The company’s plans for the mine, which are on public exhibition, involve extending the West pit in a southeasterly direction targeting the Ravensworth and Bayswater seams.

Open cut mining would proceed to a depth of 200m in an area that was previously mined to 30m.

The company is not proposing to change the current mining methods, extraction rate, employment numbers, coal processing, product transportation or operating hours.

As mining progresses, Xstrata is proposing to increase the West pit overburden emplacement height limit from its current 160m to 180m.

Xstrata’s environmental assessment states the key benefits of the modification would include maximising the coal resource recovery from an area previously disturbed by approved mining operations, thus eliminating land disturbance.

Other benefits include maintaining efficient use of existing infrastructure for mining, processing and transportation of coal and continued employment of the existing workforce for a further six years.

The Mt Owen Complex consists of the Mt Owen, Ravensworth East and Glendell open cut coal mines. All mines are owned and managed by Xstrata Mt Owen. Thiess operates Mt Owen Mine (excluding the coal handling and preparation plant and associated infrastructure) under a contracting agreement with Xstrata Mt Owen.

The integration of these adjacent Xstrata-owned operations enables all sites to utilise existing infrastructure and coal handling facilities at Mt Owen mine.