The participants in the Ensham Joint Venture have announced approval of funding for the AUD$166
million bord and pillar underground mine, a key element of the Ensham Central Project.
Managing Director of Idemitsu Australia Resources and Chairman of the Ensham Coal Project Joint
Venture, Mr Kosuke Yamamoto has said work will start on the $166 million development as soon as
all statutory approvals are finalised.
“The Joint Venture Management Committee has instructed the Ensham CEO to continue the
process of securing tenure over the new developments, complete the upgrade of flood protection
levees and to put in place all the things necessary to bring into operation a safe and efficient
underground mine that is effectively integrated with the existing open cut operations” Mr Yamamoto
said.
Ensham CEO Peter Westerhuis said the announcement by the Joint Venture Participants was an
important step towards securing the long-term, sustainable future of the Ensham Mine.
“While this is very welcome news, we are still progressing through the relevant statutory approval
processes. We will continue to work with the Government to finalise these matters” Mr Westerhuis
said.
The underground bord & pillar mine project transitions Ensham from a large open cut to a
combination open cut and underground mining complex, helping to secure the long-term future of
around 3,000 direct and indirect jobs as well as supporting ongoing investment in the region.
“Ensham finalised an EIS and Supplementary Report for the project last year. All of the independent
studies clearly demonstrated that our revised mining methodologies have a lower environmental
impact than expanding our open-cut operation.” Mr Westerhuis said.
“We believe the project will establish that the use of underground mining methods to access these
additional resources delivers the most sustainable outcomes for the environment as well as for our
business. It is also very important that we carefully integrate the new underground mine into the
existing open cut operations, ensuring the same high standards for safety and the other things we
do to run an efficient mine are adopted in the new project”.
The participants in the Ensham Coal Project Joint Venture are Idemitsu Australia Resources Pty Ltd
(37.5%), Bligh Coal Ltd (47.5%), J-Power Australia (10%) and LG International Australia (5%).
For more information, please contact Marc Joshi on 0424 649 591
Ensham Resources today submitted a comprehensive Supplementary Report to the Queensland
Government outlining a revised mining methodology for the Ensham Central Project, which will
significantly reduce the potential environmental impact of the mine, and help secure jobs in the
region.
At the end of 2007 Ensham finalised an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process to
develop the Ensham Central Project by expanding the mine’s open cut operation as well as
introducing underground mining techniques.
Ensham CEO Peter Westerhuis said a number of factors led senior management to review the
development and make changes to the mining methodologies outlined in the 2007 EIS.
“In response to the impacts of market conditions, lessons we learnt from the flood event in 2008
and feedback from the community we made the decision to revise our mining methodology and
transition the mine to a primarily underground operation,” Mr Westerhuis said.
“The key change to the plan is our decision not to access the coal beneath the central floodplain
north of the Nogoa River through open cut mining.
“The decision results in a reduction in the total area of open cut mining of 830 hectares compared
to the original proposal.
“Accessing the coal resource in this area by using underground mining techniques will avoid
disturbance in the anabranch of the Nogoa River and avoids the need to construct an additional
12 kilometres of levee banks.
“A number of independent investigations, which form the content of the Supplementary Report,
clearly demonstrate our revised mining methodologies, which incorporate the use of bord and
pillar and long wall underground mining methods, significantly reduces the environmental impact
of our planned development.
“These investigations included studies into the effect of our operation on the form and function of
the floodplain, groundwater impacts and air quality. We are pleased with the outcome of these
investigations and have therefore submitted it to Department of Environment and Resource
Management (DERM) for assessment and public notification.
“Our revised mining methodology also has positive implications for the local community. It means
we will help secure the long-term future of around 3,000 direct and indirect jobs and supports
ongoing investment in the region.
“While we still have a number of significant approval milestones to reach before the project
proceeds, we are in the process of talking to a range of key stakeholders about the revised mining
methodology for the Ensham Central Project,” Mr Westerhuis said.
These stakeholders include government representatives, local regional councils, community
organisations, industry partners and local neighbours.
The Supplementary Report will go on public display for a period of 20 business days, copies of
report will be on display at the DERM Emerald office and will also be available on the Ensham
website. Stakeholders are encouraged to make submissions to the Department of Environment
and Resources.
Ensham dragline returns to service as the mine rebuilds
In an outstanding effort, the 3000 tonne Bucyrus 8050 dragline which was stranded in floodwaters after severe flooding inundated Ensham coal mine near Emerald, has returned to service – just over six months after being extricated from the pit.
In the early hours of January 19 2008 Ensham mine was struck by an unprecedented and sudden massive torrent of floodwater. By the time the flood had subsided, some 150 billion litres of water remained in the mine‟s largest and most productive pits.
The submerged dragline at Ensham became a symbol of the devastating floods following the January deluge which resulted in record flooding across Central Queensland.
Ensham CEO, Peter Westerhuis, said the rapid dragline recovery operation was a remarkable achievement by a dedicated team of around 100 Ensham employees and contractors.
“It was the work of these people that helped Ensham recover from the disaster and continue to operate without cutting jobs,” Mr Westerhuis said.
“To have completed a task of this scale in this timeframe and with a high level of safety in very difficult circumstances is also testimony to the skills of our people and safety at Ensham.”
In what is believed to be a world first, engineers attached high voltage cables from another dragline enabling the stricken machine to
'walk' out of the pit in May this year. Steering was provided with the help of bulldozers.
The dragline was completely dismantled on a nearby overhaul site then refurbished and rebuilt.
“The repair of the dragline is a job well done and an important final step in Ensham's recovery,” Mr Westerhuis said.
“Recovering from the disaster has been a wonderful team effort with everyone showing a strong commitment to safe work practices.”
“Now that most of the floodwaters have been removed and we have refurbished the dragline we will be able to focus on a return to normal operating capacity,” Mr Westerhuis said.
Ensham is currently operating at near full production and is anticipating an output of around 8 million tonnes of thermal coal during calendar year 2009 – up from around 5 million tonnes in 2008.
Despite uncertainties over commodity prices and the world economy, Mr Westerhuis was confident Ensham would continue as a viable operation and maintain its status a reliable producer of products for customers and an important employer and contributor to the state and regional economy.
“Ensham has a very large 1 billion tonne coal resource and we are committed to recovering that resource in a sustainable manner. We also have a very strong team of people who have proven their capability in very difficult circumstances which puts us in good stead for the future.”
Mr Westerhuis said Ensham was currently reviewing a number of development options which will see the mine continue to be an important exporter of thermal coal.
“We have the people, equipment and resource to supply high quality coal to world markets. It is now up to us to find ways to access that coal in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner and to continue to build on past achievements,” Mr Westerhuis said.
More information: Marc Joshi 07 3229 4499 Mobile 0424 649 591 Alasdair Jeffrey 07 3229 4499 Mobile 0404 926 768
Ensham Resources ceased temporary discharge of water into the Nogoa River yesterday, as the
natural flow of rainwater in the river system has declined.
Ensham reluctantly commenced the discharge of water from its surface storage dams on
2 January after inflows of 300 – 500 mega litres (ML) resulted from rainfall of over 130 mm at the
mine.
Ensham Resources CEO Peter Westerhuis said, “Our constant monitoring of the Nogoa River
shows the natural flow passing the mine was becoming insufficient to allow us to dilute the
discharge and remain within the self-imposed salinity limits, so we made the decision to cease
discharge immediately.
“The volume and quality of water discharged has remained well within the limits approved in our
Environmental Authority”.
“We have continued to consult with the EPA and local Councils throughout the process and we
are confident the discharge will not have any adverse impacts on water quality downstream,” Mr Westerhuis said.
Ensham discharged approximately 130 ML of water since 2 January 2009, compared with more
than 100,000 ML of rainwater flow in the Nogoa and Comet rivers in the same period, as
estimated by the Department of Natural Resources and Water.
http://www.nrw.qld.gov.au/water/monitoring/current_data/map_qld.php
The salinity of the discharge remained below Ensham’s self-imposed limit of 500 micro-Siemens
per cm, which is half of the approved limit of 1,000 micro-Siemens per cm.
Ensham may need to re-commence discharging if further rainfall creates enough natural flow to
dilute the discharge so that it remains within the limits of the company’s Environmental Authority.
“We have only discharged 130 ML of the intended 500 ML so the excess rainwater is causing
production difficulties but on balance we think ceasing to discharge is the right thing to do,” Mr Westerhuis said.
Mr Westerhuis said Ensham was reviewing its water management plans for the mine to protect
against any future abnormal rainfalls. The company is also continuing with work on creating
additional temporary on-site water storage to allow for future substantial rainfall.
