Keynote speaker was the executive director of the Australian Coal Association, Mark O'Neill. Global markets and their impact on coal 30 years out was the focus of his talk. O'Neill said that over the two years he has represented the interests of the coal mining industry in Canberra attitudes have begun to shift and there was a greater realisation of the crucial role coal played in Australia’s economy.

Director of Energy Economics, Clyde Henderson address the topic `Where are longwalls headed in the future?' Ten longwall mines have closed or are about to close in the last two years and longwall mine’s share of Australian production has declined. Henderson said demand for imported coal between 2002 and 2012 was predicted to rise by 1.8% per annum for metallurgical coal and by 2.7% pa. Improving competitiveness in the higher growth steam coal export sector was an important focus.

Local and international case studies were covered. Ron Hite, general manager of Shanxi Asian American - Daning Energy Company described the onerous process of obtaining mining approvals in China. The Daning longwall mine is expected to produce around 6Mtpa by 2004.

Local mines Glennies Creek and West Wallsend were covered. The move to longwall mining this year at Glennies Creek and the installation of new equipment, marks a new era of mine efficiency and productivity.

West Wallsend has taken equipment through faulted ground in two faces and operators have learnt many valuable lessons. One of the most important issues is changing the focus of shifts away from producing the most tonnes, which is not the way to mine through difficult ground.

Day two of the conference focused on occupational health, safety, environmental issues and minimising accidents. Greg Rowan, chairman of the Queensland Emergency Exercise Management Committee, outlined findings from the simulated emergency exercises conducted in Queensland since 1998. The most recently run exercise was at North Goonyella in early November with the exercise based on the diesel vehicle fire which occurred at the Avon colliery in 1976. Full results are yet to be totally analysed. Rowan pointed out that duty cards do not bring control because they cannot set objectives, prioritise or analyse. In relation to the commitment of neighbouring or sister operations helping with first response, Rowan said the recent exercise may have faltered if not for the commitment of the nearby MIM-owned Newlands mine. He also said there was now overwhelming evidence that the self-escape philosophy was the best way of improving the chances of people staying alive in emergency situations.

David Moult, general manager operations, Centennial Coal Company, provided an overview of the company’s longwall operations. (See related story.)

Other speakers included the director of the Minerals Industry Safety and Health Centre at the University of Queensland, Jim Joy, and coalmining coordinator - group leader mine engineering with CSIRO Exploration and Mining, Mick Kelly.

The emphasis then switched to automation, maintenance and improving productivity. Director of Southern Engineering Services, Owen Kreilis, chaired the final session of the day to look at some of the issues behind the $10 million to $15 million spent each year on maintenance in longwall mining.

Brad Neilson of Joy Mining said partnerships between longwall operators and OEMs were the way of the future. This involved an interchange of monitoring, operating and rebuild data between parties as had been put in place at the United colliery in NSW.

Ray Chadwick of DBT said mines overspecifying products were sometimes the cause of problems. Prescriptive specifications with demanding warranties made it difficult for the best maintenance programs to be instituted.

Some 100 delegates attended the IIR run conference from a wide cross-section of the longwall mining industry.