Excel said the investment will increase Wambo’s production capacity by approximately 40%.

In 2002, Wambo took delivery of its current overburden fleet from Komatsu, comprising of two PC5500 backhoe-configuration excavators and eight 240-tonne capacity 830E dump trucks.

Following delivery of the new equipment, scheduled from December 2005 through to March 2006, the existing 830E trucks will be replaced and the expanded Wambo overburden fleet will comprise three PC5500 excavators and eleven new 930E-3 trucks.

Excel will recover $18 million from the replaced 830E trucks.

All of Wambo’s open cut equipment will continue to be operated under contract by Roche Mining.

Roche will provide additional open cut equipment to Wambo during 2005 to ramp up capacity in preparation for delivery of the new Wambo overburden fleet and to match ongoing coal mining and ancillary capacity to the expanded overburden capacity.

The A$56 million purchase was financed through Komatsu Australia Corporate Finance.

The expansion of Wambo open cut production is planned to coincide with commissioning of the Wambo Rail Project, scheduled for late 2005.