Ensham has informed the EPA, Central Highlands Regional Council, Rockhampton Regional
Council and the Fitzroy River Technical Working Group that discharge has ceased.
Further information:
Alasdair Jeffrey -
0404 926 768
Marc Joshi - 0424 649 591
Ensham Resources made the decision
to temporarily discharge water into the
Nogoa River to maintain production after
300-500 mega litres of water flowed into
the mine during recent heavy rainfall in
the region.
Water storage capacity on
the mine site is currently full because
9,000 mega litres of floodwater remains
on-site from the devastating January
2008 floods after we voluntarily ceased
pumping into the river in September
2008.
How much water will be
discharged?
Ensham is only authorised to
discharge water into the Nogoa River
when natural flow is occurring.
Will this discharge
affect the drinking water quality?
Ensham is discharging significantly
less water than during its recovery from
the massive floods of January 2008.
The
significant dilution provided by the
current natural flows in the Nogoa River
has ensured water quality downstream
stays well within the approval
conditions of Ensham’s Environmental
Authority.
Between 27/12/2008 and
6/01/2009 more than 100,000 mega litres
of runoff entered the Comet and Nogoa
rivers. In the same period, Ensham
discharged less than 50 mega litres into
the Nogoa River.
Is Ensham monitoring the
water quality?
Ensham has increased the frequency
and scope of water quality monitoring
both upstream and downstream of the
mine, as well as at Bedford Weir and
Riley’s Crossing. The company has also
self-imposed an upper limit of 500
micro-Siemens per cm (a measure of
salinity) for the discharged water, half
of the approved limit of 1,000
micro-Siemens per cm.
What other options is
Ensham considering to manage rainwater
on the mine site?
We are currently investigating a
number of options to temporarily
increase water storage capacity on-site.
These long-term options will involve a
significant amount of engineering and
construction work over a number of
months and may require approval from
regulatory authorities.
Ensham Resources today confirmed that it has commenced temporary discharge into the Nogoa
River, to maintain production after 300-500 mega litres of water flowed into the mine in recent
heavy local rainfall.
The last week has seen high levels of localised rainfall in the vicinity of the Ensham mine with
total falls of more than 120mm since 27 December 2008.
Ensham CEO Peter Westerhuis said the company was very mindful of the need to minimise
impacts on water quality and the discharge was well within approval conditions set by the EPA.
In addition to temporary discharge, the company is investigating a number of other methods to
manage the inflow of rainwater.
“We have no on-site capacity available to store this volume of rainwater because 9,000 mega
litres of floodwater remains on the mine site from the January 2008 floods after we ceased
pumping in September 2008,” said Mr Westerhuis.
Ensham has discharged less than 50 mega litres of water into the Nogoa River between 3 and 6
January. This compares with more than 42,000 mega litres of rainwater flow in the Nogoa and
Comet rivers during the same period, as reported by the Department of Natural Resources and
Water.
“The significant dilution provided by the natural flows has ensured that water quality downstream
of the mine stays well within the approval conditions of Ensham’s Environmental Authority,” Mr
Westerhuis said.
Ensham has increased the frequency of water quality monitoring both upstream and downstream
of the mine, as well as at Bedford Weir and Riley’s Crossing. The company has also self-imposed
an upper limit of 500 micro-Siemens per cm (a measure of salinity) for the discharged water, half
of the approved limit of 1,000 micro-Siemens per cm.
Ensham has informed the EPA, Central Highlands Regional Council, Rockhampton Regional
Council and the Fitzroy River Technical Working Group of the temporary discharge arrangements.
Queensland-based coal producer, Ensham Resources, today
announced the appointment of Peter Westerhuis as its new Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) following the retirement of former CEO, John Pegler.
Before his appointment Mr Westerhuis was General Manager, Operations at
Ensham’s open-cut mine near Emerald and steered the operation through its
recovery following the unprecedented flood event of January this year.
Mr Westerhuis said “I would like to acknowledge the work of John Pegler who has
made a significant contribution to the company and Australian mining industry.
“Mr Pegler’s distinguished career was recently recognised when he was conferred
with Lifetime Membership of the Queensland Resources Council of which he was
President for an unprecedented two terms.
“I now look forward to leading Ensham into the future and continuing to grow our
operations in a sustainable manner,” Mr Westerhuis said.
Mr Westerhuis was recently named Mine Manager of the Year at the 2008 Australian
Mining Awards where Ensham also received the Highly Commended award in the
Coal Mining category.
Mr Westerhuis is a Mechanical Engineer graduating from the University of Western
Australia in 1985. He was awarded an MBA from the University of Queensland in
2000 and has been involved in the Australian mining industry for more than 20 years.
More information:
Marc Joshi 07 3229 4499 Mobile 0424 649 591
Alasdair Jeffrey 07 3229 4499 Mobile 0404 926 768
Ensham's Public Affairs Adviser, David Petrikas, accepts the Mine Manager of the Year Award on behalf of Ensham General Manager Operations, Peter Westerhuis, from Stuart Ellacott of Hella Australia.
Ensham's trophies at the 5th Annual
Australian Mining Prospect awards.
Ensham Resources has received high recognition from its peers at the Australian Mining Annual Prospect awards held in Sydney.
Ensham was awarded the 'Highly Commended' trophy in the Coal Mine of the Year category with Ensham General Manager Operations, Peter Westerhuis, receiving the accolade for Mine Manager of the Year.
This year’s 5th Annual awards received a record field of entries with some 80 finalists in the various categories.
Ensham CEO John Pegler said these industry awards honoured everybody across the Ensham business.
“Ensham has faced some dramatic challenges in 2008, but everybody has shown a real determination to recover from January’s devastating floods and rebuild every aspect of the business in a safe and sustainable way.”
“Ensham also truly appreciates the patience of the local communities who cooperated with the extensive dewatering program as well as the prompt and professional actions of Government agencies charged with establishing appropriate permit regimes. These were important ingredients in enabling recovery from the unprecedented flooding.”
Mr Pegler added that it was especially gratifying to see Ensham’s Peter Westerhuis named Mine Manager of the Year which was a strong endorsement of the leadership and culture at Ensham Mine.
Ensham GM Operations, Peter
Westerhuis was named Mine Manager
of the 2008 Year at the Australian
Mining Prospect Awards.
“Peter has provided the essential Site Leadership and ensured that safety standards did not waver in the face these enormous challenges even though site employment increased substantially during this time.”
Mr Westerhuis said the award really should be seen as recognition
for the entire Ensham site workforce, including contractors.
“The professionalism, safety and speed in which the recovery works have been undertaken are remarkable. The flood recovery will forever be a testament to the combined effects of organisational leadership, a safety culture, attention to detail and a ‘can do’ workforce. The disaster and the ensuing recovery works has galvanized the team and strengthened the sense of unity at Ensham.”
“The Ensham business is now well on its way to recovery and is committed to continuing its contribution to the region, the state of Queensland and meeting the needs of our customers,” Mr Pegler said.
Update
In January 2008, up to 150,000ML of river water flooded into Ensham inundating a number
of the mining pits. Ensham had to remove this water to:
Continue sales to customers
Safely maintain employment and linkages to suppliers
Continue to make a positive contribution to Queensland and local economies
Commonly Asked Questions Q. Is Ensham still releasing water?
A. The return of floodwater to the river is now completed. Q. How was the release water being managed?
A. Independent sampling and analysis was carried out twice daily to monitor the water
quality downstream from Ensham. The water quality was being maintained by blending the
flood water from the mine with dam water that had been released from Fairbairn Dam. The
blend was also managed by altering the output of the on-site discharge pumps. Q. Where did Ensham obtain the extra water?
A. All of the water that Ensham used for blending was purchased from allocation holders
within the Nogoa Mackenzie scheme. Q. Why did the water from Bedford Weir taste different?
A. When Sodium chloride levels in the Bedford Weir rose above usual levels, some people
may have detected a mildly salty taste. Q. Are there likely to be any issues with drinking this water?
A. Queensland Health has assessed the water and stated that for the vast majority of
people no health effects will occur. Qld Health has issued a bulletin with advice for people
who are monitoring their sodium intake (e.g. low sodium diets) and for parents with infants
who are less than 6months old and are bottle fed. This information can be obtained from
your local health provider or at: http://www.health.qld.gov.au/ph/Documents/caphs/centralhighlandsfs.pdf.
There are no other water quality issues that have been identified by Qld Health.
A comparison of sodium levels in different drinks is shown in the table below. Q. What caused the salinity of Bedford Weir to rise?
