A number of new mining methods, such as LTCC and wider faces, have ramped up this year in Australia. What are the ramifications of this now and in the long term?

As resources are depleted in the mining industry, new technologies and methods are bound to be employed to create opportunities and alternatives which were not previously viable. Similarly in Australia, mineable reserves with “traditional” longwall methods are diminishing and operators are increasingly considering and adopting new and alternate methods of mining.

As with any new or adapted technologies and methods, it is expected that the typical learning curve will step in with reduced outputs in the short term and technological glitches addressed in the beginning, but with cumulative benefits to be reaped in the longer term.

LTCC and wider faces are typical variations on longwall mining methods, but other flexible mining methods with continuous miners, continuous haulage systems and combinations thereof, are already evident in the Australian coal industry. New mining methods and technologies are imperative to the prosperity of the industry.

A number of junior and mid-tier coal explorers and producers are currently carrying out exploration, feasibility studies and bringing mines onto line. What does this mean for consultants, and for the Australian industry as a whole?

Generally, this is a healthy situation. Economically it makes sense and sets the scene for a competitive market, domestically and internationally. It adds dynamics to the industry which evolves into the next level of economic and commercial activity through take-overs, mergers and acquisitions and the like.

Consultants benefit from this on both tiers, i.e. new clients and new projects to be developed, and the flow-on effect of commercial transactions as the industry and market players stabilise in the longer run.

In your eyes what is the most important R&D project (private or publicly funded) happening at the moment and why?

Most R&D projects are initiated by a need which will fill an identified gap in the industry, and are therefore important in their own right – if this was not the case, the project would have not attracted finance in the first place.

If one project has to be singled out though, it would probably be the drive towards automation of underground equipment and processes to alleviate the exposure of personnel to hazards, and refine the thrust towards quality and consistency in operations and products.

Xstrata Coal’s Beltana mine is the highest producing underground longwall mine in Australia (6.8Mt for 2006), and it has been reported that the positive attitude to automation across the entire workforce has had a major influence on this achievement.

Automation should not be seen to replace human beings, but rather improving working conditions and risk levels, and securing the flow-on effects of accuracy and consistency in mining processes.

Various forms of automation projects have been initiated and have been ongoing for years, illustrating the importance of realising the benefits for the industry.

What progress has been made in improving the way roof falls are managed?

The industry has and is investing significant resources in developing technology and processes to prevent roof falls, but also to minimise the consequential effects if they do occur in underground environments.

This is driven by ever-improving safety targets and historic evidence of the effect roof falls can have on productivity and cost profiles. Technologies such as thermal infrared cameras, ground penetrating radar and ultra wide band technology to only name a few, have been developed through research to allow a more preventative approach to longwall cutting and limiting roof exposure, with technologies such as gamma-ray detection already proven successful in various continuous miner applications.

Pro-active technologies through seismic detection have also been developed to act as warning systems, and recent live tests at Xstrata’s Ulan Coal by the CSIRO proved promising.

Mining production equipment is continuously adapted to allow for improved support techniques and to allow for alternative methods and patterns as proposed by geotechnical engineers.

Needless to say, support materials and consumables are continuously improved to improve ergonomics of installation, reduce cost and support times, and increase quality and consistency of installations.

How big an impact are consultants making on the strategic direction of companies and mines as the role of the consultant grows in the face of the continuing skills shortage?

Coal mining operators are constrained by the skills shortage on the one hand but also pressured by an effort to increase efficiency and capacity to take full advantage of the booming market conditions.

This requires an increased deployment of resources to current operations and issues, with reduced in-house capability for strategy development. Mining companies are therefore relying more on the expertise of consultants to assist, and in some cases lead activities to develop strategic plans where an immediate outcome is not imperative, but the appropriate direction for the future is of extreme importance.

Many consultancy firms are well equipped with the appropriate skills and capabilities to deliver an effective and professional service in this area, resulting in an increased involvement and impact made in the mining industry.

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