refurbishment of Open Cut Equipment in SECV Mining Operations

The State Electricity Commission of Victoria (SECV) operates 13 excavators, 3 travelling stackers and 4 mobile slew conveyors in their three open cuts in the Latrobe Valley. The majority of these machines have been designed and constructed to a German design code current at the date of order. The SECV has always ensured that the machines were manufactured and erected to the appropriate standards. The SECV has a policy of having all machines inspected by an independent inspector every two years. These inspections are based on those carried out in Germany. The inspections have been carried out by inspectors from Germany who have the necessary experience to do similar work in German open cuts. Major faults found during the inspections have been repaired, however,the gradual breakdown of corrosion protection system has continued. The structures on some machines have areas of bad corrosion. This, coupled with wear on major mechanical equipment, would require an extensive outage to overhaul the machines. Refurbishment of Hazelwood Power Station will result in higher levels of production and extended life for the station. This will require improvement in the total output from Morwell Open Cut (MOC). To meet this increased coal demand, the open cut equipment will need to operate more efficiently and for a longer period of life.