Drayton

Water cart operator Leya Williams with Tony Melichar electrical technician at Drayton mine

Drayton is an open-cut mine, which began operating in 1983 and currently produces around 5 Mt of thermal coal each year for export and domestic markets.

The mine uses one dragline, excavators and a significant truck fleet and has approximately 300 employees.

Location

Drayton is situated between the towns of Muswellbrook (13 kilometres to the north, population 15,000) and Singleton (34 kilometres to the south, population 22,000) in the Upper Hunter Valley in New South Wales. Drayton is 100 kilometres from the major port city of Newcastle (population 260,000) and 200 kilometres from Sydney.

Coal production and resources

Drayton and the contiguous Drayton South deposit are situated in the Hunter Valley coalfields. Drayton reserves are estimated at 35 Mt.

Ownership and operation

Drayton is owned by Anglo American (88%) and joint venture partners NCE Australia, Mitsui Coal Holdings, Daesung Australia and Hyundai Australia. The mine is operated and managed by us.

Regional profile

The Hunter Valley area is recognised as the site of one of the most significant coal deposits in Australia. However, it also supports a strong and growing wine and associated tourist industry and is a centre for thoroughbred horse breeding. In recent years, the growing diversity of the area and its attractive country lifestyle has been a magnet for both tourists and potential new residents.

The New South Wales Hunter Valley is a unique region where a range of industries including mining farming, horse breeding and wine growing have developed and prospered alongside each other for many years. Our Drayton mine has a 27-year history in the Hunter Valley, working closely with local stakeholders, communities and businesses to ensure we are, and continue to be a good neighbour.

Environmental issues

Drayton achieved ISO 14001 certification during 2003, and for many years has maintained a strong rehabilitation programme. This includes environment awareness training for employees. Additional intensive training is also provided to employees engaged in areas of high environmental impact, including blasting and waste management.

Community relations

For more than 20 years, Drayton has maintained a sound relationship with the local community. Regular meetings of the Community Consultative Committee, mine open days, mining expos and forums are among the many initiatives undertaken to foster better understanding and cooperation among all stakeholders. Drayton also provides donations, sponsorship and in-kind support to local community organisations that provide a wide range of services to the community.

Historically, we have provided funding to local health and education-focused initiatives including (but not limited to) Carelink, the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service, the Muswellbrook Police Citizens Youth Club (PCYC) and various sponsorship requests from local schools including:

St Joseph’s Primary School
Sandy Hollows Public School
Scone High School
Jerry’s Plains P&C Association
Denman Public School
Muswellbrook Public School

We also made a significant contribution towards the proposed new SES and fire fighting building in Muswellbrook.

Cultural heritage

A significant amount of indigenous cultural heritage fieldwork has been undertaken by Drayton. We have also developed study programmes and research around new mining areas. Consultation with a number of local indigenous groups is ongoing and will continue for the life of the mine.

Extension approval

Drayton obtained a mine extension approval in February 2008. This approval extends the mine’s life to 2017 and allows flexibility by increasing approved tonnage to 8 Mtpa. This approval requires the development of various management plans and commissioning of new infrastructure.