ABSTRACT

W. Bahrt & T. Bauch Vattenfall Europe Mining AG, Senftenberg, Germany

ABSTRACT: The influence of the deregulation of the German energy market lead to an enormous increase in the cost pressure on all parts of the value chain in the energy company. A new technological and planttechnical concept was developed for the Nochten opencast mine, an operation of the company Vattenfall Europe Mining AG that is effective in the long run. This concept secures an essential reduction of the investment for the required plant equipment and contributes at the same time to considerably lower the operating costs. The challenge was to co-ordinate the interests between an undisturbed production of two different excavators feeding one belt conveyor on the one hand, and an uncompromising fulfilment of the recultivation goals under difficult geological conditions on the other hand. The requirement is met by a new planning and operational management system that is described in detail in the following report. It refers to the realisation of a quality management and control system for overburden handling.