Located 15km north of Clermont on the western margin of Queensland’s Bowen Basin, the mine recently took delivery of two haul trucks, an excavator and a dozer.
According to Rio publication Mine Matters, the new equipment will initially be used to remove overburden.
Some of the equipment will then be used next year in conjunction with the Takraf in-pit crusher/conveyor to recover coal for the site's first shipment, scheduled for the second half of the year.
Full production capacity of 12.2 million tonnes per annum over the mine’s life of 17 years is expected to be reached in 2013. In the same year, Clermont will take over from the Blair Athol operation, which is being wound down.
Clermont will use truck and shovel methods to extract export thermal coal predominantly from the 45m-thick Wolfgang seam. Equipment will include P&H 4100XPC shovels and Komatsu 830EAC and 930-SE trucks.
Coal will be conveyed 13km to the Blair Athol stockpile and rail loadout facilities before being railed for export out of Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal.
A 380-strong workforce will keep the mine operational 24-7 and will be a mix of fly-in, fly-out employees and local residents.
Rio Tinto, with 50.1% ownership, will operate the Clermont mine on behalf of joint venture partners Mitsubishi Development (31.4%), J-Power Australia (15%) and JCD Australia (3.5%).
