Operations at the Gunnedah Basin mine are expected to start in early 2011 after development crews reach coal seams late this year.

The mine will initially produce 700,000 tonnes per year from continuous miners before the longwall is ramped up in 2011 to produce 6Mtpa of thermal and PCI coal. Maximum production is expected to be 8Mtpa.

Bucyrus will supply Narrabri with 146 two-leg 1378-tonne roof supports, a 3500 tonnes per hour PF 6/1242 armoured face conveyor powered by 2 x 1200kW motors with 2 KP-65 CST gearboxes , a Bucyrus Electra 3000 evo shearer with installed power of 2075kW, as well as a beam stage loader and all hydraulics, electrics and infrastructure.

The longwall will have full face automation using Bucyrus’s inertial measurement system based on IMAR 3D gyroscopes.

The 146 roof supports can be retrofitted for longwall top coal caving at a later date.

A decision on the use of LTCC is dependent on ongoing feasibility studies that will be subject to mining conditions experienced, in particular the caving characteristics of the coal seam.

If LTCC is selected as the preferred mining method, Bucyrus said the equipment can be easily retrofitted with the additional LTCC components.

The seam has a height of 9m, but initially, the mine will target the bottom 4.5m.