The Maxwell Underground Project was carried out for Malabar Resources for development of a new underground coal mine in Muswellbrook.
The project consisted of the construction of a temporary accessway, mine entry areas (MEA) and the permanent access road and conveyor trace.
The MEA consisted of excavation and batter stabilisation of two underground portal entries. Challenges due to wet weather events, ground conditions, and material properties encountered during the excavation of the two portal entry box cuts meant collaborative problem solving was needed to progress safe and stabilised excavation works. Additionally, Robson reallocated resources from other non-critical path activities to adopt a 24/7 work front, to meet target dates.
In October 2024, the project received an award in the Australian Mining Prospect Awards for the category of Mine Project of the Year.
The scope of works consisted of:
- • Bulk earthworks;
• Roadworks;
• Surface water management structures;
• Portal entry stabilisation works;
• Concrete works;
• Main access road from Maxwell Infrastructure (existing coal handling and prep plant facilities) to Maxwell Underground Mine Entry Area;
• Construction of conveyor trace, allowing for later installation of a 9km covered overland conveyor; and
• Water Management structures.
Project gallery
Highlights
- Collaborative problem solving to address strata issues encountered during underground entry portal construction.
- Collaborative pre-construction planning of the temporary access road to minimise disturbance to greenfield areas, resulting in time and cost savings.
- Multiple stages of work managed through a long-term Traffic Management Plan.
- Drill and blast works.
- Considerable geotechnical works to ensure batter stabilisation for the mine entry area.
- Temporary detention basin design - all withstanding excessive rainfall throughout the project duration.
- Coal production dates met.
- Compaction method developed to reduce frequency of geotechnical testing, resulting in cost savings.
- Adoption of 24/7 work front to meet project deadlines.
