Vitrinite has become the first company to showcase the high-tech HW300 highwall miner at its Vulcan South mine in Queensland’s Bowen Basin.
The HW300 highwall miner can access coal seams that have gone untouched by traditional mining methods, boosting safety and lowering production costs in the process.
Queensland Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Dale Last met with Vitrinite staff and local leaders to mark the company’s first use of the machine.
“The HW300 Highwall Miner is a major leap forward for safety, efficiency and environmental impact reduction,” Last said. “It also reinforces Queensland’s reputation as a global leader in mining innovation.”
Last believes the tech has the potential to create skilled employment opportunities for rural Queenslanders.
“This investment is not only improving the productivity of the operation but is also creating skilled employment opportunities for Central Queensland,” he said.
“It is a vote of confidence in Queensland’s resources sector, and a vote of confidence in the Crisafulli Government’s agenda to support new and expanded mining opportunities across the state.”
Vitrinite chief operating officer Michael Callan said the new technology will give Vulcan South a boost.
“Today marks the culmination of six years of research on the highwall mining method, the HW300 unit and our resource conditions,” he said.
“We’re very proud to have the first dedicated unit in Australia and give this extraction method the dedicated focus it deserves.”
The Vulcan South mine is an open-cut metallurgical coal operation that is expected to produce two million tonnes per annum and support 450 jobs at its peak in 2027.
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