Report

The Woodsmith Project - S73 Project Amendments : Planning Statement

Cooling of the mine air will form an integral part of the overall ventilation strategy, ensuring that underground workplace temperatures remain within acceptable limits to prevent the risk of heat-related illness, as far as reasonably practicable. The cooling system will comprise bulk air coolers, a surface refrigeration plant, and heat exchange units, which together will deliver cooled air via the MTS Shaft.

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Ventilation Shaft

The proposed Ventilation Shaft is required to meet Anglo American standards for ventilation and cooling and to provide safe and efficient working conditions, at full production. The Ventilation Shaft will have an internal diameter of 8m and will be fully lined to a depth of approximately 1,600m below ground level (BGL), consistent with the design of the existing Production and Service Shafts. Construction will commence with a pre-sink phase utilising a Vertical Sinking Machine (VSM), which will operate submerged underwater to excavate to approximately 120m BGL. During this stage, associated site infrastructure — including a sprung-type canvas-covered stage winder house, workshops, and offices — will be erected. The final sinking methodology remains subject to detailed design and may employ either, or a combination of, traditional drill-and-blast techniques with a galloway (as used for the MTS Shaft), or a Shaft Boring Roadheader (SBR) approach (as used for the Production and Service Shafts). Following completion of the pre-sink phase and installation of the selected sinking system, a headframe (winding tower) of approximately 45m in height will be installed.

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Ventilation Fan Station

A surface Ventilation Fan Station is required in association with the Ventilation Shaft. It will be constructed adjacent to the Ventilation Shaft to house the extraction fans, drawing air from the production levels. The Fan Station will function as the surface exhaust point for the mine’s ventilation and cooling system and will be orientated to the east of the Ventilation Shaft. Locating the primary fans on the surface will reduce the potential for condensation plume formation by allowing heat addition and lower relative humidity. The Fan Station building will measure approximately 63m in length by 52m in width and will reach a maximum elevation of 212.8m AOD. The structure will be clad in dark green profiled metal sheeting consistent with the wider project design palette. To mitigate the visual and acoustic scale of the building and to accommodate internal dust and noise attenuation equipment, the fans will be partially recessed below ground level. The basement excavation, up to 16m deep (12m to finished floor level), will be retained by a soldier-piled wall with a reinforced concrete lining. Alternative designs for the Fan Station building included all equipment being provided at surface level. However, this gave rise to a more prominent and taller building that would exceed the maximum ridge height of existing buildings and would provide less noise attenuation for the fans. This option was subsequently discounted as being less appropriate to the National Park setting.

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