A. Prior to the floodwater being returned to the Nogoa River, the water dissolved some
of the natural salts from the rock within the mine. Some of this saline water has flowed
downstream into Bedford Weir and settled at the bottom of the weir. Q. What has been done to reduce the salinity of the drinking water supplied to these towns?
A. Ensham worked closely with SunWater, Central Highlands Regional Council (CHRC), Qld
Health, EPA, DNRW and water plant operators to address the elevated salinity of the water.
The large outlets at the base of the Bedford and Bingegang Weirs were opened for a period
of time, to release the more saline water in the lower region of the weir and blend it with the
overflow going over the top of the weir. Ensham also worked closely with the operators of
the Blackwater, Bluff and Tieri water supply plants to raise pump intakes up so that they can
draw water from the shallower and less saline water in the weir. Initial monitoring results
indicate that these measures are working (shown in graphs overleaf), but the better water
has to work through the system to the towns.
Water Quality
Monitoring
Since removal of the flood waters started, Ensham undertook a comprehensive and detailed
monitoring program of its water discharge, consistent with the Transitional Environmental
Program. Sampling was conducted using five independent local companies, with analysis
conducted at NATA accredited labs.
The analyses have shown:
all heavy metals levels are below the accepted guideline levels
sediment levels in the water are lower than the ambient (background) levels
no issues related to biological contaminants
Electrical Conductivity (EC) What is EC? EC is an indicator of the concentration of salts (salinity) in the water and is measured in
micro Siemens per centimetre (µS/cm).
EC of drinking water
The table to the right shows the salinity (EC) of water
sources, including sea water. The Australian Drinking
Water Guidelines (ADWG) recommend that the salinity
of drinking water should be below 1,500µS/cm. This
recommendation is based on the ‘aesthetic’ value
or 'taste' qualities of drinking water only, not health
value.
EC of released water during pumping
The average monthly EC results from water sampling immediately downstream from
Ensham, although higher than normal, were always well below the 1,500µS/cm guideline
value during pumping.
Sodium (Na)
The salinity is due to sodium chloride which is
the same as table salt. Therefore sodium is a
component of the salinity (EC). At times, sodium
levels in the drinking water at Blackwater, Bluff and
Tieri was about 200mg/L. Queensland Health has
issued a bulletin with advice for those members
of the population who may be on a salt restricted
diet. The bulletin highlights that the current
sodium levels should not affect the majority of the
population. A comparison of the Bedford Weir water and other drinks is shown below.
What about the weirs?
Detailed analysis by Ensham personnel has identified that water with elevated salinity had
concentrated in the bottom of the Bedford weir. The upper layers of the water in Bedford
weir had lower salinity. The pump intakes for local town water treatment plants were located
at the bottom of the weir. Measures were taken to reduce the uptake of the higher salinity
water, by raising the pump intakes (see below).
Actions taken to improve town water quality
Once Ensham became aware that higher salinity water may be entering water treatment
plants, they instigated onsite investigations and discussions with Central Highlands
Regional Council (CHRC) Environmental Health Department, Qld Health, EPA, DNRW,
SunWater and operators of the town supply pumping stations.
Following the joint discussions with CHRC Environmental Health Department and Qld
Health, actions are currently being taken to improve the quality of the water supply.
These actions are:
Releasing the higher EC water from the bottom of the weir by opening lower outlets but
not reducing the overall level or reliability of the weir, and allowing this water to blend
with the overlow
Lifting the intake pumps so that weir water for the treatment plants is drawn from the
upper layers of the weir
Cooperating with the Qld Health, CHRC, EPA, DNRW, SunWater and water plant
operators
Communicating with water users and the community.
It is important to note that the water being managed in the weir is raw river water
that has not yet been through the treatment process in town council treatment plants.
Further actions to improve water quality
Delivery of the 'best' quality and lowest salinity water commenced from Bedford Weir on 2
September following completion of the earlier actions. This water has been flowing towards
Tieri and Blackwater treatment plants through the delivery systems consisting of about
60km of pipelines and a number of holding dams.
As the illustration below shows, some sections of the these delivery systems still contain
some of the 'older' water, which has to be replaced with 'best' quality water quickly so that
it can flow to the consumers in Tieri and Blackwater.
Ensham engineers met with the Mayor and officers of the Central Highlands Regional
Council (CHRC) to establish further actions to accelerate the delvery of 'best' quality water
to the Tieir and Blackwater treatment plants. From that meeting, the following actions
were agreed:
The large CHRC holding dam at Blackwater was "by-passed" with a pipeline to deliver
water directly from the delivery system to the Blackwater treatment plant. The holding
dam contained years of silt and back washing, and was degrading the water supplied
from Bedford Weir. This dam is too large to empty and clean quickly. To accelerate the
availability of clean water, Ensham assisted Council to engage a team of contractors to
carry out the “by-pass” which was completed on 22 September.
CHRC will also implement actions to replace the "oldest" water in their smaller holding
dam and pipeline supplying the Tieri treatment plant.
As a result, better quality water should be available in Blackwater and Tieri in a matter of
days instead of weeks as the “best” quality water begins to move through the systems.
What happens in future?
Ensham will continue to work with CHRC, EPA, Queensland Health, Department of Natural
Resources and Water, Sunwater and other agencies to develop further actions to
achieve ongoing improvements to water quality from Bedford Weir.
For Additional information contact:
Colin Moffatt
General Manager Technical
Ensham Resources
Phone: (07) 3221 1201
30 September 2008 - One of the world’s
largest aeroplanes flew into Brisbane
airport today loaded with a vital
component for the flooded Ensham coal
mine in Central Queensland.
The Russian Antonov 124 was designed as
a military jet which now does service as
a large cargo aircraft. The plane is 25%
larger than the US C5 ‘Galaxy’ transport
jet.
On board was a $4.5 million Motor
Generator or ‘MG’ set – needed to repair
a $100 million dragline at the Ensham
coal mine near Emerald.
It is the second time this month the
giant aircraft has flown into Brisbane
with parts for Ensham’s 3000 tonne
Bucyrus 8050 dragline which was trapped
when floodwaters overwhelmed half the
mine’s operating pits in January this
year.
The giant machine spent more than three
months submerged in a flooded coal pit,
before being walked out of the mine for
repairs last May using borrowed propel
motors and external power supplied by
another dragline.
The Motor Generator Set is one of two
which power the machine’s moving
functions through electric drive motors
controlling hoist, drag, swing and
propel functions.
The massive component, weighing 95
tonnes was manufactured by GE in Canada.
Ensham CFO, John Seedhouse, said
production of the MG set normally take
52 weeks, but was completed in only 28
weeks to help the mine with its recovery
operation.
Mr Seedhouse said it was necessary to
use air freight to meet the mine
recovery schedule so that Ensham could
resume normal production as soon as
possible and meet the needs of its
customers.
“We are very grateful to the terrific
job done in producing this vital
component and the efforts of the team of
people we have repairing the dragline.
“The repairs of the machine are all on
schedule and we hope to have the machine
working in the mine again by December.”
Meanwhile Ensham hopes to have its two
flooded mine pits back in operation in
the first half of 2009.
Fast facts:
• Antonov 124 is world’s second largest
freight aircraft (Antonov 225 is the
biggest)
• Military versions have a payload of
150 tonnes (civilian version slightly
less)
• Dragline repair costs $60 million
• MG set costs $4.5 million each
• Weight of MG set 95 tonnes.
Transported by road from Brisbane to
Emerald
More than 100 Grade 11 & 12 students
from Central Highlands schools grappled
with the complex challenges of supplying
Low Emission energy during a workshop
held at Blackwater International
Conference Centre recently.
The workshop idea was originally
proposed by Queensland Minerals and
Energy Academy involving local schools
and Ensham Resources with support from
the Queensland Resources Council,
Gladstone Centre for Clean Coal, and
Central Queensland University.
Ensham Resources Manager of Projects and
Environment, Graham Morris said the aim
of the workshop was to develop a
consciousness in students of the
challenges of a low emission future,
taking into account the many competing
interests in terms of energy
alternatives, costs and energy security
in different countries including
Australia.
“While no single solution emerged, there
was much thoughtful discussion and this
was evident in the different decisions
made by the various groups. Students
were divided between the work groups to
encourage cross-school discussion and
network development,” Mr Morris said.
“Our aim was to help understand why
governments make the decisions they do
in the context of international
agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol
and the advantages and challenges posed
by the various possible alternatives for
different countries.”
Mr Morris said the depth of the workshop
was aided greatly through the
development of workshop materials by the
Queensland Mining and Energy Academy of
Schools in collaboration with Gladstone
Centre for Clean Coal using input from
Central Queensland University Associate
Professor, Col Greensill.
