Solid Energy to sign contract for Ohai Mine

15 October 2010

Solid Energy to sign contract for Ohai Mine Rehabilitation

Solid Energy has selected Cromwell-based STRACON NZ Ltd as preferred contractor for a $20 million civil contract to rehabilitate the former “Pit 6” at Ohai Opencast Mine in Southland, a former State Coal Mines pit.

The contract to move about 3 million bank cubic metres of earth over three years, is the largest civil works component of a $32 million project to rehabilitate the mine over three years. STRACON will start advertising in Southland for a workforce of 12 this week.

Solid Energy’s Southland Mine Manager, Antony Stodart, says “Solid Energy closed Ohai Mine in June 2009 and is rehabilitating the site to meet the condition of its Coal Mining Licence (CML). The key objectives of the rehabilitation are to stabilise the pit walls, extinguish an historic fire in the old underground mine workings and to ensure the pit can hold water in the mine lake that will be created.”

This work includes extracting hot and/or burning coal in pit 6 rehabilitation. If any of this coal is saleable, Solid Energy will make it available to South Island markets.
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