NSW jobs in the mining sector took a positive step forward with the Donaldson Coal approval being approved by the government for the underground longwall and shortwall extension.
About 48 new coal mining jobs in New South Wales would be created at the Abel underground mine in Maitland.
This new approval will allow Donaldson Coal to extract an additional 10 million tonnes of coal using modern underground coal mining methods, including pillar extraction.
Donaldson Coal had originally applied to the State government to modify in 2007 approval for the Abel underground mine, near Maitland.
The effects of subsidence to local cliffs, watercourses and nearby homes and infrastructure were some of the main concerns raised during the submission process. In approving the mine modification the Department of Planning said the impact of the new� underground mining operation would be minor and the benefits to the local community and the state of NSW ($75 million in royalty contributions) significantly outweigh the potential environmental impact.
An extra 10 million tonnes of coal could be extracted
Owing to new proven mining techniques which utilises the latest underground extraction technologies, Donaldson Coal says it can be more efficient in extracting the coal. They will achieve this by using long and short wall mining and pillar extraction in the areas that warrant this type of mining methodology.
An extra 10 million tonnes of coal could be extracted using these methods. This would increase the annual output from four and a half million tonnes to just over six million tonnes, and in the process would extend the life of the mine by two years. This news was welcomed by the community of Maitland which has seen it’s fair share of mining job challenges.
About the Abel Coal Mine
The Donaldson Coal Abel Underground Mine is located about 25 kilometres from the Port of Newcastle in NSW. The mine is adjacent to the high wall of the Donaldson Open-Cut Mine.
The Mining Operation
At the moment Abel is a board and pillar operation, which uses continuous miners for first workings and secondary coal extraction. This two stage process is a proven method when mining irregular shaped coal deposits. This method makes it easy to adjust the extraction operation whist allowing for more efficient management of subsidence.
Coal Preparation and Transportation
Once the coal is extracted, it is sent by conveyor to the surface infrastructure area of the Donaldson Open Cut Mine. One the coal has reached this point it is transported to the Bloomfield Coal Handling and Preparation Plant. Here the coal is washed and processed, loaded onto rail cars and transported to the Port of Newcastle, where it is loaded onto ships ready for export.
About Donaldson Coal & Yancoal
Donaldson Coal is a subsidiary company of Yancoal, which is the ninth largest�coal company in the world (based on current resource reserves).
Yancoal Australia is a large mining company with a wide range of mining activities, incoluding metallurgical and thermal coal mines in New South Wales and Queensland. |
Not so long ago, it merged with Gloucester Coal Limited and listed on the ASX. Yancoal Australia Limited is now one of Australia’s largest listed coal producers with an estimated 3.4Bt of resources, 800Mt of reserves with plans to increase production to approximately 22Mtpa to 25Mtpa by 2016.
- NSW Mining Jobs Donaldson Coal
www.doncoal.com.au - NSW Mining Jobs Yancoal Australia
www.career10.successfactors.com/career?company=YANCOAL
Mining Jobs with Donaldson Coal and Yancoal
The new approval to extend the underground mining operations at the Donaldson Coal Abel Mine in NSW is yet another example that mining jobs are still up for grabs.
Underground mining is a completely different style of mining from open-cut and requires a whole new set of skills as well as the mindset to work an underground mining job. There are certain qualifications you need before you can apply for an entry level mining job in underground operations.
- Mining Induction (Standard 11)� (Compulsory for Queensland)
- Coal Board Medical examination (Compulsory)
- First Aid course (recommended)
Learn more about how to go about getting a mining job
- Subscribe to iMINCO Project News
- Get the free book on the “Experts Guide To Entry Level Mining Jobs“
- Download the Mining Jobs Guide – it`s packed with the latest mining information for job seekers
iMINCO Mining Information Reference: NSW Jobs – Underground Coal Mine Approved Donaldson Coal Abel Mine
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