The lecture will be delivered by Ian Tredinnick, the environment and external affairs manager for BHP Billiton’s Mt Arthur Coal open-cut mining operation in the Upper Hunter Valley.

By drawing on examples from Mt Arthur Coal and other operations in Australia and South America he will explore the technologies and costs associated with operating in a range of physical and social settings. Developing mines in isolated locations, remote from direct community interaction, would potentially quarantine significant mineral reserves. In addition, the capital and operating costs associated with building and operating infrastructure in remote locations can be significant.

In contrast, the willingness to develop best practice mine design and operating practices can enable large-scale mining operations to coexist adjacent to regional communities. Residential areas, vineyards, horse studs, olive plantations and large scale open cut coal mining are not normally found side by side. This is the challenge being addressed by Mt Arthur Coal.

As a major stakeholder in surface coal mining operations in Australia through its associations with BHP Billiton in Qld and Rio Tinto in NSW, Mitsubishi Development is supporting minerals tertiary education at UNSW. The range of initiatives include undergraduate scholarships and a lecture series on surface mining. The lecture series is being developed in a flexible, distant delivery format to facilitate sharing with other Australian and Japanese universities.

Further information: Prof Jim Galvin, 0417 710 476, fax: (02) 9144 4199, J.Galvin@unsw.edu.au