Carborough Downs is an underground coking and pulverised coal injection (PCI) mine operated by Carborough Downs Coal Management.
Joint venture partners Vale (80%), Tata Steel, Nippon Steel and Posco (all 5%) and JFE Steel and JFE Shoji (2.5% each) will invest a total of $A401 million to increase production at the mine from 1 million tonnes per annum to 4.9Mtpa run-of-mine from the third quarter of 2009.
The expansion will include a longwall mining system from Inbye Mining, comprising a coal cutting system, roof supports and coal clearance system, as well as an additional 500 tonnes per hour module for the existing coal handling and preparation plant, along with associated infrastructure.
Construction on the expansion is due to begin this month, with the longwall system expected to be fully installed by June 2009.
