National Group says its contract mining operation, National Mining Services, is to supply services to Yancoal’s Moolarben mine in the Western Coalfields of New South Wales, Australia.
As part of a three-year mining services contract, with an option to extend for a further two years, National Mining Services will provide works that include the safe pre-stripping of a minimum of 15 million bank cubic metres (Mbcm) of overburden each year at Moolarben.
National Mining Services will use National Group’s ultra-class mining equipment on the contract, including Liebherr R9800 excavators, Liebherr T282 dump trucks and other ancillary equipment.
“This is a significant contract in National Group’s history,” National Group founder and Managing Director, Mark Ackroyd, said. “We are grateful for Yancoal’s ongoing support for National Group and for the opportunity to contribute to the world-class Moolarben open-cut coal mine. National Group looks forward to helping Yancoal achieve its goals at Moolarben.”
The Moolarben contract continues a strong period of growth for National Group in the coal industry. In January 2022, National Group extended an equipment contract for Anglo American Australia on its two expanding open-pit coal mines at Capcoal in the Bowen Basin in Central Queensland (Lake Lindsay and Oak Park).
“National Group is proud to be part of the Australian coal industry,” Ackroyd said. “We intend to expand our long-term presence in the coal sector, help more companies export high-quality Australian coal, and create jobs for regional communities.”
The Moolarben contract expands National Group’s footprint in NSW. In 2021, Newcrest awarded National Group a surface-mining contract at its Cadia gold mine in central NSW, where it is supplying Caterpillar 994K and 988K large wheel loaders, Caterpillar 793 dump trucks and the Hitachi ZX890 excavator.
“National Group continues to grow and diversify its NSW operations,” Ackroyd said. “We have significant long-term contracts in coal and gold, and a strong pipeline of opportunities for sustained growth in NSW. National Group has created well over 100 regional jobs in NSW in the past two years. We intend to create plenty more.”
Ackroyd says the Moolarben contract diversifies National Group in others ways.
“Our company is best known as a leading supplier of heavy-earthmoving equipment,” he said. “The Moolarben contract expands our work in mining services and further strengthens National Group’s unique end-to-end offering and its operational diversification.”
National Mining Services is well-positioned to take on more work in mining services by providing mining and infrastructure services to National Group’s major open-pit mining clients, it said. “The business has extensive capabilities in large-scale mining projects, meeting production requirements in excess of three Mbcm per month of waste and coal.”
Ackroyd says National Mining Services’ position within the National Group is a competitive advantage.
“Through National Group, National Mining Services has access to one of the country’s most advanced mining fleets, a large supply of experienced labour and access to capital,” he said. “Most of all, National Mining Services has a great team.”