Wallarah

In February 2014 the New South Wales Department of Planning and Infrastructure gave its support to the Wallarah 2 underground coal project continuing through its approval stages, stating there was no reason to stop the project going ahead on environmental grounds, despite it having been rejected by the previous state government.

†Wallarah 2 Mine Approvals Expected by Mid-2014

The Wallarah 2 coal mine proponents are currently going through the processes of obtaining all necessary government approvals that should be completed in mid-2014. Once the approval stage is complete the mine construction stage will begin. This is expected to take a further three years before longwall operations at the underground mine can get underway.

Wallarah 2 Mine Being Developed by WACJV

The Wallarah 2 underground coal mining project, that is located to the north west of central Wyong on the New South Wales Central Coast, 45 kilometres south west Newcastle, is being developed by the Wyong Areas Coal Joint Venture (WACJV). A joint venture partnership led by Kores Australia, a wholly owned subsidiary of Korea Resources Corporation, a mining and investment organisation belonging to the Government of the Republic of Korea. Kores Australia holds an 82 percent interest in the WACJV, other Japanese and Korean shareholders include; Catherine Hill Resources Pty Ltd with five percent interest and Kyungdong Australia Pty Ltd , SK Networks Resources Australia (Wyong) Pty Ltd and SK Networks Resources Pty Ltd with 4.25 percent each.

The Wallarah 2 project will involve the following major infrastructure development:

• Administration buildings and maintenance plants†
• Water management and gas facilities
• Ventilation shafts and underground drift entry†
• Railway loading infrastructure, along with a rail loop†
• Storage and coal handling facilities

The project surface infrastructure is to be located on land zoned for industrial development. As it is an underground mining operation there will be a minimal surface footprint with all disturbance made compatible with surrounding land use. The main surface development will include three major developments, these being:

1. The Western ventilation shaft, located in the Wyong State Forest outside the mine lease. This shaft will be required for mine ventilation purposes by year 13

2. The main personnel access to the mine, employee amenities and offices, main ventilation facilities and the Buttonderry site surface development between the Wyong Waste Management Facility and Sparkes Road

3. Workshop and offices, water and gas management facilities, the rail loop and spur line and the Tooheys Road site surface facilities between the F3 Freeway and Motorway Link Road.

Wallarah 2 Underground Mine to Have a Life of 28 Years

The Wallarah 2 coal mining project is expected to create around 300 direct jobs and about 500 flow on jobs in supporting industries. The project will involve the construction and operation of an underground coal mine that is expected to have a life of mine of around 28 years, during which time it will mine up to five million tonnes of export quality thermal coal a year.

Underground mining at the Wallarah 2 mine will be undertaken by means†of a longwall method of mining. This will involve the creating of large panels of coal between a series of underground tunnels. These panels are then mined by what is known as a mechanical shearer that makes progressive passes along the coal face. Coal is taken away by a conveyor that has a number of hydraulic jacks supporting the roof of the mine while the coal is being extracted.

Coal at the Wallarah 2 mine is located at a depth of between 350 and 650 metres. It is to be accessed by a drift, a long sloped tunnel that starts on the surface at Tooheys Road.