The contract involves the construction of a 1,200 metre conveyor decline, including the creation of a large cut and cover access portal.

McConnell Dowell tunnelling manager David Logan said the work would take place over 12 months with a production rate of 40 metres per week.

The decline is six metres wide and 2.6 metres high, with the slope at 1 in 8.

The company will undertake excavation using drill and blast method to counter hard surface materials at the mine.

“The conglomerate and sandstone are exceptionally hard and previous contracts attempted with roadheaders have experienced considerable difficulties. Drill and blast is not affected by the high strength material,” said Logan.

Mandalong, located in News South Wales near Newcastle, holds marketable reserves of more than 60 million tonnes of high quality, low sulfur thermal coal. The ramp-up of the new mine is slated for January 2005.

The longwall orders for the mine were finalised in March this year, with the primary contract going to Joy Mining Machinery. Macquarie Manufacturing was contracted by Joy to supply the monorail system with material handling system, and Repower Mining International will supply the pump station. Ampcontrol will complete the site electrics for the Colliery.

McConnell Dowell have been a player in the mining sector for almost 45 years, offering risk management and construction solutions to the light metals, industrial minerals, non-ferrous metals, iron and steel and mining and mineral processing industries.

Its tunnelling group have successfully performed tunnelling contracts in the mining, transportation, cable and water sectors - offering construction solutions from drill and blast, road header, EPBM, TBM, micro-tunnelling through to horizontal directional drilling.