On the last day of September,
one of the world’s largest
airplanes touched down at
Brisbane airport.
The Russian Antonov 124 –
25 per cent larger than the US
C5 Galaxy transport jet – was
designed as a military aircraft,
but now does service as a large
cargo plane.
ONE of the world's largest aeroplanes
flew into Brisbane airport on Tuesday
loaded with a vital component for the
flooded Ensham coal mine.
The Russian Antonov 124 was designed
as a military jet which now does service
as a large cargo aircraft. The plane is 25
per cent larger than the US C5 `Galaxy'
transport jet.
ONE of the world's largest aeroplanes
flew into Brisbane airport on Tuesday
loaded with a vital component for the
flooded Ensham coal mine.
The Russian Antonov 124 was designed
as a military jet which now does service
as a large cargo aircraft. The plane is 25
per cent larger than the US C5 `Galaxy'
transport jet.
A $4.5 million Motor Generator or ‘MG’ was flown into Ensham Coal mine in a bid to repair the $100 million dragline at the site. A Russian Antonov 124 aircraft, originally designed as a military jet, was responsible for flying in the MG. A $4.5 million motor generator was flown into Ensham.
It is the second time this month that the 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.
ONE of the world’s largest aeroplanes flew into Brisbane this week, delivering a vital
component needed to get the flooded Ensham coal mine back in operation by mid-2009.
Central Queensland export
thermal coal producer, Ensham
Resources, is in the vanguard of
industry efforts to back Australian
coal and ‘Clean Coal’ technologies
as a key to the sustainable future
of the world’s energy needs.
MORE than 100 Year 11 and 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.
I want to thank the Gladstone
community for turning out on
Tuesday night to share their
ideas about Tomorrow's
Queensland.
Our government has released
a plan of action, Toward Q2:
Tomorrow's Queensland that
responds to the big challenges
now and on the horizon, and we
are actively seeking community
ideas.
Gladstone students grappled
with the complex challenges of
supplying low-emission energy
during a workshop held in Blackwater recently.
The workshop idea was originally
proposed by the Queensland
Minerals and Energy Academy
and Ensham Resources
with support from the Queensland
Resources Council, Gladstone
Centre for Clean Coal, and
CQUniversity.
Ensham Resources Manager
of Projects and Environment,
Graham Morris, said the aim of
the workshop was to make students
aware of the challenges of
a low emission future.
Students from schools across the region met at the Blackwater International Conference Centre to grapple with the problem of how to meet the world's energy needs without harming the planet.
More than 100 Year 11 and 12 pupils discussed the challenges of low-emission power generation.
The workshop was conceived by Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy and was supported by the Queensland Resources Council, CQUniversity, Gladstone Centre for Clean Coal and Ensham Resources
Permanent Keeping Place in the Emerald Botanic Gardens has been opened for artefacts from earlier Aboriginal generations.
Ensham Resources opened the Keeping Place at the windmill end of the gardens. 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.
When extreme heavy rains and floods hit Queensland in January and February this year, Ensham Resources' namesake mine was one of the first and the hardest hit.
Many coal mines in the region were affected by heavy rainfall and floods but Ensham suffered a rare convergence of fates. Flood waters came from the Theresa Creek system northwest of Ensham. They came from the Nogoa River system southwest of Ensham, and the Fairbairn dam added its waters too.
This led to the mine receiving five times the volume of water found in Sydney Harbour in a short amount of time.
The Scale of the dewatering of the floodwaters trapped in two of the Ensham Mine coal pits in Queensland's massive
Bowen Basin coal reserve, when river waters inundated the mine in the January floods is like draining Sydney Harbour.
Two of the world's largest floating pontoon electric pumps weighing 150t each were commissioned in May to boost the output of a large fleet of 30 flood pumps, which have worked around the clock to pump out 30,000ML of water since February.
Ensham must return about I10,000ML of trapped river water to the Nogoa River, which burst its banks in the unprecedented volumes of floodwater, before operations can resume at its largest pits.
A severe weather warning issued by the Queensland Bureau of Meteorology on Friday, January 18, warned of imminent heavy ains with the possibility of flash floods. Three days later Bowen and Dalrymple were declared disaster zones and residents of Emerald were being evacuated from their homes.
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 19 January 2008.
Central Queensland thermal coal exporter Ensham Resources has marked a milestone with the export of its 70 millionth tonne last month - less than 15 years after the mine was established in 1993.
THE 3000-tonne Ensham dragline which has been trapped in up to 15 metres of floodwater for much of this year, took its first literal steps towards recovery last weekend.
