Major Caterpillar and Haulmax upgrades for New Zealand’s Stockton coal mine

Solid Energy has placed further orders, totalling NZ$65 million, for additional mobile plant and equipment for its Stockton open-pit mine. Delivery is expected to be completed by the end of 2010. Barry Bragg, Solid Energy’s COO and Stockton Alliance Chairman, says the fleet upgrades are already delivering safer and more productive tonnages. “At the time we moved to Stockton Alliance operation last October the mine had more than 200 mobile plant units and was moving an average of 500,000 m3 (bank) of waste rock a month,” he says. “With the core mining fleet upgraded, plant numbers have dropped to 134 units and the monthly waste rock movement has increased to over 700,000 m3 (bank) in recent months. (more…)