Wesfarmers Limited has approved a major project to expand the reserves of its Curragh mine in Queensland.
The $130 million project will see the diversion of Blackwater Creek located within Curragh's existing mining leases which in turn will allow access to some 47 million tonnes of run-of-mine coal (36.8 million tonnes product coal), of which some 65 per cent is high quality hard coking coal.
On completion, the project is expected to deliver operational efficiencies.
Regulatory approvals for the diversion of Blackwater Creek have been obtained from the Federal Minister for the Department of Environment, Heritage and the Arts, the Queensland Environmental Protection Authority and the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water.
Curragh has selected Downer EDI Mining Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Downer EDI Limited, to undertake the project works which are expected to be completed within the last quarter 2009.
Revegetation works will occur progressively until December 2010 when it is anticipated that the project will be completed.
The optimisation of reserves at the Curragh mine through the diversion of Blackwater Creek will allow Curragh to continue to export coal at 7mtpa, with a consistent higher proportion of high quality hard coking coal, through to 2025.