In what is believed to be a world first, engineers attached high-voltage cables from another dragline enabling it to `walk' under its own steam. Steering was provided with the help of bulldozers.
Central Queensland thermal coal exporter Ensham Resources Pty Ltd has achieved the sale of its 70 millionth tonne of coal from its namesake operation near Emerald.
Ensham's 70 Mt milestone was reached despite major flooding that devastated the mine in January and came 14 years and seven months are its first shipment.
THE 3000-tonne Ensham dragline that has been trapped in 15 metres of floodwater since January this year took its first literal steps towards recovery over the weekend.
AS the ground dries beneath it and workmen toil to restore the damaged pits and equipment from the January flood, Ensham Resources has celebrated an important milestone with the sale of its 70 millionth tonne of coal.
DESPITE operating at 50% capacity amid hopes that production will return to
"normal" this time next year, Ensham Resources has still managed to reach a
major milestone with the sale of its 70 millionth tonne of coal.
One of QLD's biggest coal mines, Ensham Mine near Emerald, was inundated in the
January floods and still has enough water in it to fill Hinze Dam five times.
Ensham Resources has requested help from nearby landholders to better
understand the events and conditions causing the devastating
flooding which has left large parts of the mine underwater since January 19.
Ensham Resources has requested help from nearby landholders to better
understand the events and conditions causing the devastating
flooding which has left large parts of the mine underwater since January 19.
THE Ensham coal mine's stricken
dragline was one of the enduring
images of the January floods.
Now, Ensham has reached a major
milestone in the recovery of two
large flooded coal pits and the $100
million dragline which was inundated
when the Nogoa River
breached the mine's levee system.
A FLOOD-RAVAGED
mine near Emerald will
see approvals for its
recovery work fasttracked
by the State
Government, to ensure
coal production levels
can get back to normal
soon.
The Ensham coal
mine, and a $110 million
dragline, were
inundated with
floodwater in January.
THE recovery bill for Ensham mine is likely
to top $270 million as the State Government
announced it will fast-track approvals
to get the coal miner back to full
production and safeguard 3000 jobs in the
Central Highlands.
Ensham was crippled when its levee
banks were breached and two pits and a
$100 million dragline were inundated by
the Nogoa River in flood in the early hours
of January 19.
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.
Miners in central Queensland coal fields remain stuck in second
gear, more than two months after monsoonal rains brought the bulk
of production to a standstill.
Of the six major miners forced to warn customers of late deliveries,
only one - Rio Tinto - has resumed production across all sites.
Central Queensland coal miner, Ensham Resources, is commissioning an
independent review of the flooding of the Nogoa River which inundated parts of the mine last
month, leaving two of its six coal pits flooded.
Ensham CEO, John Pegler, said the flooding was the result of an unprecedented combination of
floodwaters from the Theresa Creek and Nogoa River systems upstream of Ensham, together with
flood releases from Fairbairn Dam.
Central Queensland thermal coal producer, Ensham Resources, is
bouncing back from recent flooding with the progressive resumption of mine operations.
Ensham Resources CEO, John Pegler, said Ensham was already approaching about 50% of
operational capacity thanks to the leadership of its on-site mine management team and
the outstanding efforts of its employees. All going well, this was expected to exceed 70%
in the coming weeks and expected to return to normal by year end.
It's the photos of Ensham mine that have really
provided many news outlets with some of the most
spectacular footage from
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.
31 January, 2008 Coal mining operations have recommenced
to a limited extent at Ensham coal mine near Emerald. The company is still assessing the
full impacts of the flooding of the Nogoa River which resulted in the inundation of two of
its six coal pits and of one of its four draglines.
25 January EMERALD: The worst has passed for Ensham coal mine as the floodwaters in the Nogoa River downstream of Emerald begin receding.
Floodwaters at the mine peaked on Wednesday night – marking a major turning point - and Ensham is now clearly focused on recommencing normal operations.
Returning employees are already operating two of the company's draglines, continuously removing overburden to uncover coal ready for mining, crushing and screening from parts of the 30 kilometre long mine which are not flood-affected. Ensham's largest dragline, a Bucyrus 8750-63, is expected to recommence work in the coming week.
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.
Queensland thermal coal producer,
Ensham Resources, has used helicopters to evacuate employees stranded
at the mine which was cut in half by massive flood waters on the weekend.
After visiting the Mine on Saturday afternoon,
Ensham Resources CEO, John Pegler, said flooding far exceeding the ‘one in a hundred’
magnitude, had entered the mine as floodwaters moved down the Theresa Creek into
the Nogoa River.
