scone.com.auMt Pleasant Construction Advancing
CONSTRUCTION is well underway for the Mount Pleasant mine near Muswellbrook giving hope to miners throughout the Upper Hunter.
Scott Winter, managing director of MACH Energy said they began work on site in November, expect to begin mining later this year and during peak construction there will be 400 to 450 people on site.
“It is a very exciting year, we have an 18 month build program, but will be peaking in the third and fourth quarter of the year where we finish the pads and the civil works, we commence the rail works, earthworks and the laying of the rail for our spur and loop and the build of the prep plant which is the largest package and later in the year we start the mining operation,” said Mr Winter.
“As a mining engineer it is terrific to build a new mine and it is terrific to give that opportunity to people who have not seen that before and we really like to nurture some of the newer people in the industry and help them experience some new opportunities; so I get a big buzz out of doing it myself but also in helping others learn from the experience,” he said.
Once the mine is operational they anticipate there will be 250 to 300 people employed on site and their priority is employing locally.
The Mount Pleasant Operation is starting to take shape as workers begin establishing site.
“We have started out that way, a lot of people have come on that are local and we did some numbers before Christmas and 50 percent of people on site were from the local area and that trend will continue, we have a requirement in the contract to source locally and they are finding good people,” he said.
“We’ve engaged our contractors, the majority of our contractors now to commence the construction work; we’ve got two groups with a third starting shortly,” he said.
“We are probably in the range of 50 to 70 people and that’s inclusive of the team we’ve got and some management from the contractors,” said Scott Winter.
Mine description:
According to MACH Energy the mine is fully approved for a 10 ½ million tonne operation, with a strip ratio of 3 to 3 ½ within the first few years which should remain consistent.
With 650 million tonne of reserve resource it is expected the mine could operate for more than 50 years.
“It’s a long life mine, it’s a good operating cost so it’s quite a productive and efficient mine,” Scott Winter said.
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