Name and Location
Lublin coal project (LCP), Poland.

Client
Prairie Mining.

Project Description
The LCP is a large-scale premium thermal and semisoft coking coal project, located in the Lublin coal basin, adjacent to the Bogdanka mine.

The project has a current coal resource estimate of 1.6-billion tonnes across four coal exploration concessions, in south-eastern Poland.

A scoping study completed on the project envisages that the longwall retreat caving method, using modern, fully mechanised and automated faces will be used for mining.

The mine plan presented in the study includes total production of 157.7-million raw tonnes and 120.9-million clean tonnes over a 22-year period, predominantly from the 391 coal seam, with minor production from the 389 coal seam. Future studies will analyse the ability to substantially extend the life-of-mine (LoM) or to expand production by adding further mine development phases to the current mine development plan, potentially leading to a significant increase in the amount of saleable coal produced yearly. In addition to the balance of the 391 seam outside the first 22 years of mine life, substantial resources of other target seams, including the 377/1, 379, 382 and the 392 seams, are present across the four LCP concessions at mineable thickness.

At the forecast rate of steady-state production of 7.7-million tonnes a year of run-of-mine (RoM) coal, two longwall units will operate simultaneously in different sections of the mine. It is assumed that longwall plow and shearer faces can produce RoM at a rate of up to four-million tonnes a year, depending on panel dimensions and seam thickness, with development units comprising the balance of overall RoM production.

Clean coal recovery from the raw material production, including dilution, will average about 77.3% during steady-state production. Yearly production will average an estimated six-million tonnes of saleable clean coal.

Given the depths of target economic coal seams, shaft access is considered to be most appropriate. Two shafts are planned – one for bulk coal winding (ventilation downcast shaft) and one for men and materials (ventilation upcast shaft).

The scoping study envisages two 8 m concrete-lined shafts that will be blind sunk to about 1 000 m using modern shaft-sinking methods.

The downcast (intake shaft) will be equipped with two winders and four skips for coal winding and have a capacity for up to ten-million tonnes a year of RoM.

The upcast (return shaft) will be equipped with two systems – one with two cages for men and materials, and a cage with a counterweight system for transporting large pieces of equipment without dismantling.

The intention for the LCP is to develop underground roadways using medium-duty roadheaders for the lateral roads and either medium-duty roadheaders or bolter miners for the face gate roads.

The LCP will include a modern fully integrated coal preparation plant to produce a consistent product that meets the specifications of its customers. The process plant is designed to produce low-ash semisoft coking coal for sale locally or for export, international-standard thermal coal for the export market, or high-ash power station coal for the regional market.

At full production, the coal preparation plant will process the mine’s entire RoM production and requires a notional design capacity of 7.5-million tonnes a year of RoM coal to produce up to 6.7-million tonnes of saleable coal. Prairie plans to operate for 6 000 hours a year, taking maintenance and breakdowns into account. The plant is designed to operate as a 1 250-raw-tonne-an-hour facility, employing two streams of 625t/h each.

The coal processes planned for the coal preparation plant are as follows:
• the 30 mm to 80 mm size fraction will be processed in dense-media separators;
• the 2 mm to 30 mm fraction will be processed in dense-media cyclones;
• the 0.25 mm to 2 mm fraction will be processed in hydrosizers; and
• the -0.25 mm fraction will be processed through froth flotation.

Net Present Value/Internal Rate of Return
Not stated.

Value
Total underground development is expected to cost $435-million, while total underground mine development will cost an estimated $153.1-million.

Duration
Not stated.

Latest Developments
Prairie Mining has started a prefeasibility study (PFS) on the LCP, following positive results from the scoping study.
Prairie Mining has appointed a joint team of consultants from Golder Associates and Royal HaskoningDHV to complete the PFS.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Golder Associates and Royal HaskoningDHV (PFS).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Prairie Mining, tel +61 8 9322 6322, fax +61 8 9322 6558 or email info@prairiedownsmetals.com.au.
Golder Associates, Piotr Kociołek, tel +48 22 628 0980.
Royal HaskoningDHV, +31 33 468 3700 or email info@rhdhv.com.