South32 withdraws Appin workforce over gas concerns

The New South Wales regulator has issued diversified miner South32 with a prohibition notice at its Appin underground mine, after the company on Wednesday evacuated its workforce over concern of a potential gas limit breach. The company has subsequently confirmed that no gas breach had occurred, but said the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment had still raised broader concern over recent gas exceedance events at the mine, which forms part of the Illawarra metallurgical coal operation.