Wilpinjong
Click here to view the Wilpinjong environmental monitoring
and approvals documents.
Wilpinjong mine is located 10 kilometres south-east of Ulan
mine and 40 kilometres north-east of Mudgee. Mining commenced
in late 2006 and annual production is expected to ramp up
to eight million tonnes (8.8 million tons) by 2011.
The open-cut mine is operated under contract by Thiess
using a truck and shovel fleet. It has an average overburden
ratio of less than 2:1 bank cubic metres per run-of-mine
tonne.
The 2800 hectare mining lease contains recoverable reserves
of 150 million tonnes (165 million tons) of thermal coal.
About 120 million tonnes (132 million tons) of the marketable
reserve of domestic coal has been committed to Macquarie
Generation under a long-term supply contract. The contract
with Macquarie Generation is to supply up to seven million
tonnes (7.7 million tons) of coal a year for its Bayswater
and Liddell power stations for a period of 19 years commencing
in 2007.
In addition to its domestic sales, Wilpinjong exports coal to
Asia, with the export coal railed to the Port of Newcastle.
