Wambo
Wambo is one of Peabody's largest operating mines and
is located in the Hunter Valley, about 30 kilometres from
Singleton. Mining commenced in 1969. Wambo produces around
five million tonnes (5.5 million tons) of saleable thermal
coal a year.
The modern, productive open-cut mine is operated under
contract by Downer Edi Mining using truck and shovel fleets.
Coal is mined from nine plies within four coal seam groups:
Whybrow, Redbank Creek, Wambo and Whynot - with an overburden
ratio of around 7:1 bank cubic metres per tonne of run-of-mine
coal. A new underground longwall mine, North Wambo, is due
to be commissioned towards the end of 2007, and will extract
the Wambo seam.
Coal is railed 85 kilometres to the Port of Newcastle
for export. The quality and consistency of Wambo's coal
has enabled it to gain wide market acceptance among the
major Japanese power utilities for more than 30 years. Once
the longwall is operating, Wambo will produce low ash and
semi-soft coking coal in addition to its existing thermal
product.
Wambo's mining leases cover an area of more than 5300 hectares
and contain 202 million tonnes (222 million tons) of recoverable
coal in the Whybrow, Wambo, Redbank Creek, Whynot, Arrowfield
and Bowfield seams.
Peabody acquired the mine in October 2006.
