South Walker Creek ML4750

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This is mining lease ML4750 which is for the South Walker Creek coal mine which is owned by BHP Billiton at 80% and Mitsui and Company at 20%. ML4750 falls under permit ID 107980, permit name KEMMIS-WALKER which was approved jULY 13, 1978 with an expiry date of July 31, 2020. The approximate area is 11390 hectares and the authorized lease holder name is BHP Billiton Mitsui Coal PTY Limited.

Annual production capacity is 3.2 million tonnes of marketable coal, which is suitable for Pulverised Coal Injection (PCI) and measured and Indicated coal resources are 298 million tonnes (2003). The mine area covers a total strike length of 16km and the mine was opened to produce and test the acceptance of South Walker Coal in the Pulverised Coal Injection (PCI) and thermal coal export marketplace. The mine uses a single dragline and two excavators, along with a fleet of rear dump trucks that transport ore to the onsite processing plant for beneficiation. The metallurgical and thermal coal is exported to Japan, Europe and Brazil.

The initial development contained an 11 to 12 metre thick single coal seam dipping to the west at eight degrees. Continued development of the mine north and south has seen changes in the seam such as variations in dip, thickness, coal quality, and the introduction of seam splitting and faulting. Approximately 80 million tonnes of open cut marketable reserves are available. The current production rate is 3.5 million tonnes a year over the term of the contract, with overburden removal of 75 million BCM over the term of contract.

Video of dragline operating at South Walker Creek: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT_049nh9oc