Changes and challenges in the Queensland Coal Industry – a Geologist’s perspective

David Green, Chair, Bowen Basin Geologists Group

Photo: Peter Turnbull

What has changed in the Queensland coal industry in the last 40 years? David Green has participated as a geologist over that time and for the last six years has been the Chair of the Bowen Basin Geologists Group (BBGG), which organises the Bowen Basin Symposium every five years. He has observed numerous developments over those years, including substantial improvements to safety in exploration and mining, shifts from manual recording and interpretation of data to the use of computer techniques, the increasing use of automation and remote techniques, as well as the changing attitudes towards coal. He reflects on some of those changes in this article.

The BBGG was established in 1985, the same year as the first Bowen Basin Symposium (BBS) was held. These were initiated as an opportunity for coal geologists working in the Bowen Basin to get together to share the latest developments and technologies, as well as to socialise with colleagues across the mine sites. The BBGG has long been recognised as the primary interest group for coal geoscientists and associated personnel who study, explore, evaluate and mine the occurrence of coal by those who work throughout the Bowen and other basins in Queensland. The BBS is always a milestone event for presentation and discussion about the results of exploration, mine development and research undertaken in the previous five years. After many years of operating as an independent, informal interest group, the BBGG became a part of the Geological Society of Australia (GSA) Coal Geology Specialist Group (CGG) in 2018. Whilst the BBGG and BBS continue to operate in a similar manner, a great deal has changed since they started. We are all familiar with how the coal industry has changed from being seen as a reliable contributor to Australia’s energy sector, export earnings and job market, to being held 'responsible' for climate change. Instead of community support, there is now increasing pressure being applied to every facet of a coal project, from financing to approvals to community attitudes, in order to stop mining and using coal.

Rather than focus on those familiar changes, this article will explore three key challenges facing both geology and the coal mining industry in general: 1. Access to mine sites and sharing of information 2. Decline of teaching of geology and mining in our universities 3. The impact of new technologies

1. Limited access: reduced ability to visit mine sites and share information

The BBGG was created by merging a couple of separate groups of geologists working in Bowen Basin coal mines from the northern Bowen Basin and from the Blackwater area. Initially, this was a small group of geologists who had sometimes literally met over the back fence for a chat. It developed into a group who would then meet every three or four months at a mine or in Brisbane to discuss a broad range of topics. These regular meetings have provided significant professional development opportunities, stimulus for research and development, and great networking opportunities for everyone. However it has become increasingly difficult to access mine sites for these meetings. Safety and other concerns about sensitive information being shared with competitors have limited movement and access to interesting and significant geological features for a group of 30-50 geoscientists to inspect and admire. Everyone has benefitted from the sharing of challenging geological conditions and how they were investigated and dealt with.

2. Skills and supply: the decline of teaching of geology and mining in our Universities

The number of geologists and mining engineers entering the resources industry has always fluctuated with the boom and bust cycles of commodities. However, over the last few years we have seen a fundamental change in this supply and demand fluctuation, as well as changed attitudes towards mining. As a result, we have seen tertiary institutions in Australia remove teaching of geology and engineering subjects and reduce numbers of teaching personnel. This has generally been in response to reduced demand, exacerbated by the lack of overseas students and consequent diminished funding. The decline appears in part to be a product of the disconnect between commodities people use every day, for example, electricity and steel, and recognition for where enablers for those commodities, like coal, come from. Combined with increasing negative perceptions of mining, students are less inclined to take up geology and engineering subjects, which is now likely to have a significant impact on their availability for the whole resource industry. Companies already have to employ geologists and engineers from overseas. Conversely, high salaries and a long and varied work life remain attractive. The BBGG and CGG are investigating more options for providing specific training courses in coal geoscience for early career geoscientists, but this does not fully address the lack of interest by students to become geologists or the availability of tertiary teaching. Companies which mine and utilise coal especially need to educate school students, encourage them to take up a career in engineering and geoscience, and provide meaningful support to universities.

3. Hands-on vs. computer-based work: the impact of new technologies

Forty years ago, geological maps were hand-drawn and the evaluation of a deposit was a manual process. Downhole geophysical logging was in its infancy and other geophysical methods had limitations. Since then, the development of computers and increasingly powerful software has enabled the easier and faster modelling of geological features and, consequently, the estimation of resource volumes and quality. More detail can be collected and utilised, meaning more data for input to increasingly complex estimation methods and models. Improvements to geophysical and remote sensing surveys have increased understanding of geological and other features that are hazards to safe and productive mining. Other techniques have provided more tools for the coal geologist to understand the variability in a deposit and better predict key parameters. The BBGG has been at the forefront of supporting R&D, and was instrumental in the establishment of ACARP. It continues to encourage and support ACARP projects with biannual seminars to enable transfer of knowledge from researchers to practitioners as well as providing direction for future initiatives. The 2021 BBS (now being held in March 2022) includes a number of papers on machine learning and a timely discussion about automation. These tools are likely to require different skills and approaches to those required 40 years ago and have the potential to further remove geologists from being ‘hands-on’ with the rocks. However, until tools and techniques are sufficiently developed to accurately determine critical coal quality and physical parameters remotely, it will continue to be necessary to drill boreholes to obtain suitable samples.

What’s next for geology in the Bowen Basin?

Reduced access to mine sites, limited engagement with interesting and important geological features, and increased impediments for company geoscientists to share basic information about their mine or project have decreased opportunities for professional development, shared experiences, and greater understanding of the geological environment we work in. All geoscientists need to share their passion for understanding how the earth works and its relevance (especially with secondary and tertiary students), as well as highlighting the varied and interesting jobs that are available. Many geologists were attracted to the profession by the idea of learning about the earth, the diversity of study areas, opportunity to work outdoors, and the chance to be hands on with the rocks. As our industry introduces more remote data acquisition, interpretation and automation, as well as increasing limitations on direct measurement of geological features, we may continue to see a decline in geoscientists wanting to work in resource exploration and extraction. A different set of skills and training will be required in an increasingly digital world. Whilst there have been many changes over the last 40 years, the BBGG and the BBS will continue to provide the forums and support for geologists studying, working and researching in Queensland’s coalfields and beyond, for as long as there is a coal mining industry here - which we expect will be for many years yet. 