This information was capably prepared
and delivered by QMEA linked school
teacher, Danielle Bevan from Tooloola
State High School, Gladstone, supported
by QMEA Director, Roger Atkins and Field
Officer Louise Wilcox. The standard of
presentations was in turn aided by
material on energy issues provided by
the Queensland Resources Council to a
teachers’ professional development day
held prior to the workshop.
The 100 plus students were divided into
11 groups each to play the role of a
country. Information packs of country
statistics were provided and the
students were asked to consider what the
energy strategy should be for the next
50 years and what issues needed to be
worked through to comply with the Kyoto
Protocol. Countries being used for the
workshop included Australia, Iceland,
Denmark, Brazil, Japan, Iran, China and
India.
Assistance with analysis of the data and
decision options was facilitated by five
role- playing specialists from the first
year engineering course at CQUniversity.
These students provided the specialist
technical energy knowledge for the high
school students for consideration, be it
coal, oil and gas, nuclear, solar,
geothermal, wind or tidal based.
The local high school students then
presented their country’s energy
strategy, explaining the logic for their
choice from the natural or market
resources available to them.
“A number of unexpected outcomes
emerged, demonstrating the need to have
an open mind and not to constrain
options as technology and issues
continue to develop,” Mr Morris said.
Schools represented at the workshop
included Emerald State High School,
Blackwater High School, Dysart High
School, Biloela High School, North
Rockhampton High School, Tooloola High
School from Gladstone.
23 September 2008 – Ensham Resources
is supporting Council improvements to
the Blackwater treatment plant which aim
to quickly alleviate water quality
concerns at Blackwater, Tieri and Bluff.
Discussions also continued last Friday
with State Government with the aim of
utilising water from Fairbairn Dam as
the “top up” water for Bedford Weir to
underwrite the improvements.
Over the weekend, crews organised by
Ensham at the behest of Central
Highlands Regional Council, installed a
‘bypass’ pump and pipeline around the
large council holding dam at Blackwater
to speed up the flow of better quality
water through the system.
According to Council this should result
in a rapid improvement in water quality
for local residents. The arrangement
will also provide the opportunity to
clean out years of accumulated silt and
backwashing from the large holding dam
at Blackwater so that the dam does not
continue to degrade the taste of the
improved water supplied from Bedford
Weir.
Ensham General Manager, Technical, Colin
Moffatt said Ensham had completed
installation of the temporary bypass
pump and 500 metres of 300mm diameter
pipeline, ready for commissioning by
Council last Monday.
Council and Ensham’s engineers have
confirmed that there are opportunities
and budgets to install improved
monitoring equipment to better control
water quality in the aged Blackwater
treatment plant.
Following the successful ‘bypass
operation’ around the Council owned and
operated Holding Dam supplying the
Blackwater water treatment plant, Ensham
will continue to aid Council in
identifying ways and means to improve
the system.
“The State Government is reviewing how
allocations from Fairbairn Dam can be
used to provide new water into the
Bedford Weir. Ensham has already
purchased 64,000 megalitres of water
allocations as part of its program”, Mr
Moffatt said.
22 September
2008 – Blackwater residents can
expect an improvement in the
taste of their drinking water as
from this week, thanks to an
engineering solution provided by
Ensham Resources in conjunction
with Central Highlands Regional
Council.
Investigations into the cause of
the deterioration in taste of
the local water supply found
council’s large holding dam had
high salinity levels and this
was delaying the movement of
less saline water from Bedford
Weir into the local Water
Treatment Plant.
Over the weekend, crews
organised by Ensham at the
behest of Council, installed a
‘bypass’ pump and pipeline
around the large council holding
dam to speed up the flow of
better quality water in the
system.
Council concluded this step
would deliver the best water
available to local residents in
the quickest time while other
solutions were being sought to
deliver longer term improvements
in the quality of source water
in Bedford Weir.
Ensham General Manager,
Technical, Colin Moffatt said
the holding dam had become
heavily silted over the years
and was too large to replace the
water quickly enough.
“Instead of waiting for the dam
to empty, we proposed that the
best way to get the best quality
into the treatment plant was to
bypass the dam so that the
better quality water now being
piped from Bedford Weir can come
through to the Water Treatment
Plant sooner.”
As a result, better quality
water should be available in a
matter of days instead of weeks.
Efforts will be made by Council
to replace water from the
smaller water storages supplying
Tieri to bring about similar
improvements there.
In the meantime, Ensham’s
engineers have been working with
authorities on other solutions
to deliver long term
improvements in water quality at
Blackwater, Tieri and Bluff.
On Friday Ensham met with
Department of Natural Resources
and Water and put forward a
recommendation which the company
believes would bring about
permanent improvements.
CEO, John Pegler said Ensham
recommended that DNRW facilitate
the continued topping up of
Bedford Weir from Fairbairn Dam
to replace the slightly saline
water trapped at the bottom of
the weir.
Mr Pegler said he believed there
were solutions to the current
concerns which could be rapidly
implemented, given imagination
and determination.
“We welcome the opportunity to
assist in bringing about some
speedy solutions and hope that
we can continue to work with
Local and State Government to
bring about further improvements
to water quality.
“We fully appreciate the
patience of the local
communities during the struggle
to save the Ensham mine,” Mr
Pegler said.
Ensham Resources has been commended for its decision to cease pumping at a meeting of local and State Government representatives.
The meeting held at Rockhampton last Friday was attended by Central Highlands Regional Council Mayor, Peter Maguire, Rockhampton City Mayor, Brad Carter and representatives from Queensland Health, the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Natural Resources and Water.
As reported last week, Ensham CEO, John Pegler, took the decision to suspend pumping from the mine last Tuesday and has now confirmed this major component of the mine’s emergency flood recovery measures was at an end.
“While this action to cease pumping will complicate the recovery of our mine and we have taken this conscious decision help alleviate community concerns over river water quality,” Mr Pegler said.
As a result of the decision to end emergency pumping, some 12,000 megalitres of water (equivalent to approximately half the volume of Bedford Weir) will not be released into the river as previously planned.
He added that Ensham had gone to great lengths to protect the quality of water released and complied with its Temporary Environmental Program. This included the purchase of 60,000 megalitres of fresh water which had been blended with flood water released from the mine.
“We will continue to support any efforts to bring about further improvements to water quality in the system,” Mr Pegler said.
In the meantime, Mr Pegler said Ensham remained committed to protecting jobs, restoring exports and rebuilding Ensham’s economic contribution to the region.
Despite the loss of half of its production capacity for much of the year, Ensham has continued to operate with a full complement of employees and has engaged about 200 additional contractors to help get the mine back on its feet.
“Our priority now is to get on with rebuilding our flood protection levees to protect people, equipment and other mine assets before the next wet season.”
Ensham is hoping to have some of the largest pits which were flooded in January back in operation by early 2009. The water from these pits will be pumped to another large pit which will remain out of operation for some time.
September 9, 2008 - Town water supplies to Blackwater, Tieri and Bluff are on the improve after a number of steps initiated by Ensham in conjunction with local authorities.
Ensham CEO, John Pegler, said Ensham had taken further steps to ensure the taste and quality of local water supplies to these towns was improved as quickly as possible.
“Ensham truly appreciates the patience of the local communities while we work through and overcome this unintended consequence of our flood recovery activities,” Mr Pegler said.
“Ensham also purchased 60,000 megalitres of Fairbairn Dam water allocations which has been released into the river system in recent weeks to further enhance the quality and quantity of the water flows.”
“Today, as a precaution Ensham has suspended pumping from the Mine while the Town Water Supply quality stabilises.
The pumps at Bedford Weir have also been raised to pick up the best water and at the same time the lower more saline water has been released through from the weir’s lower release valve. Both actions have improved the quality of water going into the local storage reservoirs.
The problem was thought to result from unusual stream flow and cold weather conditions which had caused an accumulation of slightly saline water at the base of Bedford Weir and which may have affected the taste of town water supplies.
Mr Pegler said Ensham - which is still struggling to recover from the devastation of the floods in January - ordered an immediate investigation into the higher than expected salinity readings at Bedford Weir and took swift action with local authorities to rectify the problem.
“This was a totally unexpected occurrence as flood water released from Ensham mine was within the quality parameters required to preserve the integrity of water for downstream users and was approved by EPA.
Queensland Health has advised that there is no general threat to health but has suggested some precautionary measures. Central Highlands Regional Council has informed all residents of these precautions and that those with sensitivity to elevated sodium should seek advice about water intake while the problem was being resolved.
