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My name is Wayne Evans and I am Site Manager at East Pit, an open-cast coal mine in South Wales, which is owned and operated by Celtic Energy Limited. I have worked at East Pit for just over a year and have been employed by Celtic Energy for 12 years at other locations.
The company has 300 employees, including 90 who work at the East Pit site. It operates three other open-cast coal mines in south Wales, Selar, Nant Helen and Margam, from which the company produces in excess of one million tonnes of coal per annum.
Half of the coal produced is sent to Aberthaw power station near Cardiff on the South Wales coast. The remainder is split between domestic use here in Wales, the rest of the UK and industrial markets. The coal is also exported to the other parts of Europe.
HITACHI
As part of the production equipment, Celtic Energy operates two large Hitachi mining excavators, an EX1900-5 based at the Selar site and an EX1900-6 at East Pit. The EX1900-5 was delivered in February 2007 and has been in operation for more than 8,000 hours. The EX1900-6 was ordered following the success of its predecessor and was delivered in September 2008. It is the first of its kind in the UK.
The high level of product support provided by HM Plant, the official UK Hitachi dealer, and its depot in Swansea was also a decisive factor in the company’s decision to choose Hitachi. Another factor in the investment was the global residual value of Hitachi machinery as the manufacturer has a reputable name in large mining equipment.
Celtic Energy also utilises a number of ZX350LC-3 excavators on long-term hire from Walters Group. They are used predominantly for cleaning and loading coal within the operational area and have proved to be excellent for this application.
Experience
The main benefits of the EX1900-6 for Celtic Energy are economic and environmental. It is a fast machine, uses less fuel and produces fewer emissions than other large mining machines. Fuel efficiency is particularly important to the company considering the volatility of fuel prices in the current economic climate.
Due to its speed, the EX1900-6 has already improved the production output at the site. It works for 80 hours per week and makes a significant contribution at East Pit, helping to achieve its excavation and coal production targets.
UNITED KINGDOM > EX1900 > MINING