THE Victorian government is imposing tougher reporting regulations for all mines in the Latrobe Valley in a bid to prevent mine collapses.
The move follows an inquiry into the collapse of the Yallourn brown coal mine in November 2007 in which the mine’s wall gave way and spilled thousands of litres of water from the Latrobe River into the pit.
The incident disrupted energy and mining production at the Yallourn plant, and the Latrobe River had to be diverted to stop additional spillages.
A recent investigation into the incident found that important signs indicating the mine was instable were not recognised by the mine’s technical advisors and external reviewers. It also found the deterioration of the geotechnical model for mine stability and expertise in Victoria were contributing factors to the collapse.
The State Government is now proposing to establish a Technical Review Board to ensure independent technical experts review stability elements of mine work plans every six months.
Other measures recommended from the inquiry include a ‘lessons learned’ workshop and the establishment of a Valley-based cross agency water management group to better coordinate water issues associated with mining.
Audits of all Victorian coal mines are currently underway to review existing licence and work plan conditions to impose reporting and monitoring requirements in the near future.
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