Tag Archives: PIMS Group

PIMS Mining gains more work in NSW coal sector with Appin and Maxwell agreements

Coal technology, Mine operation news, Mineral project development, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , , ,

PIMS Group subsidiary, PIMS Mining, says it has been awarded a three-year fixed term contract – with a one-year extension option – with South32’s Illawarra Coal Holdings Pty Ltd, continuing to provide supplementary labour to its metallurgical coal mine, Appin, in New South Wales, Australia.

Appin mine is around 70 km south of Sydney and 37 km north of Wollongong, which produces premium-quality, hard coking coal for steelmaking, that is transported within Australia and around the world.

The scope of the contract includes providing supplementary labour for development, longwall, outbye and coal clearance processes. PIMS will require a variety of skilled personnel to support the increase to scope, from the previous contract.

South32’s Illawarra Metallurgical Coal operations has underground mines at Appin and Dendrobium, which produce premium-quality, hard coking coal for steelmaking.

PIMS Mining was also recently awarded Preferred Contractor status and received a Letter of Intent from Malabar Resources subsidiary Maxwell Ventures (Management) Pty Ltd to provide services for the Maxwell underground bord and pillar operation, in New South Wales.

Construction of the mine entry portals for the Whynot Seam bord and pillar operation is underway with the current project timeline requiring labour on site in January 2023 with a ramp up throughout the remainder of the March quarter.

The scope of the contract includes underground mining, employing the place change system and targeting run of mine production rates in the order of 900,000 t/y-1 Mt, PIMS said. During operation, PIMS Mining will work closely with the Maxwell leadership team to manage all aspects of the operations in the Whynot Seam, including planning, production of coal, maintenance and operation of all production equipment, conveyors, infrastructure and general mine construction, as well as ancillary activities.

PIMS Group Managing Director, Richard Mills, said: “PIMS Mining has extensive experience in underground coal mining, especially in safe, high productivity bord and pillar operations across Queensland and New South Wales and are excited to bring this experience to the Maxwell operation.”

Komatsu to help PIMS Group with Millennium and Mavis Downs underground transition

Coal technology, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A new agreement between Komatsu and PIMS Group, a north Queensland-based mining services operator, could help set a benchmark for extending the life of multiple Queensland coal mines, the pair say.

PIMS Group was recently awarded a five-year contract to convert the idled open-pit Millennium and Mavis Downs coal mines, west of Mackay, Queensland, to underground operations, which could ultimately result in an estimated 1.2 Mt/y of incremental coal extraction. Komatsu will sell PIMS Group new mining equipment for the project, and will provide a comprehensive maintenance, parts, rebuild and engineering support service to ensure the companies’ joint objectives are effectively supported, it said.

Komatsu will provide a full-time preventative maintenance team at the mine sites to help maximise the operation of the eight pieces of equipment now on order, including two 12CM27 continuous miners, four 10SC32 shuttle cars, one feeder breaker and one multibolter. Delivery of the Komatsu machines is due in mid-2022 to coincide with PIMS Group’s conversion of the Mavis Downs site to underground operation, which will be followed soon after by conversion of the Millennium site.

Millennium and Mavis Downs are owned by MetRes, a 50:50 joint venture between Stanmore Resources and M Resources. M Mining, a subsidiary of M Resources, is the joint venture manager and operator.

Rob Rogers, Vice President of Underground Soft Rock for Komatsu in Australasia, said the success of the three-way venture with PIMS Group and MetRes depended on total confidence of each partner to reliably deliver in its area of expertise. Rogers said the arrangement aligns well with Komatsu’s focus on ‘creating value together’, an initiative intended to secure long-term customer solutions, particularly to the benefit of society and communities.

The MetRes rejuvenation alone has the potential to create up to 100 mine construction jobs and result in more than 125 direct full-time mining jobs, according to the companies.

MetRes Chairperson, Matt Latimore, says a partnership and risk-sharing approach, together with the potential for substantial local employment opportunities, had been paramount in PIMS Group winning its bid to operate the infrastructure of both mines.

MetRes has initially worked to reopen the mines using auger and open-pit methods, with production of first coal already achieved in September 2021. According to MetRes, underground expansion will be economically achieved through the mines’ existing highwalls, yielding low-ash, high-quality metallurgical coal used in the production of steel globally.

Rehabilitation of the open-pit sites will coincide with the switch to underground operations. With underground activity, Millennium and Mavis Downs share a current predicted additional mine life of 12 years, producing 13.9 Mt of metallurgical coal.

PIMS’ contract with the mines’ owners is the largest undertaken by the north Queensland group.