Abel
Location
Abel Underground Mine is located approximately 25km from the Port of Newcastle, with the portal coming off the high wall of the Donaldson Open-Cut Mine.
The underground lease area extends southwards from John Renshaw Drive towards George Booth Drive and is bounded on the eastern side by F3 Freeway and by Buttai Creek to the west.
Mining Operation
Abel is a bord and pillar operation, which uses continuous miners for first workings and secondary extraction. This two stage process accommodates irregular shaped coal deposits, enables adjustment to extraction for better management of subsidence and maximizes the efficiency of the operation.
The mine uses existing surface infrastructure and the Bloomfield Coal Handling and Preparation Plant, rail loader and rail loop for coal processing and loading.
Coal Preparation
Following extraction, coal is transported via conveyor through the high wall to the surface infrastructure area of the Donaldson Open Cut Mine. It is then transported to the Bloomfield Coal Handling and Preparation Plant, where it is processed and loaded for transport by rail to Port.
Transportation and Export
The washed coal is transported by rail and exported through the Port of Newcastle.