Charbon Colliery Closure

Detailed technical studies to support the development of Reject Emplacement capping design and rehabilitation strategy.

Charbon Coal Pty Ltd | Western Coalfields, New South Wales

Project overview
Charbon Colliery is an underground and open cut coal mine owned and operated by Charbon Coal Pty Limited (Charbon Coal), located approximately 87 kilometers (km) north-west of Lithgow and 3 km south of Kandos in the Western Coalfields of New South Wales (NSW). Charbon Coal proposed to use available on-site materials as well as imported coarse coal reject (CCR) material to cap their Main Reject Emplacement Area (MREA). EMM was engaged to assess the suitability of this material for developing a final capping design, including modelling of potential for groundwater pathways and potential impacts at key environmental receptors and water users.
Our involvement
EMM were engaged to characterise available capping material and model capping layer seepage combined with contaminant mobilisation and groundwater pathway modelling to develop rejects emplacement capping layer design recommendations in order to achieve the closure objectives. EMM’s understanding of the complex interaction of geochemistry, surface water, capping performance and groundwater has provided Charbon Coal with science-based recommendations and allowed further refinement of the capping design to meet mine closure objectives.
Technical solutions
  • Environmental Planning and Approvals
  • Geochemistry
  • Groundwater
  • Surface Water