Ivanhoe north

The Ivanhoe North coal mine, owned by Centennial Coal, had only been operating since 2010. It was mainly involved in cleaning up the coal left over at the old abandoned Cullen Main West Mine, 22 kilometres from the city of Lithgow. Since ceasing production in 2012 the area is now being rehabilitated by the mine owner.

The Ivanhoe North coal mine, when working, between 2010 and 2012, carried out limited open cut mining operations removing thermal coal from the Lithgow and Lidsdale coal seams, while at the same time carrying out rehabilitation work at the abandoned Cullen Main West Mine. The Cullen Main West was an open pit and underground coal mine that began operations after the Second World War finished in the 1940's but closed again in the early 1950's. It was later reopened by the Ivanhoe Colliery when it undertook mining of the seams by the old bord and pillar method. The bord and pillar technique of mining, sometimes referred to as room and pillar, was commonly used before longwall mining was introduced in the 1960's. It is achieved by using a grid of mine tunnels and continually cutting panels into the seam while leaving behind pillars of coal to support the roof. Some mines still use this method today, although it is becoming progressively outdated as new, improved techniques are introduced.

When Centennial Coal took on mining at Ivanhoe North in 2010 it had the job of extracting around 550,000 tonnes of coal left behind at the old mine site. It did this by truck and shovel and actually achieved a production level of 610,000 tonnes over three years. The coal was crushed at the mine site before being transported by truck to the either the Wallerawang or Mt Piper power stations, the Lidsdale railway siding, or the Western Main Colliery. As mining was taking place the company was also getting on with the job of rehabilitating the abandoned pit floor as well as the progressive open cut area it was working in.

In its last full year of production, 2011, the mine produced 0.18 million tonnes and all portable buildings and the crusher plant have now been removed. Rehabilitation work at the site included back-filling the open cut, contouring of the land, spreading top soil, seeding with native plants and fertilising. Considerable drainage work also had to be undertaken. The rehabilitation will undergo close monitoring until all parties are satisfied the area has been returned to match the natural surroundings.