A third Queensland coal miner has confirmed job cuts as it prepares to close one of its underground mine sites, with the company also putting the blame on rising costs and state government royalties.

QCOAL announced on Friday that one of its two underground sites at the Cook Colliery mine, near Blackwater in central Queensland, would shut down in the coming weeks.

The project employs about 170 people and is operated by contractor Core Crew.

QCOAL said the closure at Cook Colliery would mean redundancies for workers or changes to existing positions, with employees to be consulted over the next two weeks before closure in early October.

The number of job losses remains unclear but it is understood that about half the workforce may be affected.

The looming shutdown comes just days after

See Full Page