“I reported personally to a Central Highlands Regional Council Meeting on Monday 8 September and I also personally tasted Tieiri water sampled over the weekend. Residents will soon notice an improvement as the water quality stabilises at the weir and works its way through local water storages. We expect this improvement should occur shortly”, Mr Pegler said.
Council, Queensland Health and EPA supported the measures being undertaken by Ensham.
Ensham Resources has provided a Permanent Keeping Place in the Emerald Botanic Gardens (Windmill end) for artifacts from earlier Aboriginal generations.
Among the artefacts discovered in an extensive survey of the mine were stone tools and fragments and other remnants from people who lived in the area, passed through or were accessing the vast natural resources of the region.
The objects have been discovered on land owned by Ensham as part of a Cultural Heritage survey and comprehensive Cultural Heritage Management Plan at Ensham.
Ensham General Manager Operations, Peter Westerhuis, said the two year long survey indicated use of the area for a variety of purposes despite some 150 years of farming and more recently mining. Capturing an understanding of that earlier history for future generations is important,” Mr Westerhuis said.
Ensham’s Cultural Heritage Management Plan involved negotiating agreements and understandings with local Aboriginal groups about how to identify and treat items of cultural significance found on Ensham’s mining lease.
The process also involved Ensham’s staff learning about Aboriginal heritage with the assistance of local aboriginal representatives.
“Under an agreement struck with endorsed parties from local Aboriginal groups, a ‘keeping place’ place has been created for any artefacts to be placed under the care of Garingbal and Kara Kara People,” Mr Westerhuis said.
The keeping place is located in Emerald Botanical Gardens and will be used for educational and cultural purposes. The establishment of the keeping place will protect items which may have otherwise been lost during farming or mining operations.
The official opening of the Keeping Place took place on Saturday 6 September.
In addition to the opening ceremony, were displays of traditional Aboriginal music and dances from the Woorabinda Dance Troupe.
Representatives of the neighbouring Native Title claimants, the Western Kangoulu, were also present to express their support of the opening.
Visitors to the Botanical Gardens are invited to visit the keeping place to see the types of artefacts which have been preserved as part of Ensham’s Cultural Heritage Management Plan.
5 September 2008 - One of the world’s largest aeroplanes flew into Brisbane airport today loaded with a vital component for a flooded Queensland coal mine.
The Russian Antonov 124 is a former military style jet which now does service as a large freight aircraft. The plane is 25% larger than the US C5 ‘Galaxy’ transport jet.
On board was a $4.5 million Motor Generator or ‘MG’ set – needed to repair a $100 million dragline at the Ensham coal mine near Emerald in Central Queensland.
The 3000 tonne dragline was trapped in rising floodwaters which overwhelmed the mine in January this year.
The giant machine spent almost four months submerged in a flooded coal pit, before being retrieved for repairs last May.
The Motor Generator Set is the ‘heart’ of the Ensham dragline – providing power to all its moving functions. It is one of two which power the machine. Another will arrive at the end of the month.
The massive component, weighing 95 tonnes was manufactured by GE in Canada.
Ensham CFO, John Seedhouse, said production of the MG set normally take 52 weeks, but was completed in only 28 weeks to help the mine with its recovery operation.
Mr Seedhouse said it was necessary to use air freight to meet the mine recovery schedule to keep the mine operating and meeting the needs of its customers.
“We are very grateful to the terrific job done in producing this vital component and the efforts of the team of people we have repairing the dragline.
“The repairs of the machine are all on schedule and we hope to have the machine working in the mine again by November.”
“It has been a long road to recovery to get us this far, and the replacement of the Dragline MG sets is an important step in that process,” Mr Seedhouse said.
Meanwhile Ensham hopes to have its two flooded mine pits back in operation in the first half of 2009.
Fast facts:
Antonov 124 currently world’s second largest freight aircraft (Sister aircraft Antonov 225 is the biggest)
Military versions have a payload of 150 tonnes (civilian version slightly less)
Dragline repair costs $60 million
MG set costs $4.5 million each. Freight costs $2 million each
Weight of MG set 95 tonnes. Will be transported by road to Emerald
Queensland Health advises Tieri, Blackwater and Bluff residents that there has been an increase of sodium levels identified in the drinking water supply.
Central Queensland Public Health Physician Dr Margaret Young said for the vast majority of the population, no health impacts were expected.
“But anyone monitoring their salt intake for high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney failure or any dietary reason needs to be aware of the higher sodium concentration in their drinking water. People with these conditions may choose to drink appropriately treated tank water or bottled water,” Dr Young said.
“Parents of infants less than six months of age who are bottle-fed should also be aware of the higher sodium levels in the drinking water.
“Whilst these levels are
unlikely to cause harm to
babies, Queensland Health
recommends the use of bottled
water or boiled water from
well-maintained rain water tanks
to reconstitute infant formula
until water quality is
restored,” she said.
While there are no health-based guidelines for sodium levels in water, the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Australian Drinking Water Guidelines recommend that based on taste, sodium in drinking water should not exceed 180mg/L. Levels of sodium in the drinking water in these communities is currently around 200mg/L. Under usual circumstances, the level is about 40mg/L.
“Food is the major contributor to sodium intake. However an increased amount of sodium in drinking water does need to be taken into account for those who have to monitor their sodium intake on a regular basis.
“In Australia the average intake of sodium through food and drink is about 4 grams (4000mg) a day.
“People on low-sodium diets may restrict this to about 2 grams (2000mg) a day. Drinking 2 litres of water at current sodium levels represents 320mg more than usual.”
Dr Young said it was also important to be aware that some bottled water also has a high sodium level. She suggested people on low sodium diets check the concentration of sodium on the label, if they are using bottled water. People on low sodium diets should look for levels less than 40mg/L.
“Most sodium in water is efficiently absorbed into the body,” she said.
Queensland Health is working with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Natural Resources and Water, the Central Highlands Regional Council and Ensham Mine in regard to all aspects of the quality of water and restoration of water quality.
Changes are being made to the depth from which drinking water is drawn thereby avoiding the more saline areas of the water storages from which it is drawn.
More saline water is also being flushed from the water storages.
Whilst the situation is temporary, it is unclear how long it will take before the quality of the water is restored.
Discharge of mine-affected water by the Ensham Coal Mine is nearing the end of its planned release.
The community will be kept informed of any further changes.
If people on low sodium diets are concerned about their sodium intake, they should contact their local health practitioner.
If people have concerns about the water quality, they should contact the Central Highlands Regional Council on 49 828 333.
The dewatering program which began at Ensham after the January floods is in its final stages.
After pumping 130,000 megalitres floodwaters back to the Nogoa River since February, this part of the program is expected to begin winding down in a matter of weeks.
Ensham Resources has also been working closely with EPA, Queensland Health, Central Highlands Regional Council and water supply operators to enhance drinking water quality from Bedford Weir.
Ensham CEO, John Pegler said that recent meetings updated the regulatory agencies on the $300 million Ensham Flood Recovery Program, including how best to enhance ongoing water quality management of town water supplies to Tieri and Blackwater from Bedford Weir.
“We were concerned that recent cold weather conditions and stream flow patterns may have caused changes and layering of water salinity levels at the weir. If this occurs at the depth of the pumps in Bedford Weir, any accumulation could affect taste and cause concerns”, Mr Pegler said
Ensham has requested the water supply operators to lift the pumps in the weir to ensure the best quality water goes into the town water treatment plants. Ensham also increased the flow of purchased water from Fairbairn Dam and has moderated pumping rates from the Mine. Some water will be retained at the mine.
“We have also highlighted the actions taken to Council, EPA and Queensland Health, as part of our efforts to follow the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, as well as meet the requirements of the Transitional Environmental Program established by the EPA.”
“Although it is a major imperative to get the Ensham Mine back into operation as quickly as possible, we must balance our efforts with the needs of those around us and be always mindful of the needs of downstream water users.
“We are all here for the long haul, so it is pretty important that we live together and collaborate in constructive ways. The scrutiny of the independent regulatory agencies is a vital part of this process”, Mr Pegler said.
Meanwhile Ensham is continuing to test water quality twice-daily upstream and downstream of the mine to check that water meets water quality guidelines and for town and agricultural use.
Details of Ensham water release program and water quality information is available on the Ensham website www.ensham.com.au.
The Ensham coal mine near Emerald has received the first of the necessary approvals to start rebuilding and extending its flood protection levees which were lost as a result of the January 2008 floods.
Ensham CEO, John Pegler, has welcomed the decision and said work had commenced immediately on the southern levee which protects the Mine’s B Pit from the Nogoa River and Old Winton Creek.
The compacted earth levees will be built by local contractors with construction expected to take around three months.
Preparations were also being made in anticipation of the northern levees being replaced to protect C and D pits and future mining areas.