Queensland thermal coal producer,
Ensham Resources, has thrown its weight
behind a national program to combat the
threat of global warming through a range of
targeted initiatives under the
Commonwealth and State Governments’
Greenhouse Challenge Plus and Energy
Efficiency Opportunity programs.
A Group of 16 Japanese exchange students, and the Japanese
language teacher and eight students from Marist College toured Ensham mine recently. The group
were escorted through the workings of the open pit mine, and given a comprehensive account of
mining operations by Ensham tour guides.
Thirteen students and three teachers from various
schools and universities in Japan visited Emerald to experience Australian life while
staying with Marist College students recently. The visitors went to the Botanic Gardens
with local Aboriginal identity, Mick Parsons, and later went back to his house to eat
kangaroo stew.
Ensham Resources is living up to its reputation as
the innovative independent Queensland coal miner with plans to trial new mining methods
to recover the remaining coal in its tenements. Ensham General Manager Technical Cohn
Moffatt said Ensham was currently investigating the feasibility of pullback and
high-wall mining at its Emerald Mine, in addition to pressing ahead with plans for a
trial underground mine.
Highwall, longwall, pullback and bord and pillar have
all been added to the list of methods Ensham plans to trial and pursue in the coming
years as it recovers the remaining coal in its tenements. Located northeast of Emerald
in Queensland's Bowen Basin, Ensham Resources currently operates five pits and has
been consistently lifting its production levels with 9 million tonnes produced in
the 2005 financial year, and with aspirations to reach 12Mtpa.
A new bord and pillar mine and eventually a longwall is on the
cards for Ensham Resources, as it makes plans to trial new mining
methods which will also include pullback and highwall mining, as it
recovers the remaining coal in its tenements.
A group of six graduate trainees at the Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade in Canberra visited Ensham last Tuesday to get first hand experience of
Australia's biggest export industry. The regional travel program to Emerald and later Cairns,
formed part of the group's formal training program, designed to deepen their understanding of
regional Australia and its interests to better prepare them for posting to Australia's missions
overseas.
Celebrating the successful deployment of its new
$lOOm Bucyrus 8750-63 dragline, which commenced digging in January 2007,
Central Queensland thermal coal producer Ensham Resources is taking a considered
approach to its long-term development plans in the current high-cost environment.
Ensham chief executive officer, John Pegler, said while Erisham's new dragline would
go a long way towards helping the bottom line by significantly reducing the cost of
overburden removal, the coal resource was getting deeper meaning other options were
also being considered.
Ensham Resources' new $100 million Bucyrus 8750-63
dragline is in full swing at the Ensham mine, east of Emerald. The 7,000 tonne machine
was completed in two years from initial signing of the contract to walking off the
construction pad.
SATURDAY, March 17 was an important
day for one of the main independent
coal producers in the Bowen Basin
as Ensham Resources signed a
significant Cultural Heritage Management
Plan with the Western Kangoulu
group of traditional owners.
ENSHAM Resources' new $100
million Bucyrus 8750-63 dragline
is in full swing following performance
testing and commissioning
at the Ensham mine east of
Emerald.
The behemoth 7000 tonne machine
was completed in just 24
months from initial signing of the
contract to walking off the construction
pad. Days later the dragline
was in the mine moving its
first bucket-fulls of earth....
Strong commodity prices and the ongoing lack of human
resources available to comfortably take advantage of it all
means that delays with mining construction projects are not
uncommon.So when it came to the commissioning of the world’s second-largest
dragline bucket for central Queensland coal producer Ensham
Resources ...
Ensham's $100 million dragline is close to completion following the recent raising of the giant machine's 120m boom. The 7000 tonne Bucyrus 8750 dragline has been under construction near Emerald for the past two years, and is the world's second largest electric dragline.
THE world’s second-largest dragline has
reported for duty ahead of schedule.
Queensland thermal coal producer Ensham
Resources’ $100 million Bucyrus 8750
dragline (pictured on Australia’s Mining
Monthly’s cover) left its construction site in
late January and started the week-long trek to
its worksite 12km away.
ENSHAM Resources'
dedication to the training
and development of
its employees has been
validated by the Mining
Industry Skills
Centre and the Department
of Education,
Training and the Arts.
CONSTRUCTION of the
world's second largest dragline
at Ensham mine in
Central Queensland moved
a step closer to completion
last week with the raising of
the 120-metre long boom on
the giant machine.
CONSTRUCTION
of the world's second
largest dragline
at Ensham mine,
near Emerald,
moved a step closer
to completion last
week when the
120-metre-long
boom on the giant
$100 million marked the
machine was culmination of
raised.
