A review on existing opencast coal mining methods within Australia

Currently almost 65 % of the coal in Australia is being produced by opencast mining methods. Mining equipments such as draglines, dredgers or bucket wheel excavators, trucks and shovels, and dozers are the main equipments employed for overburden removal and coal extraction. The choice of equipment for a particular mine depends on geological, geotechnical and economic factors and other site issues. This paper provides a general review of the main equipments used in Australia, including examples of some existing mines and the reasons for their choice of equipment. In addition, the paper discusses major geo-mechanical issues encountered and how these may influence the selection of appropriate equipments used in open cut mining operations.