Construction of both levees is regarded as a top priority as the mine has been left without any form of flood protection since January’s devastating floods.
The levees were originally proposed in 2007 to protect current and future open cut operations on both sides of the Nogoa River floodplain and the latest design takes into account the January 2008 flood.
”The new levees have been independently certified to withstand a one-in-a thousand flood event to provide additional flood protection,” Mr Pegler said.
Approval of the southern levee was granted by the Coordinator General under special Prescribed Project powers to assist in the speedy recovery of the Mine.
Ensham is also involved in ongoing consultation with neighbouring landowners in relation to its existing and future levees in the wake of the 2008 floods.
Meanwhile work continues to remove trapped floodwater from four of the mine’s open cut pits which were inundated when the Nogoa River broke its banks.
Approximately 130,000 megalitres of floodwater has now been returned to the river and the mine hopes to bring one of the flooded pits back into production by December.
A second pit is not expected to be brought back into production until late 2009.
The Board of the Fitzroy Basin Association
(FBA) visited the Ensham Mine on 25th June
2008, to assist with their understanding of the
devastation that resulted from the January
2008 flood. The FBA Board was able to view
the recovery process first hand. Following
that visit, these questions and answers have
been prepared to provide more information
to the community. During January 2008,
Ensham mine, along with other businesses and
households, was inundated by flood waters
from the Nogoa River. Extensive damage
occurred to plant, equipment and infrastructure
at the mine site. When the levees at Ensham
were overtopped, several of the open cut mine
pits were filled with water from the flooding Nogoa River. Mining operations cannot return to
peak production until the excess river water has been removed from the pits. In the first half of
2008 to 30 June, the mine produced less than 50% of its annual production capacity.
Pumping of the pits under controlled conditions has been under way since February. The
return of river water (release water) from the Ensham mine pits has been approved by the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and is conducted under the Agency’s supervision.
Ensham is required to meet rigorous standards based on the Australian and New Zealand
Environment Conservation Council (ANZECC) Guidelines. The water quality levels that Ensham
has to comply with are contained in a Transitional Environmental Program (TEP) permit.
Approval for pumping under the TEP has been granted until 2nd March 2009 but it is anticipated
that the release operations will be completed this year. The TEP includes limits on EC, pH, total
suspended solids (sediment in the water) and heavy metals.
Commonly asked questions Q. How much river water entered the mine pits during the flood?
A. Approximately 150,000ML Q. How much water has been pumped out to date?
A. Approximately 100,000ML Q. Will all the remaining water be pumped into the river?
A. If pumping into the river will result in the EPA permit guidelines being exceeded, then alternative
methods of managing the water (such as on-site storage) will be implemented. Q. Is the mine still producing coal?
A. Yes. Currently Ensham has been operating at less than 50% of its normal production capacity due
to the closure of the flooded pits. Q. Who is testing the water being released from Ensham?
A. There are five local companies conducting testing, as well as DNRW and FBA, using NATA accredited
laboratories for detailed analysis. Q. How can the water quality be verified?
A. Anyone who has the qualifications to correctly sample the water, can take a sample in the river and
analyse it or send it to an accredited laboratory. Q. What other measures are being taken?
A. Discharge areas are being stabilised to prevent stream bank erosion, scouring, slumping and
impacts to vegetation from the discharge point through to the bed and banks of all water courses.
Water quality Electrical Conductivity (EC) What is EC?
EC is an indicator of the concentration of salts (salinity) in
the water and is measured in micro Siemens per centimetre
(µS/cm).
EC of released water
The average monthly EC of the water immediately
downstream from Ensham is shown in the graph (below).
The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) are also
indicated. The EC of the downstream water is under the
accepted thresholds for drinking water. The table above
provides some comparative EC levels for difference sources
of water or reference.
pH What is pH?
pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of
a solution. Optimum pH for a range of uses
and consumption is between 6.5 and 8.5.
pH of released water
The average monthly pH of the water
immediately downstream from Ensham
is shown in the graph. Average pH of the
release water has been well within the
EPA permit limits.
Total Suspended Solids (TSS) What is TSS?
TSS is an estimate of the suspended
solids (usually sediment) in a water
sample. TSS is determined by pouring
a carefully measured volume of water
through a pre-weighed filter of a specified
pore size, then weighing the filter again
after drying to remove all water. The gain
in weight is a dry weight measure of the
sediment present in the water sample
expressed milligrams per litre (mg/l).
TSS of released water
TSS levels of the water immediately
downstream from Ensham have been
significantly lower than the level set in
the EPA permit.
Dissolved Metals
All rivers in the Central Highlands contain small quantities
of dissolved metals. The maximum metal levels set by EPA are shown in the table at right, and these have to
be monitored regularly.
Dissolved metals in the released water
To date, heavy metal levels in the release water have
been below these TEP limits.
Using the downstream water Crops
Water containing higher salt levels can
damage soil structure on certain soil
types if used for irrigation. It can also
reduce the growth and yield of plants.
Salinity tolerances of some commonly
irrigated winter crops in the Central
Highlands are shown in the table at
right. The EC of the released water is
well under these levels (see chart).
The EC of the water released immediately downstream from Ensham is well below
the tolerance levels of the main irrigated crops grown in the area.
Natually occurring ground water
(bore water that is used for
irrigation, often has higher EC
levels than the release water.
A comparison of groundwater
EC levels from some Queensland
irrigation areas is shown in the
table at right.
Livestock
The water being released from Ensham
does not contain any significant levels of
contaminants that are likely to cause adverse
effects on any livestock. Typical EC threshold
levels for different stock are shown below
and these can be compared to the EC chart
on the front page of this information bulletin.
For Additional information contact:
Colin Moffatt
General Manager Technical
Ensham Resources
Phone: (07) 3221 1201
In an ironic twist, floodwaters which ended a five year drought and remain trapped in
the Ensham coal mine in Central Queensland, are now being released back into the Nogoa River to
conserve releases from Fairbairn Dam and provide water for downstream users.
Ensham has been working frantically to return about 110,000 megalitres of river water to the river
after the Nogoa River burst its banks on January 19.
Ensham CEO, Mr John Pegler, said that the same floodwater was now making up the bulk of river flow
downstream from Ensham. This has enabled conservation of stored water in Fairbairn Dam and has
reduced releases from the Dam to a trickle.
“Whilst it has been an extremely costly exercise for us, we are pleased that this water conservation
benefits all users and the whole system. At the moment, river flows reaching the upstream side of
Ensham are only about 10% of normal before the Ensham flow is added,” Mr Pegler said.
“In this way Ensham has become a major water provider and water which would have been lost from
the river is now being released in a controlled fashion providing an even flow down the river.”
On current estimates the free water is expected to be available over the next three to four months.
This has been made possible by a large fleet of up to 30 flood pumps which have pumped about
30,000 megalitres around the clock in total since February. In May, this mammoth undertaking saw
the commissioning of two of the world’s largest floating pontoon electric pumps each weigh about 150
tonnes and delivering 4,000 litres every second.
The pumps have a one metre diameter water intake and are rated at 2.2 megawatts. Each pump is
worth around $1.5 million and has been assembled and installed using local expertise from MAC
Engineering and G&S Services of Mackay.
“Water quality remains under the surveillance of the EPA and we are required to undertake daily
monitoring. It requires constant juggling of the pumping rates and water sources to maintain control.
“We are also researching how water treatment and dilution with purchased water can be used to
ensure control of water quality as we continue pumping the remaining water out of the pits.
“Not all water is suitable for release and some must be stored for use at the mine,” Mr Pegler said.
Meanwhile, the mine recovery effort reached a major milestone late last month when water drained
away from Ensham’s trapped dragline which is now on dry ground again after being submerged for
more than three months.
“This staggering flood was unprecedented and unpredicted. The water flowing over Ensham Mine in
January was enough to fill Fairbairn Dam twice over or Sydney Harbour five times. The 110,000
megalitres trapped in the mine was only a few per cent of the flood, but it is still a lot of water.
“The recovery is a massive and an expensive operation when you realize the same water filled this
mine in only two days, and it will take several months to empty again. The sooner the water is out of
the mine the sooner we can resume normal production, satisfy our customers and protect the
employment the mine brings to the region,” Mr Pegler said.
Ensham estimates that damage will exceed $269 million, excluding business interruption while the
flooded pits remain out of operation. “It is absolutely imperative we get this mine operating at normal
capacity as soon as possible to build on its past success and to restore supply to customers of our
high quality coal,” Mr Pegler said.
Ensham Resources has requested help from nearby landholders to better understand the
events and conditions causing the devastating flooding which have left large parts of the
Ensham mine underwater since January 19.
