A mine in central Queensland, Australia, has made history as the first in Australia to deploy an advanced highwall mining system to extract coal with new efficiency.
Minister for Natural Resources and Mines, Dale Last, joined Vitrinite staff and community leaders last week to mark the first use of the company’s highwall miner (a Gainwell Engineering GHWM300M) at its Vulcan South mine.
The GHWM300M Highwall Miner provides access to coal seams that traditional methods cannot reach, improving operational safety, reducing production costs and minimising land disturbance.
These units are manufactured by India-based Gainwell under licence from Caterpillar, with technology developed and refined in the US mining industry over many decades.
Vitrinite announced it would purchase a GHWM300M Highwall Miner back in 2022.
Vitrinite’s Vulcan South mine is an open-pit operation that produces steelmaking coal with the mine expected to produce almost 2 Mt/y of metallurgical coal and support around 450 jobs at peak in 2027.
Minister Last said he was proud to see a Queensland mine leading the nation with innovative technology that improved safety and boosts regional job opportunities.
“The HW300 Highwall Miner is a major leap forward for safety, efficiency and environmental impact reduction,” he said. “It also reinforces Queensland’s reputation as a global leader in mining innovation.”
Vitrinite Chief Operating Officer, Michael Callan, said there were only about 90 HW300 Highwall Miners in operation around the world.
“Today marks the culmination of six years of research on the high-wall mining method, the HW300 unit and our resource conditions,” Callan said. “The HW300 offers several key benefits for Queensland including reduced environmental impact, lower cost-efficient mining and enhanced safety and productivity.
“We’re very proud to have the first dedicated unit in Australia and give this extraction method the dedicated focus it deserves.”
