Name and Location
Bulga coal optimisation project, New South Wales, Australia.

Client
Bulga Coal Management, a subsidiary of Glencore Coal.

Project Description
The project proposes to expand the Bulga opencut mining operations to access 205-million tonnes of coal from seams within and beneath the existing opencut mine; the expansion will enable the mine to continue operating until 2035.

The project will extend the life-of-mine for an additional 11 years, while maintaining the current production rate of 12.2-million tonnes a year of run-of-mine coal (RoM).

Coal will be processed at the existing coal-handling and preparation plant (CHPP) at a maximum rate of 20-million tonnes a year.

The project includes:
• extracting the resource from – Main, South and East contiguous pits – and the smaller Bayswater pit;
• two new out-of-pit overburden emplacements, comprising a 712 ha emplacement between the openpit and Charlton road to the west, and a 319 ha emplacement bund to the east of Brooke road;
• realigning infrastructure, which is currently within the proposed footprint, including Broke road and sections of the 330 kV electricity transmission line;
• processing the RoM at the existing CHPP, and loading product coal onto trains at the Saxonvale rail loop for transport to Newcastle port; and
• progressive rehabilitation to the site.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Value
The project is estimated at $368-million.

Duration
Not stated.

Latest Developments
The New South Wales Planning Assessment Commission (PAC) has approved the Bulga optimisation project.

The PAC has concluded that the project will have a relatively minor impact on the environment, if recommendations by the commission are implemented.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Bulga Coal Surface Operations, tel +61 2 6570 2400 or fax +61 2 6570 2450.
Bulga Underground Operations, tel +61 2 6570 4350 or fax +61 2 6570 4344.