Optimising plant for the long haul
When Thiess assumed operations of Meandu Mine in Queensland, Australia, we began an analysis of the remaining reserves and nearby Kunioon coal reserves. As a result, the team found considerable coal at Meandu, leading to the decision to continue operations for another 15 years, rather than expedite the development of the Kunioon Mine.
The first move toward this dramatic, profitable outcome was to remove all leased equipment and mothball older equipment to reduce immediate costs. Excess coal inventory was used to meet deliveries while we conducted a full review of the mine.
Thiess then checked all previous exploratory drilling logs and data, supported by a review of the fault locations and structures in the field, leading to a new interpretation of the remaining reserves including new seam correlations and fault identification.
Two years of studies, a flexible approach to equipment application and mining concepts, hundreds of metres of additional exploratory drilling and myriads of mine plans allowed Meandu to continue reliably feeding one of Queensland’s largest power stations.