Background

AGL Loy Yang is a power station and accompanying open cut coal mine (covering approximately 6000 hectares) located in the Latrobe Valley, 165 kilometres south east of Melbourne. Beveridge Williams has proudly held the survey contract at AGL Loy Yang for more than 22 Years. The mine supplies coal to the Loy Yang A power station and the Alinta owned Loy Yang B station, which jointly, produce a power output of up to approximately 3,000 Mega Watts. Each year the mine provides approximately 29 million cubic metres of coal and 7 million cubic metre of overburden/interburden using four bucket wheel dredgers.

On an annual basis, Beveridge Williams performs a range of monitoring and control surveys on various structures, plant, mine areas as required for various on-site projects. A range of techniques are used including static GNSS survey, precise levelling, high precision total station and photogrammetry using an UAV.

With the support of our Traralgon office, routine tasks at the site are managed by a dedicated group of full-time on-site Surveyors. These tasks include:

• excavation plan set-outs
• machine guidance models
• monthly quantity surveys
• underground service set-outs and locations
• consultation with the AGL Civil Group on the constant evolution of drainage
• rehabilitation
• roads and other civil requirements on site
• conveyor extensions and shifts
• and other varying tasks as required by the mine and power station operation groups.

Beveridge Williams is regularly involved in outages and major project upgrade works on-site. We provide alignment information on machinery such as the bucket-wheel boom and bridging conveyors, using two high accuracy total stations whilst the dredger is configured and weighed in various positions. We do this so that engineers can calculate the force of the modules of the dredger that are exerted on the digging unit, hence calculating an accurate weight (approximately 18,000kg).

AGL has recently commenced installation of a new dewatering pump system to dramatically increase their capacity to pump ground water out of the mine. The mine is over 100 metres below sea level in some places, resulting in a large catchment area for rain water that accumulates in the mine. Beveridge Williams has been involved in every aspect of this job, from the initial feature survey and set up of an additional control network, to providing as-constructed surveys of newly installed plant and infrastructure. Beveridge Williams works closely with the principal contractor in conducting set out surveys, generating machine models, and providing other survey requirements as they arise.

Looking to the future, Beveridge Williams remains committed to providing AGL Loy Yang with high quality service, introducing new technologies and expanding our range of on-site service offerings to maintain our excellent partnership.