New Acland Mine
Encyclopedia
The New Acland Mine is located adjacent to Acland
township, about 10 km north of Oakey
on the Darling Downs in Queensland
, Australia
. It contains more than 500 million tonnes of coal
that is removed by the open cut method
. The mine is owned and operated by New Hope Coal
and part of the Wallon Coal Measures. The mine began operations in 2002. It was officially opened on 13 March 2003 by Premier Peter Beattie
. New Acland Mine supplies Swanbank Power Station, Tarong Power Station and both domestic and international markets.
To supply Tarong Power Station beyond 2010 the Queensland Government has indicated its preferred fuel source will be New Acland connected by a conveyor belt
. Local reaction to property resumptions, workmen access and building activities was not well received.
Mine owners have been investigating the feasibility of a coal liquefaction
and coal gasification
processors at New Acland Mine.
. A total of 300 staff were expected to be working at the New Acland Mine in 2009, producing 4.2 million tonnes of coal a year. 60% of the coal was exported.
. This expansion will extend the operating life of the mine until about 2042. It is planned that annual production will rise to 7.5 million tonnes.
In preparation for the mine's expansion directly into the township of Acland most residents left to avoid the mine's ill effects. The last resident in the town, who has refused to leave, is Glenn Beutel. Some of the vacated houses will be used for operating purposes.
Acland, Queensland
Acland is a small town north of Oakey, on the Darling Downs, west of Queensland's state capital, Brisbane. At the 2006 census, Acland had a population of 53....
township, about 10 km north of Oakey
Oakey, Queensland
Oakey is a rural town situated in the Darling Downs region of Queensland, Australia. It is situated west of the state capital, Brisbane, and west of the regional city of Toowoomba. At the 2006 census, Oakey had a population of 3,657.-History:...
on the Darling Downs in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It contains more than 500 million tonnes of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
that is removed by the open cut method
Open-pit mining
Open-pit mining or opencast mining refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow....
. The mine is owned and operated by New Hope Coal
New Hope Coal
New Hope Coal is an Australian coal-mining and energy company. New Hope's operations include New Acland Mine, Jeebropilly Mine, New Oakleigh Mine and Queensland Bulk Handling. New Hope Coal is 61.11% owned by Washington H. Soul Pattinson....
and part of the Wallon Coal Measures. The mine began operations in 2002. It was officially opened on 13 March 2003 by Premier Peter Beattie
Peter Beattie
Peter Douglas Beattie , Australian politician, was the 36th Premier of the Australian state of Queensland for nine years and leader of the Australian Labor Party in that state for eleven and a half years...
. New Acland Mine supplies Swanbank Power Station, Tarong Power Station and both domestic and international markets.
To supply Tarong Power Station beyond 2010 the Queensland Government has indicated its preferred fuel source will be New Acland connected by a conveyor belt
Conveyor belt
A conveyor belt consists of two or more pulleys, with a continuous loop of material - the conveyor belt - that rotates about them. One or both of the pulleys are powered, moving the belt and the material on the belt forward. The powered pulley is called the drive pulley while the unpowered pulley...
. Local reaction to property resumptions, workmen access and building activities was not well received.
Mine owners have been investigating the feasibility of a coal liquefaction
Coal liquefaction
-Methods:The liquefaction processes are classified as direct conversion to liquids processes and indirect conversion to liquids processeses. Direct processes are carbonization and hydrogenation.-Pyrolysis and carbonization processes:...
and coal gasification
Gasification
Gasification is a process that converts organic or fossil based carbonaceous materials into carbon monoxide, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane. This is achieved by reacting the material at high temperatures , without combustion, with a controlled amount of oxygen and/or steam...
processors at New Acland Mine.
Stage 2
Stage 2 of the mine was opened on the 21 March 2007 by Anna BlighAnna Bligh
Anna Maria Bligh is an Australian politician and the Premier of Queensland since 2007. The 2009 Queensland state election was the first time a female-led political party won or retained state or federal government in Australia...
. A total of 300 staff were expected to be working at the New Acland Mine in 2009, producing 4.2 million tonnes of coal a year. 60% of the coal was exported.
Stage 3
In 2010, Stage 3 was undergoing an environmental impact assessmentEnvironmental impact assessment
An environmental impact assessment is an assessment of the possible positive or negative impact that a proposed project may have on the environment, together consisting of the natural, social and economic aspects....
. This expansion will extend the operating life of the mine until about 2042. It is planned that annual production will rise to 7.5 million tonnes.
In preparation for the mine's expansion directly into the township of Acland most residents left to avoid the mine's ill effects. The last resident in the town, who has refused to leave, is Glenn Beutel. Some of the vacated houses will be used for operating purposes.