The summarised mining sequence will follow a process that is generally common to other surface coal mines:
- Clearing and topsoil stripping ahead of the mining operation will be carried out progressively, with a practical minimum of disturbed area maintained ahead of mining. Topsoil will be stockpiled for later rehabilitation;
- The weathered upper waste areas are expected to be free-dug, using scrapers, excavators and trucks, without the need for drill and blast operations;
- Competent waste material will then be drilled and blasted below the free-dig zone, and removed in benches ahead of coal mining, using excavators and trucks assisted in part by dozers. Waste material will be placed on in-pit and ex-pit dumps as required. As much waste as possible will be placed back in-pit. The mine design also allows for waste to be dumped into adjacent pit areas;
- Coal will be mined using excavators, front-end loaders and trucks, with the ROM coal trucked to a stockpile adjacent to the CHPP;
- The waste dumps will then be rehabilitated by reshaping and the stockpiled topsoil will be placed onto the reshaped dumps. Revegetation completes the mining process. This will happen progressively as the mining operation advances.
Both the ODS and Willunga domains include geographically extensive subcrops, and the mining strategy used is to progressively extract coal down from the subcrops, opening new areas along strike as necessary to maintain the required p ........
