Eddie McDonough, joint managing director, said Macquarie was extremely excited with the order as the project had been discussed over a lengthy period of time, with numerous changes to format and requirements.

“The agreed upon concept is rather simple in design as the major electrical equipment will be mounted further inbye at the stage loader. Emulsion feed requirements were considered a major factor to satisfy the demand of the longwall face,” McDonough said.

Filtration, rail storage, equipment enclosures and possibly installation platforms will be monorail-mounted, providing an integrated, self-contained system.

Glennies Creek will be the first Australian mine to adopt Macquarie’s new beam end connection. This system was designed for suitability with their export aluminium rail, but has yet to be utilised with the steel beam.

The maingate heights are limited to approximately 2300mm, with a number of rolls of various angles. A cross-grade also exists.

The system design allows for services retraction increments of up to 300m. Design will be modular to facilitate efficient installation in addition to the end-of-panel relocations. Transportation devices will be utilised for the process.