Earlier this year, the Australian federal government appointed Simtars to manage the project, which is located 150km from Beijing at Xuandong mine, to showcase Australian mine technology.

The project is part of the Coal Mine Health and Safety project under the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate. It also falls under a memorandum of understanding on coal mine safety signed by the Australian and Chinese governments in 2006.

The Australian government has chipped in $A5 million for the project, while China’s State Administration of Work Safety and the owner of the Xuandong mine will also make contributions.

Simtars will coordinate and manage the project, including engaging subcontractors, managing logistics and disseminating project outcomes.

Those outcomes consist of conducting field research, including a safety audit at the mine; conducting risk assessment; establishing a Xuandong coal mine safety management system; fully implementing risk management; training; implementing technical cooperation; communicating project outcomes; and secondment including a study tour of Chinese mining personnel to Australian coal mines and mine safety research and training organisations.

The onsite study was carried out in March and a group of Chinese mining engineers visited Australian mines and research organisations in May and June. Further groups of senior mining personnel will visit Australia later this year.

A risk assessment of the Xuandong mine started in September and has focused on the key hazards identified in the onsite study.

The safety audit concentrated on five key areas – strata control issues; gas drainage, gas management and gas outburst; ventilation and gas management; equipment and operations; and emergency preparedness and response.

At around 1000 metres, the Xuandong mine is relatively deep compared to Australian coal mines. The depth of the mine intensifies the strata control issues and the nature of the coal (high gas content with low desorption rates), which has meant gas drainage and outburst management are among the key challenges facing the mine.

“There are many things the Chinese are doing that are of an excellent standard and their ability to mine in a very challenging environment impressed the Australian technical experts,” a Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism spokesperson told International Longwall News.

“However, as a world leader in mine safety, Australian mine safety management systems should offer some additional safety improvements to the Xuandong mine.

“Australia has taken over 100 years to achieve its current levels of safety and to develop the culture of safety which is now generally accepted as necessary for safe, profitable and sustainable mining practices.

“The Chinese are aiming to reach a similar point but in a much shorter timeframe, so drawing upon Australian expertise, technologies and approaches to mine safety can help improve their safety record.”

For Australian suppliers there will be some opportunities available to showcase their technologies and expertise at the mine.

For each stage of the project, or where additional expertise is required, a competitive tender process will apply, with advertisements in the national press calling for expressions of interest from suitably qualified suppliers.

The final decision on any new technologies purchased will be made by Xuandong’s mine management, as the company will be funding the purchases.

“Simtars will help facilitate the search for and communications with suppliers who can provide specific technologies, but at the end of the day any decision to purchase will be a commercial arrangement between the mine and the supplier,” the spokesperson said.

At the end of the project, Simtars plans to disseminate the results through industry briefings, conferences, papers and by involving others in the project.

The Chinese State Administration of Work Safety will also share the successful experiences of the demonstration project with other mines in China and more broadly.

“The dissemination of findings across Chinese mining should help encourage risk management and safety management in other Chinese coal mines. Other mines may also wish to introduce the advanced safety technologies introduced at the demonstration mine,” the spokesperson said.