Sustainable development

The Moranbah North Mine received the Coal Mine of the Year award at the Australian Mining Prospect Awards

Anglo American has scooped three awards at the annual Australian Mining Prospect Awards.

Moranbah North Mine received the Coal Mine of the Year award, Callide Mine was recognised for its application of coal dust suppression technology and the fatigue-monitoring SmartCap was awarded an innovation award.

Regional Manager for External Affairs Aldo Pennini accepted the award on behalf of Moranbah North Mine, which was selected by the panel of judges because of its efforts to mitigate carbon emissions by commissioning a 45MW power station that converts waste coal mine gas sourced from the mine into clean electricity.

"Through partnership, collaboration and innovation, we have delivered two key projects in 2009 at the mine, the $AU60 million Moranbah North Waste Coal Mine Gas power station, in partnership with EDL, and a $AU200 million powered roof support project that will increase the mine's productivity at increasing depths," Aldo said.

CRCMining, inventors of the SmartCap, received the mining innovation award for the development of the Smart Cap and Anglo American was warmly acknowledged in their acceptance speech for providing the funding to bring the idea into commercialisation, and for being the first company to apply this technology.

Inventor Dr Daniel Bongers accepted the award and praised Anglo American for taking on this exciting new technology, which is being introduced at Dawson Mine.

"The SmartCap addresses the dangers of haul truck operators getting tired on the job by measuring their brainwave information to detect when the wearer is experiencing symptoms of fatigue and reporting this information back to the user and their supervisor.

"Anglo has been extremely supportive of this technology by quickly recognising the invaluable safety benefits the SmartCaps provide," Daniel said.

Anglo American's Callide Mine, along with its supplier, DuPont Australia, were recognised with the award for Environmental Excellence for its coal veneering process, an innovation that minimises coal dust in transit by layering the coal with a protective crust.

Callide Mine Coal Specialist Ed Crawford said the decision to veneer the coal was taken by Callide in response to community concerns over fugitive dust from coal trains, along with other air quality issues, in the Central Queensland industrial city of Gladstone.

"This award is the outcome of innovation and collaboration to establish a partnership which brought the power of science that DuPont possesses to provide a practical solution to the problem of fugitive dust from trains," said Ed.