DENDROBIUM coal mine has overcome community concerns to develop a new $6 million coal sizer to make coal slabs more manageable.
While the technology is not new, the technology was implemented in an area close to residents in the Port Kembla region with minimal disruption.
“The sizer was installed for personnel safety and equipment reliability issues downstream of the mine,” Illawarra Coal general manager projects Allan Dann told Australian Mining.
“The challenge was the location that it was put in and the noise attenuation to meet community expectations,” Dann said.
“The sizer is enclosed in 150 mm thick concrete and houses a ventilation system to manage air-quality, and early noise monitoring indicates its operation is well within predicted levels,” Illawarra Coal’s general manager sustainable development Wendy Tyrrell said.
The sizer allows the mine to reduce the size of large slabs of material to a safer and more manageable size for transport and handling at the mine’s longwall three.
The sizer was approved by the Department of Planning last year following consultation with community and government.
The Dendrobium Community Consultative Committee (CCC) was established and had conducted an inspection on the sizer.