A study commissioned by the company assumes that longwall faces will use either shearers or plows for coal cutting.

Generally, shearers would be preferred to standardise mine production and equipment, according to Prairie.

Mine roadway development in the study mine plan assumes a hybrid approach, utilising traditional Polish steel arched roadways driven by roadheaders for main or lateral headings, and modern continuous miner driven roof bolted roadways for longwall gateroads.

“On the basis of specialised testing of core and detailed modelling by Golder Associates, the study has demonstrated that the use of primary roof bolting in roadways is a practical solution for roadway support,” Prairie said.

“This solution for roadway support offers substantial advantages in terms of unit costs due to improved speed of roadway development, lower consumable costs related to roof bolts and mechanised installation, and manpower reduction.”