Awaba Underground Coal Mine, operated by Centennial Coal Company, is a finalist in the 4th Annual Australian Mining Prospect Awards.
The mine is 1 km south of Awaba Township and 5.5 km south west of Toronto.
A successful extension to the mining operation was calculated in 2006 to add an additional two million tonnes of saleable product.
A significant area of old pillar panels existed at the Colliery which had the ability to be mined by secondary extraction methods.
There were also a number of small, previously discounted blocks of coal, which had the potential to be accessed and mined by conventional pillaring.
This would effectively extend the life of the mine by more than two years, and see the operation completed at the end of 2008.
At projected operating costs, and if current market prices were maintained, this would generate an additional $25 million.
A key to the success of the project was to make sure that the plan had the support of the workforce.
A forum for regular communications ensured that they were kept informed of the planning process and the ongoing project work.
The existing infrastructure of 1050 mm conveyors and the coal screening plant at Awaba were also refurbished to support the proposed extension to the mine.