Name of the Project
Wilpinjong coal mine extension project.

Location
The project is situated in the Western coalfield about 40 km north-east of Mudgee, in New South Wales, Australia.

Client
Wilpinjong Coal, a wholly owned subsidiary of Peabody Energy Australia.

Project Description
The Wilpinjong coal mine is an existing opencut coal mining operation.

The mine is approved to produce 15-million tonnes a year of run-of-mine (RoM) coal and 12.5-million tonnes a year of thermal coal products, which are currently transported by rail to domestic customers for use in electricity generation and to port for export. The project proposes a seven-year extension to the life of the Wilpinjong mine and associated extensions to the existing opencut mine, infrastructure relocations, and supporting ancillary development.

This will include:
• opencut mining of RoM coal from the Ulan and Moolarben coal seam in mining licence (ML) 1573 and in new mining lease application areas in exploration licence (EL) 6169 and EL 7091;
• about 800 ha of opencut extensions, which include about 500 ha of incremental extensions to the existing opencut pits in areas of ML 1573 and EL 6169, and the development of a new opencut pit of about 300 ha in EL 7091 (Pit 8);
• production of about 16-million tonnes a year of RoM coal;
• the continued use of the Wilpinjong coal mine coal-handling and preparation plant, general coal handling and rail loading facilities, and other existing and approved supporting mine infrastructure;
• the production and rail transport of about 13-million tonnes a year of thermal product coal to domestic and export customers (within existing maximum and yearly average daily rail limits);
• the relocation of a section of the TransGrid Wollar to Wellington 330 kV electricity transmission line (ETL) to facilitate mining in Pit 8;
• various local infrastructure relocations to facilitate the mining extensions, for example, the realignment of Ulan-Wollar road and associated rail level crossings, and the relocation of local ETLs and services;
• the construction and operation of additional mine access roads from Ulan-Wollar road to service new mining facilities located in pits 5 and 8;
• construction and operation of new ancillary infrastructure in support of mining, including mine infrastructure areas, RoM pads, haul roads, electricity supply, light vehicle roads, access tracks, remote crib huts, upslope diversions, dams, pipelines and other water management structures;
• the extension of the approved mine life by about seven years;
• ongoing exploration activities; and
• other associated minor infrastructure, plant and activities.

Jobs to be Created
The project will have a peak operational workforce of about 625 people.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Value
The project is estimated at $101.02-million.

Duration
Not stated.

Latest Developments
None stated.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Peabody Energy Australia, tel +61 7 3225 5500, +61 7 3225 5555 or email info@peabodyenergy.com.