Whitehaven Coal Limited
(ASX:WHC) is pleased to announce that the NSW Department of Planning and Environment has granted approval to increase annual production from 8Mtpa to 11Mtpa and to install a 400 metre wide longwall face at the Narrabri mine. Mining is currently taking place in longwall panel LW05. The first 400 metre wide longwall panel currently being developed is LW07. This is expected to come into production in H2 FY2017.
Key elements of the project include the purchase of additional longwall face shields, a new armoured face conveyor and drive motors, upgrades to the coal clearance systems and surface coal handling stockpile facilities.
The 400 metre wide longwall face is expected to initially increase ROM coal production by an estimated 750Ktpa. At full production Narrabri’s FOB costs are expected to be reduced by ~AUD3/t. Narrabri is Whitehaven’s lowest cost operation with FY2015 costs of AUD52/t, and was Australia’s #1 longwall operation in FY2015. This expansion will cement Narrabri as one of best and most efficient underground coal mines in Australia.
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