Rix's Creek CL0352 (Singleton SUA)

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This is coal lease CL0352 which is for the Rix's Creek open cut coal mine which is 100% owned by Bloomfield Group, a Hunter Valley based Australian family owned mining company. The lease was granted October 20, 1989 with an expiry date of October 23, 2031. The approximate area is 1814.7 hectares and the lease falls under Act year 1973.

The first coal was produced in 1990 and the mine continues to produce approximately 1.5 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of Run of Mine Coal compromised of both thermal coal and high quality, semi-soft coking coal for overseas and domestic customers.

The 1989 Development Consent for Rix’s Creek mine was issued under CL0352 which allowed mining operations for a period of 21 years from the date of approval. CL0352 included surface mining exclusions required by the then landowners, which prevented the operation of open cut mining activities. Following agreement being reached with the landholder’s, preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement began in order to allow surface mining to take place. This development application was approved on 16 October 1995 and ML 1432 issued on 24th June 1998 allowing open cut mining to occur over the entire area.

A truck and shovel method is used to remove and stockpile topsoil ahead of mining operations. Overburden is then drilled and blasted, with blasting requirements dependent on the characteristics of the overburden. Blasting is typically undertaken using Ammonium Nitrate and Fuel Oil (ANFO). Coal is currently extracted from two operational pits: Pit 1 to the east of the New England Highway; and Pit 3 to the west of the Highway and on the western side of Rix’s Creek. Ongoing mining continues concurrently in Pits 1 and 3 with production rates of around 2.5 Mtpa of ROM coal. Annual production is currently around 1.5 Mtpa of product coal. It is anticipated that current open cut coal extraction from the northern end of Pit 1 will be complete by the beginning of 2014, with coal extraction concentrated in Pit 3 after that time. With the completion of coal extraction from the northern end Pit 1, overburden will be progressively backfilled into the void prior to capping to final levels and rehabilitation.

Extraction of coal from Pit 2 ceased in 2003, with this pit utilised for tailings emplacement from 2005 onwards (as Tailings Emplacement No 3). This tailings emplacement area is expected to reach capacity by mid-2014, after which dewatering and rehabilitation will commence. Tailings will then be disposed into Tailings Emplacement No. 4 which is contained within the Pit 1 (North Pit) void. Bloomfield is also conducting trials of drying tailings to allow co-disposal with coarse reject within overburden emplacements. The existing Coal Handling and Processing Plant (CHPP) allows coal to be washed onsite and then transported by rail to the Port of Newcastle for blending and export. Coal stockpiles and the rail loading facility at the Mine are located outside of the current mining lease area, along the Integra rail loop.

Geologically, Rix’s Creek is situated in the Whittingham Coal Measures – a part of the Singleton Super Group including the Barrett, Liddell, Arties and Pikes Gully Seams.

References:

Bloomfield Group: www.bloomcoll.com.au/bloomfield/bfield/Operations/RixsC...

Environmental Report: www.bloomcoll.com.au/Portals/5/Files/RixsCreek/Continua...