Grosvenor Underground Coal Mine Execution
Anglo American Coal
|
Australia
|
2011–2016
US$100 million under budget.
8-year project relationship.
7 months ahead of schedule.
8 km overland conveyor commissioned to 100% speed no-load, in one week.
Challenges
- Anglo American Coal aimed to develop an underground longwall metallurgical coal mine to produce up to 7 Mtpa of run-of-mine coal to become about 5 Mtpa of exportable coking coal.
- The project needed to ensure minimal impact on production at the existing Moranbah North mine, while using its coal preparation plant, rail loops, water infrastructure, and support facilities.
- Detailed assessment and engineering work was required to integrate new equipment with 15-year-old Moranbah equipment halfway through its useful life.
Solutions
- Provided EPCM services for the project execution phase, including rigorous vendor quality surveillance and overall commissioning responsibilities.
- Construction began in July 2012 with first coal production achieved in May 2016.
- Worked in a truly integrated team since May 2013, with reporting and responsibilities flowing in both directions between client and us.
- Project efficiency benefited from procurement from China and shop detailing from South Africa. The safety system was ranked “the most comprehensive” for coal mine construction by Queensland Mines Inspectorate.
Highlights
- Expected operating life is now over 30 years.
- The Grosvenor project forms a major part of coal business unit’s growth strategy.
“We don't have Hatch people and Anglo American people; we're all playing for the GPT [Grosvenor project team]. Our surface construction manager likes to say it’s a team of hard hitters and crowd pleasers, and I have to agree.”
“Given that the commissioning crew commissioned a substantial conveyor like this in a one-week timeframe, an achievement like this should not be underestimated. Quite often, when major works like this appear to happen so easily, people have a tendency to forget the previous efforts that have gone into design, construction, supervision, QA, and commissioning.”
Project numbers
US$1.7 billion7 Mtpa increase in production capacity for the next 30+ years
7 months ahead of schedule