Bloomfield Colliery currently employs 66 personnel including Mining and Coal Handling and Preparation Plant operational staff and management.

The open cut began in 1964 using bulldozers and tractor scrapers. Over the years it has expanded and now uses a Hitachi EX 5500 excavator and 170t rear dump trucks.

The Mining technique is a multi seam, multi bench system which mines up to 13 seams or splits. The coal operation also utilises a range of dozers, front end loaders and highway type trucks that deliver the run-of-mine coal to the onsite washery.

Coal Handling and Preparation Plant (CHPP)

Bloomfield CHPP is currently processing coal from the Bloomfield open cut, Donaldson Mine and Tasman Mine. An application has been made to allow the processing of coal from the Abel Mine.

Raw coal is processed through a two stage, dense media circuit washery.  Coarse coal is sized between 50mm and 1.0mm and is processed then dewatered using centrifuges. The fine coal which is less than 1.0mm, is processed in a reflux classifier and Jameson cell.

Clean coal is stacked under a gantry prior to being reclaimed by tunnel and overland conveyors and then loaded directly onto trains through an overhead bin loading system.