BMA's Goonyella Riverside Mine to prestrip 52 MBCM per annum using truck and shovel

摘要

Eight caterpillar 797B rear dump tracks have been delivered to the Goonyella Riverside coal mine in Central Queensland. The 340t capacity tracks are operated by BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA). The BMA took over operation of the open cut Goonyella Riverside mine in the Bowen Basin southwest of Mackay in 2001. Since then the mine has been producing around 11.5Mt of prime coking coal annually. However the world's unprecedented demand for coal - largely occurring to satisfy the huge consumption of steel in China - has prompted BMA to expand its operations in the Bowen Basin. In recent years Goonyella Riverside has been one of the few mines in Australia using tracks with more than 240t capacity, so the purchase of the eight 340t Cat 797Bs marks a quantum leap in track size in this country and reflects the scale of BMA's proposed expansion.