Wambo Coal AEMR 2011-2012 - Peabody Energy

2011-2012 AEMR
The construction of this diversion will allow the open
cut to progress mining the Bates South area and
provide future access to the proposed South Bates
underground longwall panels.
2.4 Mining
2.4.1 Production and Waste Summary
Table 2.1 provides a summary of coal production for
the 2011-2012 reporting period. During the
reporting period, a combined total of 8.746 (Mt) of
ROM coal was mined, representing a 0.18%
increase compared with the 2010-2011 reporting
period.
Stage 3 North Wambo Creek Diversion
QR Refuelling: Construction works are nearing
completion on this project which will allow the onsite
refuelling of the Queensland Rail (QR) locomotive
engines utilising the Wambo coal loading terminal.
The new refuelling facility includes a Transtank for
diesel storage, sanding tanks, structural steel
platforms at rail level, drainage works and oily water
management system. It is anticipated the remaining
installation works will be finished by August 2012
with commissioning completed by September 2012.
Location of the locomotive refuelling station (WES 2011)
Homestead Backfill Project: The Backfill Project
involves the placement of a grouted paste into the
old Homestead underground mine workings. These
workings are in the Whybrow seam some 40 metres
below the surface. In order to fill the old
underground roadways approximately 300
boreholes are planned. The boreholes are drilled
down to intersect the old workings and a paste
mixer is then used to produce a grouting mix that is
gravity fed into the boreholes until the void and
boreholes are filled.
Open cut operations in the reporting period were
undertaken generally in accordance with the Open
Cut MOP, however the provisional mine production
schedule in the Open Cut MOP for the 2011-2012
reporting period was not achieved. The provisional
mine production in the MOP for Financial Year 2012
estimated 8.9Mt ROM from the open cut. During the
reporting period the actual ROM for the open cut
was 3.949Mt. Market conditions and WCPL not
implementing the production increases with the
Contractor for the open cut has resulted in lower
production tonnages and lower volumes of waste
rock handling and topsoil removal.
During the reporting period, approximately
180,678m 3 of topsoil was recovered, whilst no
topsoil was used for rehabilitation purposes during
this reporting period. However WCPL planned to
spread approximately 273,660m 3 in the next
reporting period. Approximately 34,223,764bcm of
overburden material was removed during the
reporting period, almost 53% of the nominated
target of 63.7Mcm for FY12 as provided in the Open
Cut MOP.
Underground operations in the reporting period
were generally in accordance with the Underground
MOP. The provisional mine production schedule in
the Underground MOP for the 2011-2012 reporting
period allowed for approximately 2.872Mt ROM coal
mined. However the actual ROM coal for reporting
period was 4.797Mt, approximately 1.7% increase
on FY11.
2.4.2 Estimated Mine Life
Coal resources in the Colliery Holding and A444
exploration area are approximately 648 Mt with
greater than 64.3% (416.7 Mt) of the resource at
measured status. WCPL has approval to mine up to
14.7 Mt per annum of ROM coal for 21 years from
2004 within the Colliery Holding. This mining will
take place through the existing Open Cut operations
in the Whybrow, Redbank Creek, Wambo and
Whynot seams and Underground mining in the
Wambo seam.
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