMA was formed in June 2001, as a partnership between BHP Billiton and Mitsubishi Development Pty Ltd, under which the two companies share equal ownership and management of seven Central Queensland coal mines - Goonyella Riverside, Broadmeadow, Peak Downs, Saraji, Norwich Park, Gregory Crinum and Blackwater - and the Hay Point coal export terminal near Mackay. BMA at a Glance.
In addition, BMA manages the operations of BHP Mitsui Coal, which is owned by BHP Billiton (80%) and Mitsui and Co (20%). These include South Walker Creek Mine and Poitrel Mine.
BMA's operations provide significant benefits to the communities in which we operate, to the broader Central Queensland region and to the Queensland economy as a whole. BMA is the largest employer in the region and continues to play a key role in the economic development of Central Queensland. (see Our Contribution).
BMA has grown steadily since the first of our mines commenced operations almost forty years ago, and is currently in the early stages of a major new phase of expansion in response to strong growth in global demand for high quality coking coal.
Expansion projects have increased production capacity from 52 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) in 2004 to 58 Mtpa in 2007.
Employment at BMA is also growing, numbers have almost doubled in the last four years from around 4,500 in 2003 to 8,900 in 2007. While much of this increase can be attributed to contractors employed on specific expansion projects, BMA's own permanent workforce has also grown significantly to over 4,000.
While BMA was formed six years ago, both owners' interests in Queensland coal go back more than 30 years (see Our History ).