Wambo is one of Peabody's largest operating mines and is located in the Hunter Valley, about 30 kilometres from Singleton. Mining commenced in 1969. Wambo produces around five million tonnes (5.5 million tons) of saleable thermal coal a year.

The modern, productive open-cut mine is operated under contract by Downer Edi Mining using truck and shovel fleets. Coal is mined from nine plies within four coal seam groups: Whybrow, Redbank Creek, Wambo and Whynot - with an overburden ratio of around 7:1 bank cubic metres per tonne of run-of-mine coal. A new underground longwall mine, North Wambo, is due to be commissioned towards the end of 2007, and will extract the Wambo seam.

Coal is railed 85 kilometres to the Port of Newcastle for export. The quality and consistency of Wambo's coal has enabled it to gain wide market acceptance among the major Japanese power utilities for more than 30 years. Once the longwall is operating, Wambo will produce low ash and semi-soft coking coal in addition to its existing thermal product.

Wambo's mining leases cover an area of more than 5300 hectares and contain 202 million tonnes (222 million tons) of recoverable coal in the Whybrow, Wambo, Redbank Creek, Whynot, Arrowfield and Bowfield seams.

Peabody acquired the mine in October 2006.

Wambo thermal coal specifications

Statement of environmental effects

 Wambo Statement of Environmental Effects (SEE) Part 1 (pages 1-8) 2.18 Mb

 Wambo SEE Part 2 (pages 10-26) 1.74 Mb

 Wambo SEE Part 3 (pages 29-43) 1.57 Mb

 Wambo SEE Part 4 (pages 44-Appendix A) 1.93 Mb

 Wambo SEE Part 5 (Appendix B) 293.57 Kb

 Wambo SEE Figure 2 1.48 Mb

 Wambo SEE Figure 3 49.64 Kb

 Wambo SEE Figure 4 1.65 Mb

 Wambo SEE Figure 7 1.51 Mb

 Wambo SEE Figure 8 1.49 Mb

 Wambo SEE Appendix B Figure 1 1.56 Mb

 Wambo SEE Appendix B Figure 2 1.64 Mb

 Wambo SEE Appendix B Figures 3-6 1.44 Mb