Broadmeadows

The BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) owned Broadmeadows underground coal mine in the Bowen Basin Region of Queensland, 25 kilometres from the town of Moranbah, has had its life of mine extended for a further 21 years, along with the increasing of its productive capacity by 0.4 million tonnes of coal a year, as a result on an expansion program announced in March 2011.

Longwall Mining began at the Broadmeadows Underground Mine in August 2005
The long wall mining operations commenced in August 2005 at the Broadmeadow mine that is situated on the Goonyella mining lease. The Goonyella open cut mine began operations in 1971 and it merged with the Riverside open cut in 1989. From then on it became known as the Goonyella Riverside mine. Coal reserves at the Riverside mine became depleted in 2005.

Broadmeadows Mine Produces Medium Volatile Hard Coking Coal
The ownership of the Broadmeadows underground coal mine is vested in BMA, a company that is jointly owned by BHP Billiton and Mitsubishi Development Pty Ltd. The Broadmeadows mine produces medium volatile hard coking coal that is exported to the Middle East, Asia, South America, South Africa, Europe, Japan and India.

BMA has Two Underground Mines in the Bowen Basin
BMA owns and operates six other coal mines in the Bowen Basin Region of Queensland besides the Broadmeadows mine, along with the Hay Point terminal near Mackay from where the coal is exported. The Central Queensland coal rich Bowen Basin covers an area of 75,000 square kilometres. Most of the BHP Billiton coal mines operating in the Bowen basin are mined by the open pit method except for the Crinum and Broadmeadow mines that are both underground long wall operations.

Broadmeadows Underground Began Life as an Open pit Mining Operation
The Broadmeadow mine was originally an open cut mining operation that had become un-economically until BMA reconstructed the operation into an underground mine in April 2004. The Broadmeadows coal seam is accessed by tunnelling under the highwall, a method known as 'punch long wall' mining. This method allowed BMA to avoid high cost development work.

Leightons Developed the Beaconsfield Underground Project
Mining contracting firm Leightons were contracted to develop the drives at the Beaconsfield underground project, which are between two and three kilometres in length, in order to gain underground access to the coal seam. Leightons used two continuous miners to develop the drives which allowed the coal to be removed with the use of conveyors. Once the drives were completed the coal seam was mined using the long wall mining method. Leightons then set about developing the next set of drives.

Leightons developed 6,900 metres annually that produced 170,000 of run- of-mine ROM coal a year. The Leighton contract at the Broadmeadows mine involved underground development mining, engineering and maintenance work and project management.

Broadmeadows Mine First to use Longwall Top Coal Caving Technology
The longwall top coal caving method of mining introduced at the Broadmeadows mine was the first to be installed in Queensland. The mine is expected to lift recoveries from 60 percent to 90 percent in the Goonyella Middle Seam from 2013 onwards, with increased production rates heading towards the design capacity of more than eight million tonnes annually.

BMA is the Largest Coal Producer in Australia
BMA is the largest coal producer in Australia in that it accounts for over 25 percent of all of Australia's yearly coal exports and 28 percent of the global seaborne trade in metallurgical coal. BMA mines, together, have a capacity to be able to produce over 50 million tonnes of high-quality coking, weak coking, PCI and thermal coal a year to more than 60 customers in 24 countries.
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