Ulan No 3 mines the base level 3 metres of the Ulan seam for thermal coal.

The Ulan Seam generally dips uniformly towards the north-east at between one and two degrees, and the seam thickness averages 5 to 7 metres throughout the Ulan Mine Complex. It consists of ten separate plies, which are consolidated into four working sections within the open cut. The working sections are separated by thin claystone horizons.

The Ulan Underground (Ulan No.3) entry is via a drift portal entry adjacent to the Ulan Underground Offices. The Ulan Underground Mine Plan has main headings in the centre of the mine plan with approximately 400m wide longwall panels to the West and East. Development of roadways is completed using continuous miners with shuttle cars and conveyors to remove the coal. Ulan Underground will utilise standard longwall mining methods and target the economic portion of the Ulan Coal Seam. The longwall face is installed at the end of the panel furthest from the main headings and mining progresses toward the main headings to complete the longwall extraction. Panel extraction timing is outlined in MOP Plan 3A. The Ulan Underground is currently operating with an expected mine life up until approximately 2029.

During 2019 Ulan No.3 completed the extraction of LWW5 and heading development of LWW6 and commenced development of LWW7.

ROM coal is delivered to the HUB Stockpile via conveyors from Ulan No. 3 underground mine.

There is one dedicated reclaim valve for each underground mine and a shared reclaim valve. The reclaim valves deliver coal to the sizing station where it is crushed. The sizing station can send 50mm top size coal to the ROM stockpile, 50mm top size coal to the product stockpiles or 125mm top size coal to the CHPP. From the ROM stockpile there are three reclaim valves that send the coal into a surge bin with two feeders sending coal to the product stockpile. Underground coal can be delivered via the existing open cut conveyor system through a dump hopper surge bin with sizing and trash screen, bypassing the CHPP, to the product coal stockpile at 2000 tonnes per hour.

The CHPP has a flexible raw coal receivals system which allows either individual, or any combination of, direct plant feed, raw coal stockpiling or reclamation from the stockpile by a bucket wheel reclaimer. A co ........