Ensham CEO, John Pegler, said Ensham had already had individual discussions with
some of its closest neighbours and had written to others to invite them to share their
observations and experiences of the January floods.
Ensham was hard hit by the combination of floodwaters from the Theresa Creek system
and overflows from Fairbairn Dam which added to the local flooding of the Nogoa River
from the widespread torrential rains.
“While we have had our hands well and truly full just trying to get the mine operating
again, we are nonetheless hoping to put together all the ‘pieces’ of the jigsaw to get an
overall picture of what happened to make this such a major flood event.
“We are also hoping to learn from any independent flood studies being conducted by
Government departments as well as SunWater and also the Central Highlands Flood
Recovery Group.
“Once we have gathered all this information we will consult with neighbours and share
the overall picture as we understand it and then adjust it to make it as accurate as
possible based on any feedback we receive.”
Mr Pegler said Ensham would use this information to review its flood models in light of
the new information then consult with neighbours on how the needs and concerns of
both Ensham and neighbours could be best addressed.
“A priority for us is to provide some sort of levee protection of our men, equipment and
mine which remains exposed to the river in the event of even a minor flood. On the
other hand, we are also conscious of the concerns of our neighbours over how the flood
has affected them.
“We are trying to get the most complete and accurate picture of why the floods were so
devastating for Ensham and property owners along the Nogoa River floodplain, but this
has proved to be slow and painstaking and depends on the cooperation of others.
“With the assistance of landowners and other those conducting other studies we hope to
better understand the weather events which generated the unprecedented water
volumes which swept through the mine and overwhelmed our levees and also affected
other properties.
“This will enable us and other landholders to better prepare for future flood events,” Mr
Pegler said.
Ensham mine has reached a major milestone in the recovery of two large flooded coal pits and a $100
million dragline which was inundated by floodwaters in January.
Ensham CEO, Mr John Pegler said the Marion 8050 dragline which was inundated by floodwaters on
January 19 is now on a section of dry ground on a bench at the edge of ‘B’ pit.
The water level has dropped by more than 20 metres since the height of the flooding and it is
estimated about half the floodwater has been removed from the affected pit.
Crews have now cleared away mud to access the dragline and making their initial assessments of the
damage caused by the lengthy inundation. At this stage they are hoping to make temporary repairs so
that they can move the 3000 tonne machine out of the pit for a complete re-fit, so that the dragline
can be brought back into operation by December 2008 or early 2009.
“The efforts of the people at the mine under the leadership of General Manager Peter Westerhuis are
just fantastic. These people were almost literally dropped into the deep end after the unprecedented
‘perfect storm’. Their response to this crisis has been magnificent”, Mr Pegler said.
Impetus at Ensham received a major boost this month with the announcement of the gazettal of the
recovery effort as a ‘Prescribed Project’ under state Government legislation by the Premier Anna Bligh
and Deputy Premier, Paul Lucas.
This will help coordinate and fast-track the necessary approvals required to empty the two flooded
pits and rebuild levees destroyed by the flooding in January.
Meanwhile, efforts to de-water the rest of the mine were continuing and if all goes to plan, Mr Pegler
said the mine should be back to meeting the normal requirements of all its customers by this time
next year.
Up until now the mine has struggled to achieve 50% of normal coal production and sales, although
this will improve in the coming months. Mr Pegler explained that the loss of high quality coal from the
company’s flooded pits was irreplaceable and the alternative mine plan is forced to use mostly deeper
and lower value coal sourced from the mine’s four other pits.
Crews will shortly begin to focus their attention on the second and larger flooded ‘C/D’ pit north of the
Nogoa River to bring it back into production as early as possible whilst following protocols to ensure
the environmentally sustainable return of floodwater to the river.
However, Mr Pegler said a number of uncertainties remained in the mine’s recovery because it was
not possible see into the flooded pits, and it was not certain what damage may still hidden by water.
They also could not be sure how the ground would behave immediately after de-watering.
“Our first priority is to achieve some protection of our people and property from a ‘repeat
performance’ should we receive further heavy rains. There is still no physical barrier between these
pits and the river, so the Premier and Deputy Premier’s announcement of Prescribed Project status for
the recovery of the mine is very important in helping us achieve this necessary step,” Mr Pegler said.
While Ensham’s flood losses are currently being assessed, Mr Pegler said damage to the mine, its
infrastructure and equipment, together with loss of production is likely to be of a magnitude of $270
to $300 million or more, without counting the impact of business interruption and other costs.
“We are also very conscious of the interests and concerns of our neighbours who were also affected
by the flood. Many day-to-day communications have already taken place and specific information
sessions with neighbouring landowners on our recovery plans will be held in the next couple of
weeks,” Mr Pegler said.
Central Queensland thermal coal producer, Ensham Resources, has
welcomed today’s announcement by the Queensland Premier, The Hon Anna Bligh MP,
and Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning, The Hon Paul Lucas
MP, concerning the Prescribed Project status of the $270 million Ensham flood
recovery effort.
Ensham CEO, Mr John Pegler, said the Prescribed Project status would help coordinate
the project approvals which are an essential part of sustainable flood recovery at
Ensham, following the devastating floods of January 19.
“We acknowledge and very much appreciate the leadership of the Premier and Deputy
Premier as well as the professional guidance of many Government officers in making
this a reality.
He said the announcement was the culmination of the efforts of a number of State
Government and Local Government agencies working with Ensham to streamline the
necessary processes required to get the mine back into production as quickly as
possible and to safeguard its contribution to the Cental Highlands Region and to
Queensland.
“As always, we remain conscious of the need to work constructively with the newly
formed Central Highlands Regional Council and the revamped Nogoa River Flood Plain
Board in moving forward equitably with the reinstatement of the levee system which
was overwhelmed and destroyed by the unprecedented flood events in January,” Mr
Pegler said.
Mr Pegler added that the mine had been reduced to less than 50 per cent of capacity
for more than three months, and had lost valuable export sales while a large
proportion of its highest quality coal was inaccessible in the flooded pits.
The company was also unable to retrieve its flooded dragline valued at more than
$100 million nor reinstate the damaged, flooded pits until such time as floodwaters
had been removed.
Apart from its own future, Mr Pegler explained that the recovery of the Ensham mine
was crucial in reinstating the state’s energy coal exports and regional employment.
“Ensham has become an important part of the regional economy over its 15 year
history and we certainly expect that we will be here for many more years to come.
“This means that we must put the damaged pits back in operation without further
delays, together with the necessary protection of our mine, men and machinery from
future flooding.
“The announcement of Prescribed Projects status to provide coordinated input and
approvals from all relevant authorities should ensure a much better outcome for all
parties in reinstating the levee system and getting this operation back on track,” Mr
Pegler said.
It's the photos of Ensham mine that have really
provided many news outlets with some of the most
spectacular footage from the flooding throughout
the highlands.
Two of the mine's six coal pits have filled with
water and then there's the photo of that dragline
with just it's boom sticking out the top of the water.
It's - as you can imagine, a pretty big cleanup
operation is underway.
And Peter Westerhuis is the general manager of
operations at Ensham mine. He explains where
they're up to this Thursday.
PETER WESTERHUIS:
We're very happy with the rate of recovery. You
know, at the start, beginning of last week, there was
a period of battening down because from the day
that the dragline went under to the peak of the
floods was about four or five days. So we spent the
better part of the beginning of last week battening
down the hatches waiting for it to get worse. It did
get worse. However we by that time had secured a
lot of the equipment and were really just waiting for
the floods to peak.
And since that time the attention has switched to the
recovery of the mine. And I'm very happy to say
that that's gone very, very well.
Remember that the Ensham mine is a very big
operation; some 30 kilometres long. And it was
really only the centre portion, albeit a large portion,
of the mine that became inundated.
So we've switched our attention to bringing people
back to work in a gradual fashion and we are slowly
getting the rest of the operation back up to speed.
And that's improving day by day.
CRAIG ZONKA:
So, Peter, a big question is what's going to happen
to all that water that's in one of your pits?
PETER WESTERHUIS:
Yeah look, the water is trapped river water and it's
very important that we release that water back into
the river from where it came, and we've started the
process of doing that.
CRAIG ZONKA:
Okay. What are the issues with letting that water
back into the river? Is it only while the river is
actually flowing that you're allowed to do that?
PETER WESTERHUIS:
Well, we've been talking very closely with the
Government the regulators bodies and, you know, I
must say that they've been extremely helpful.
We've spent the best part of last week and early this
week discussing with them the issues surrounding
the release of the trapped river water. It's a case of
understanding that although it is a lot of water, the
rate of release of the water back into the river is a
fraction of the way the river flows naturally or the
way the river is flowing at the minute.
