A COAL shortage that threatened jobs at AJ Bush & Sons has been resolved after an alternative source of coal was established this week.
An article posted on the Beaudesert Times website on Monday reported that the rendering company at Josephville had only 14 days supply of coal to keep the plant in operation.
AJ Bush Queensland manager David Kassulke said he received a call the next day from the State Development department offering assistance.
Mr Kassulke said the result was two coal trucks arriving yesterday afternoon.
"It was a very happy outcome, with the trucks delivering 80 tonnes of coal and another eight to come this week," he said.
"It's enough to carry us through past Christmas and hopefully we will be able to get our fuel from the same source in the future."
Mr Kassulke siad he understood that coal was a divisive issue with many people objecting to the use of fossil fuels.
"We have halved our coal consumption and I believe that solar combined with batteries is the way of the future for household power," he said.
"But unfortunately coal is still necessary to power industry."
Mr Kassulke said he was very appreciative of the support offered by all levels of government, including Scenic Rim Mayor Greg Christensen, state MP Jon Krause and federal member for Wright Scott Buchholz.
He said he was also grateful that the Beaudesert Times took an interest in his plight.
"This has been going on for a long time, years and years," he said.
"It still perplexes me that it went on for so long.
"But the story was posted on Monday and by Thursday we had coal, so it demonstrates how quickly problems can be resolved if the inquiry comes from the right angle."
