Bowen Coking Coal Ltd announce first coal processed and second Bluff vessel shipped
Published by Joe Toft,
Editorial Assistant
World Coal,
Bowen Coking Coal Ltd has processed first coal from its Broadmeadow East mine, near Moranbah, whilst shipping a second vessel of approximately 40 000 t of ultra-low volatile pulverised coal injection (ULVPCI) coal from its Bluff Mine near Blackwater, cementing itself as Queensland’s next independent metallurgical coal producer.
Broadmeadow East Pit
Mining at Broadmeadow East, the first pit in the enlarged Burton Complex, which also includes the nearby Lenton and Burton pits, has gained momentum with more than 100 000 t of run of mine (ROM) coal mined to date and further coal uncovered in the pit. Initial coal haulage to Fitzroy’s nearby Carborough Downs mine coal handling and processing plant (CHPP) has been slower than anticipated but is expected to ramp up during September as the haulage contractor mobilises more equipment. First coal has been processed over the weekend and sample analysis is underway for statutory export permits to pave the way for first coal sales in coming weeks.
Refurbishment work at the Burton CHPP and train load out facility (TLO) is underway. A fast tracked, phased recommissioning of the TLO is planned to start from early next quarter, opening the potential for additional bypass thermal coal sales while the CHPP is recommissioned. The refurbished CHPP is expected to wash first coal from Broadmeadow East in 1Q23. In the interim the company will utilise the Fitzroy CHPP and potentially other third-party infrastructure to process and ship coal until such time as the Burton CHPP and TLO are ready to do so. Some 200 rooms of the 350 plus person camp have now been fully refurbished and are being utilised by the mining contractor and infrastructure refurbishment crew.
Bluff Mine
The additional 400 t excavator mobilised at Bluff Mine is performing well and is assisting in accelerating overburden removal to achieve an ongoing ROM target of 80 000 tpm – 100 000 tpm early in the next quarter, representing an annualised production rate of between 1 million tpy and 1.2 million tpy ROM over four - six years to supply the global steel industry. Unseasonal wet weather required additional surface water management actions and COVID impacts on the mining and haulage workforce had some impact on short-term production.
Bowen Managing Director and CEO, Mr Gerhard Redelinghuys, said: “The second shipment of 40 000 t of high quality ULVPCI from Bluff has now sailed to a Tier 1 North Asian steel mill. In the face of a very tight labour market and some weather delays our team has performed well and production for the remainder of 2022 is fully committed to first class Asian steelmakers. Mining at Broadmeadow East is going extremely well after a rapid start up and in spite of similar staffing and weather challenges. Transforming the site from a padlock to mine our first 100 000 t within three months of mobilisation reflects a stellar effort by the entire team. Access to our own Burton CHPP and TLO is central to our plans and we are focusing a lot of our effort and resources on fast tracking the refurbishment process to support steady state production from Broadmeadow East as the first pit in the larger Burton complex.”
Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/mining/09092022/bowen-coking-coal-ltd-announce-first-coal-processed-and-second-bluff-vessel-shipped/
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