Now, we will release the water in a controlled
fashion in dedicated parts of the - into dedicated
parts of the river that flow through the Ensham
mine. Obviously hand in hand with that we'll have
to maintain a good understanding, good control
over the quality of the water that we release, but
recognising of course that it's [indistinct] water, it's
not mine water. The water came into the mine last
week and it's a case of releasing it back in now.
CRAIG ZONKA:
What contaminants could be in that water?
PETER WESTERHUIS:
We don't think there's any. I mean, the level of
water in the river - in the mine, sorry, prior to the
river coming into the mine was negligible. And this
is river water that's been trapped. Now we just need
to release it as quickly as possible so we can get the
operation back up to speed as quickly as possible.
CRAIG ZONKA:
And has there been good coordination say between
Ensham and the EPA on this one?
PETER WESTERHUIS:
Absolutely. The EPA have been very, very helpful.
They understand - we understand that they have
obviously got concerns about looking after all the
stakeholders in the region, and we're working very
closely with them to make sure that people are fully
briefed on how we're going to go about doing this
thing. And the EPA have been very good for us.
CRAIG ZONKA:
In terms of the levy bank on the banks of the Nogoa
that is there to stop water from entering the mine,
why didn't that work?
PETER WESTERHUIS:
Well, these levy banks are categorised as a one in
100 year flood design. It's pretty clear to us and
everybody else in the region that this flood was
much more severe than a one in 100 year flood. I
mean, the amount of water and the speed with
which it came towards us was unprecedented and
totally unpredictable. And, you know, my
understanding is that it's an event that would be
classified as far more severe than one in 100, and
the levy banks are designed for one in a 100 and
were just unable to withstand the sheer volume and
the force of the water that was pressing down upon
them.
CRAIG ZONKA:
We've seen the photos of the pit that is full of water.
What's the story with your other pits? Are they
eligible for operation, say today?
PETER WESTERHUIS:
Absolutely. I mean, we have three draglines
operating again. We are mining coal again. We are
about to start crushing coal again, and it's a case
then of organising railings to take coal from the
mine to the port.
So our expectation is that within weeks we'll be
back up to about 70 per cent capacity in terms of
coal production, building up to 100 per cent by the
end of the year.
CRAIG ZONKA:
And for workers, what's the story for them? Were
they stood down pending the flood and the outcome
from the flood?
PETER WESTERHUIS:
Yeah, we remain in close consultation with our
workforce and also with the workforce of our
contractors. People have been stood down on full
pay. We started off with a small skeleton crew
immediately after the floods and we are slowly
increasing that number day by day. And, you know,
within a couple of weeks we'll be at or near full
manning again.
There's no point bringing people back to work at the
minute in total numbers because some areas of the
mine are just inaccessible. So, as the situation
improves, and it is improving day by day, we are in
close contact with our people and we're ringing
them up on a daily basis, you know, organising for
people to come back in.
CRAIG ZONKA:
Now, you and others involved with Ensham
Resources would have been counting the cost of
this. Is there a figure you can put on it at the
moment?
PETER WESTERHUIS:
It's too early to say that. I mean, everything in the
mining industry, in the coal mining industry is big
numbers, so we're talking big numbers, but exactly
what that total repair bill will be is too early to
speculate.
CRAIG ZONKA:
Peter Westerhuis from Ensham Resources is the
general manager of operations at the mine. And the
big cleanup operation is underway, as you heard,
and will continue for some time. But they are back
and mining some coal as well.
The Ensham Coal Mine, which is 40 kilometres
north-east of Emerald, had to use helicopters over
the weekend, to evacuate employees stranded at the
mine which was cut by flood waters.
The Queensland Resources Council says the
damage bill from the floods and wet weather in the
Bowen Basin will be in the tens of millions of
dollars, and the full extent of the physical flood
damage and lost production, will take time of
course to assess.
What's the situation for Ensham today, as the sun
rises with the floods? John Pegler is the CEO with
Ensham Resources, he's with me now. Good
morning.
JOHN PEGLER:
Good morning, Jackie.
JACKIE MCKAY:
What are you hearing from your workers on the
ground about what's happened to the mine?
JOHN PEGLER:
Well Jackie, I wonder if you'd just let me first say to
all the people working at the mine under the
leadership of Peter Westerhuis -- thank you.
You've faced incredible circumstances, and you've
performed magnificently. Now I know things look
pretty daunting, but we'll find our way through, we
always have, and we'll do it again. I know some of
you are suffering flooding at home, and our
thoughts are with you, and I'm sure there too, we'll
work our way through.
Jackie, you might want to ask me a specific
question?
JACKIE MCKAY:
Yes, so what has actually happened to the mine,
what's it looking like at the moment?
JOHN PEGLER:
Well, the water coming down from Theresa Creek
over the weekend was overwhelming, and that
broached the levy banks around the mine, it's
caused extensive flooding, machinery was being
withdrawn from the mine at the time, some of the
machines are incredibly large, and move very
slowly, and so in the course of that activity, a
dragline was inundated.
Now thankfully, the people who were trying to
bring that machine out were very cool-headed, and
when they saw that it was going to get the better of
them, they left it, and that was precisely the right
thing to do. So we're able to happily say that we
can account for everybody, and nobody's been hurt
through these very challenging events.
JACKIE MCKAY:
How much of the mine is underwater, do you have
any idea?
JOHN PEGLER:
Look, we've got two or three major pits underwater
at the moment, ... probably about half our
productive capacity, roughly. But we still have the
three other major draglines, and one of those is still
working as we speak. The fourth one, the very
large one that's only been commissioned about 12
months ago, was taken to the highest ground we
could find, given that we're really not quite sure
when and what the peak will be. We've never seen
this before, and we can't find anybody who can tell
us exactly what to expect.
JACKIE MCKAY:
Given that as you say the waters have now started
to enter Emerald, and obviously workers will be
affected by that, will you cease production
completely, do you think?
JOHN PEGLER:
Look, we tried to make sure that people who needed
to get home, got home, and for that reason, we put
on helicopters out of the mine on Sunday, to get
people back where they needed to be, family first
really, there are others who are quite safe, and
wanted to stay and help out, and they're still at the
mine. Now ... it's still very, very wet underfoot
everywhere, so as that dries out, parts of the mine
will resume reasonably quickly, at subdued rates.
JACKIE MCKAY:
Obviously the Queensland Resources Council has
put out that release that says there'll be tens of
millions of dollars in physical flood damage and
lost production, do you have any inkling at this
stage of what it will mean for Ensham?
JOHN PEGLER:
Certainly numbers of that order, - my team are
working with me to put together our recovery plan,
it will be a large number, certainly.
JACKIE MCKAY:
And for all of the mines in the region, I anticipate it
would be much the same situation?
JOHN PEGLER:
We are probably have the worst real estate in the
sense that we're at the confluence of the Theresa
system, and the Fairbairn system, so as they both
come together with this overspill from Fairbairn, we
get the brunt of it. Others are also having their
troubles, and our thoughts are with them as well.
JACKIE MCKAY:
Thank you very much for your time this morning,
John Pegler, who is the CEO of Ensham Resources,
from the Ensham Coal Mine, that's 40 kilometres
north-east of Emerald.
EC is an indicator of the concentration of salts (salinity) in the water and is measured in
micro Siemens per centimetre (µS/cm).
The Board of the Fitzroy Basin Association
(FBA) visited the Ensham Mine on 25th June
2008, to assist with their understanding of the
devastation that resulted from the January
2008 flood. The FBA Board was able to view
the recovery process first hand. Following
that visit, these questions and answers have
been prepared to provide more information
to the community. During January 2008,
Ensham mine, along with other businesses and
households, was inundated by flood waters
from the Nogoa River. Extensive damage
occurred to plant, equipment and infrastructure
at the mine site. When the levees at Ensham
were overtopped, several of the open cut mine
pits were filled with water from the flooding Nogoa River. Mining operations cannot return to
peak production until the excess river water has been removed from the pits. In the first half of
2008 to 30 June, the mine produced less than 50% of its annual production capacity.
What is pH?
Crops
Water containing higher salt levels can
damage soil structure on certain soil
types if used for irrigation. It can also
reduce the growth and yield of plants.
Salinity tolerances of some commonly
irrigated winter crops in the Central
Highlands are shown in the table at
right. The EC of the released water is
well under these levels (see chart).
Natually occurring ground water
(bore water that is used for
irrigation, often has higher EC
levels than the release water.
A comparison of groundwater
EC levels from some Queensland
irrigation areas is shown in the
table at right.
