Report

The Woodsmith Project - S73 Project Amendments : Planning Statement

Bulk Air Cooling (BAC) Plant

The Bulk Air Cooling (BAC) Plant is required to provide the volumes of air for ventilation and cooling necessary for the safe and efficient operation of the mine. The cooling equipment will be connected to the MTS Shaft, which will become the air intake shaft for the mine.

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The BAC Plant will comprise three principal components:

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Bulk Air Coolers (BACs)

The BAC building on the surface over the MTS shaft is 35.5m in length and 16m in width. It will cool intake air prior to its passage down the MTS Shaft and into the mine workings. The design of the coolers into the building removes the requirement for a separate permanent shaft building at the MTS Shaft.

Refrigeration Plant

The surface-mounted refrigeration plant, located to the north of the MTS Shaft, will occupy an area of approximately 27m by 23m. It will consist of modular, factory- assembled, non-toxic refrigeration machines designed to be phased in over time as operational demand increases. The plant will supply chilled water to the BAC units via a closed-loop system.

Heat Exchange Units

A hybrid cooling system comprising two rows of five Heat Exchange Units will be installed on the surface north of the Production Shaft headhouse, with a total footprint of approximately 91m by 17.5m. These units will cool the warm water received from the refrigeration plant. Mist eliminators will be fitted to each unit to minimise visible atmospheric condensation plumes. An option to provide the BAC plant underground was considered as an alternative. However, this would have required a wet condensing system to have been installed to allow the rejection of heat in the hot return roadways of the mine. In turn, this would have introduced significant quantities of moisture in the exhaust air of the mine which has the potential to condense as the air travels up the Ventilation Shaft. Modelling indicated that this would result in a condensation plume being emitted during the summer season which would potentially be visible offsite. This option was subsequently ruled out as a result of its potential visual impact.

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Welfare Building

During the construction period, the existing welfare areas comprising the main office and canteen, the change house, and the Service Shaft office, Production Shaft office and MTS Shaft office will continue to be utilised. During construction the existing car parking provision will be retained. In the Operational Phase, the temporary construction welfare will be replaced with the permanent welfare. This structure will be relocated closer to the shaft buildings than currently approved. This amendment allows the welfare building to be positioned to better support operational requirements. It removes the requirement for additional tree felling in the Haxby Plantation. This amendment allows for the consolidation of the overall lateral

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