Published in June 2008 Australian Longwall Magazine

The order is a significant one for Joy, supplying 13 separate pieces of equipment for the underground operation and implementing an intense training and skills development program at the mine.

Joy will supply three miners, six shuttle cars, three breaker feeders, one multi-bolter, one reclaim feeder and one tertiary crusher.

The development equipment includes two 12CM12-5.4D miner bolters and one 12CM12-4.0D miner bolter; six 10SC32BC-56 shuttle cars, three BF14-14A feeder breakers; and a 2337 multi-bolter.

On the surface Narrabri will install a BF-29C-62-11F reclaim feeder breaker and a MVT800 2500 tertiary crusher.

The equipment will be tested and delivered in three segments in December 2008, February 2009 and May 2009.

Joy has used FACEBOSS control platforms and HFX drill rigs across the entire fleet to drive standardization – an important part of simplifying the training.

“Beginning a new mine in a new area will require intense focus on training and skills development of people while providing proven, reliable equipment,” Joy said.

Joy will work directly with the Narrabri team to develop skills training packages.

“Employees of Narrabri will be brought into our manufacturing facilities to better understand the machine build-up and maintenance requirements. We will also be working with local technical schools to implement skills based courses along side Narrabri,” Joy said.

While the Gunnedah area is not short on opencut miners and farmers, who according to now retired former managing director Keith Ross “make good miners”, a new skills set of underground mining will need to be taught.

Ross said “a very active training program” would develop clean skins for the mine.

Joy’s equipment will initially be used on Stage 1 of the Narrabri development using bord and pillar extraction methods.

A cutting height of 4.2m will be used on the 8-9m seam.

Narrabri North expects first coal by mid 2009. Ross said earlier this year Whitehaven had applied for a permit to produce up to 2.5 million tonnes per annum, but said realistically the mine during bord and pillar operations would produce 1.5Mtpa as it would drive gateroads before developing a longwall under Stage 2 of the project.