Industry news is that Sibelco (old unimin) have bought the Galong lime operations from Boral.
History:
The Galong deposit was first mined in 1885 with significant mining activity in the 1920s producing quicklime, which is used in the production of cement. The mine re-opened in the 1960s and again in 1994. In 2001, the lease was altered to extend the mineable area of land from 16 hectares to 160 hectares; resources of 20 million tonnes of limestone have been defined within the proposed limit of mining. In 2003, the mine was acquired by Boral. It now produces lime for agricultural lime used for farming canola and grain. The site produces approximately 300,000 tons per year, about one quarter of the requirements for the state of New South Wales. Apart from agricultural purposes, a major consumer of lime from Galong is the Port Kembla steel works. A lime kiln was built at the mine in 2003/04 to allow the production of quicklime for use in cement, but the equipment chosen was not suitable for the lime deposit and it was closed down in Oct 2011.
