 has commissioned a new $6.6m Caterpillar 993 loader at its New Acland Coal mine in southeast Queensland.){kind=link}
New Acland’s multi-million-dollar machine
New Hope Group (ASX: NHG) has commissioned a new $6.6m Caterpillar 993 loader at its New Acland Coal mine in southeast Queensland.
The 135t loader’s durable design makes it perfectly equipped to handle the rugged terrain and harsh conditions faced on site.
New Acland Coal general manager Dave O’Dwyer says Hastings Deering Toowoomba sourced and built the earthmoving machine.
“The Caterpillar 993 loader weighs more than 135t is 16.5m long and has a bucket capacity of 17.5m2, which is equivalent to the size of a car,” he said.
The arrival of the loader coincides with another milestone for the company, the 300th full-time employee starting work at the site.
Unlike majority of mining operations across Australia, the site does not engage FIFO workers with more than 90% of its workforce living within 50km of the site.
“New Acland Coal has a long and proud history of supporting and financially backing the local community via project procurement,” Mr O’Dwyer said.
“Over the past two years, we have spent $113.4m with 599 different local suppliers, including Hastings Deering.
“The deliberate decision to invest in and purchase goods and services supports supplier development, provides opportunities for local employment and stimulates business growth.”
In 2022, the Queensland Government approved stage three development of the mine and first coal was extracted in late 2023.
The open-cut thermal coal mine is forecast to produce more than 5mt of coal annually over its 12–15-year projected life.
Hasting Deering resource industries account manager Nic Hope says the business has been support New Acland Coal for more than a decade.
“We worked closely with the New Acland Coal team to spec the machine for its operation,” he said.
“We then sourced the Caterpillar 993 loader, modified the machine at our Toowoomba business centre and then delivered it the mine site for final assembly and commissioning.
“It’s brilliant big local businesses like New Acland Coal choose to support Darling Downs companies, like Hastings Deering Toowoomba.
“Together, we’re creating jobs and building a stronger Toowoomba.”