Autonomy gets real at Daunia as Whitehaven lifts productivity, redefines safety and proves culture is the key to mining’s autonomous future

When Whitehaven Coal acquired BMA’s Daunia and Blackwater mines in Queensland’s Bowen Basin, it wasn’t just the company’s biggest purchase to date. It was also a leap into the world of large-scale autonomy – inheriting one of the first fully autonomous coal operations in Australia.

For Matt Petty, general manager – asset management & technology at Whitehaven, the acquisition wasn’t just a business milestone. It was also a trial by fire in change management, technology integration, and culture-building. Speaking at the NSW Resources Mechanical Engineering Safety Seminar (MESS 2025), Matt shared candid insights into what it takes to turn an autonomous mine from a glossy corporate project into a productive, safe, and sustainable operation.

A transformation in scale and complexity

Whitehaven has grown from humble beginnings in New South Wales to become a major producer of metallurgical and high-CV thermal coal. The acquisition of Daunia and Blackwater doubled the company’s size, diversified its product mix, and extended its geographic reach.

“Overnight we went from being a regional operator to running some of the largest open cut metallurgical coal assets in the country,” Matt explained. “And while the promotional video [played during MESS 20205 presentation] shows a world-class operation, the reality on the ground was a hell of a change management exercise.”

The challenge was more than technical. BMA had managed these sites within a highly centralised structure, with maintenance strategies, warehousing, and technology support coordinated through global systems. When Whitehaven took over, those layers vanished.

“We had to piece everything back together from scratch – implementing support functions, revisiting maintenance strategies, and integrating ERP systems,” Matt said. “It was about building our own way of working, while keeping the sites running safely and reliably.”

Inheriting autonomy – and its challenges

Perhaps the most defining feature of the Daunia mine was its autonomous Caterpillar fleet, one of the first of its kind in coal globally. Overnight, Whitehaven became the operator of an autonomous system with all the opportunities and headaches that entailed.

“One of the first things we did was move control back from the remote operations centre in Brisbane to the site itself,” Matt explained. “That was a deliberate decision to empower the local team and build the culture we needed.”

Culture, he stressed, is the critical enabler for autonomy. “Anyone who has worked with autonomous haulage knows the phrase: culture eats strategy for breakfast. You can have the best technology in the world, but if the team isn’t engaged and empowered, it won’t succeed.”

Record productivity, real safety gains

With culture and ownership rebalanced, the results began to show.

“We’re now seeing productivity levels out of the autonomous system that are record-setting for Daunia,” Matt said. “It’s still a journey, but we’ve been able to remove constraints that existed under the previous ownership and open the door to real improvements.”

On safety, Matt was unequivocal. “Autonomy has been transformational. If you go back over the history of the site, there used to be a lot of equipment interaction incidents – truck-related potential loss events. In the last two years we’ve had one. That’s it.”

For operators on the ground, the shift has been just as significant. “Most of the workforce will tell you they actually feel safer in an autonomous environment than in a manned fleet. The trucks are 100% predictable – they know exactly what they’re going to do.”

Maintenance insights from zero operator error

The removal of operator-induced events has also changed how Whitehaven manages equipment health.

“With autonomy, we have zero engine overspeeds, zero brake abuse, zero transmission misuse. None of the things you’d normally see with manned fleets,” Matt explained. “That’s allowed us to push component life much further – we’ve achieved some impressive hours out of engines, transmissions, and final drives.”

But new issues have emerged. “Interestingly, some components wear faster. We see reduced life on steering ball joints, and more structural damage to truck bodies. These are the kinds of challenges you only uncover once you’re deep into running autonomy.”

The infrastructure behind autonomy

Running autonomous haulage isn’t just about trucks and shovels – it’s about networks and systems.

“To make the system work, we’ve got about 120 communications trailers across the site, continuous RF planning, and 24/7 technical support to keep the network live,” Matt said. “The system reliability has been excellent – the Caterpillar MineStar platform has had very few outages – but it takes an enormous amount of invisible infrastructure to keep it that way.”

The integration task doesn’t stop at the mine gate. Whitehaven is still harmonising technology across its portfolio, which includes Wenco in New South Wales and Caterpillar autonomy in Queensland.

“Like many companies, we’re grappling with how to pull different systems together and make them work in a unified way,” Matt admitted.

Cost discipline and long-term positioning

While autonomy has delivered operational gains, the broader market environment is less forgiving.

“The Newcastle thermal price sitting around $100 a tonne has put real pressure on our New South Wales operations,” Matt said. “We’ve deferred non-essential expenditure, pulled back on CapEx, and focused heavily on cost-outs. The view internally is that this pressure is actually healthy – it forces us to reset the cost base so we’re in a stronger position when prices recover.”

Looking ahead, Matt pointed to structural demand for both metallurgical and high-CV thermal coal in Asia, underpinned by steelmaking growth in India and energy security in Japan. “Our reserves extend out to 2040, and demand for seaborne coal is forecast to remain robust. We see ourselves uniquely positioned to service that market.”

Workforce and approvals – the human side of growth

Technology is only part of the equation. Matt highlighted ongoing challenges in securing skilled labour, particularly in the Gunnedah Basin. “Retention is tough. We invest heavily in apprentices and training, but there’s always pressure to resource projects as they ramp up.”

Approvals are another critical hurdle. Whitehaven is seeking an extension for its Maules Creek operation through to 2044, with 900 jobs and $200 million in local supplier spend riding on the outcome. Meanwhile, the Winchester South development in Queensland remains tied up in the land court despite having environmental approvals.

“These delays directly affect equipment strategies and workforce planning. Until we have clarity, a lot of major capital decisions remain on hold,” Matt said.

Lessons for the industry

For Matt, the Whitehaven experience offers several lessons for mining professionals navigating autonomy and large-scale acquisitions:

1. Culture first – Empower local teams and build ownership. Technology will follow.

2. Expect new maintenance realities – Autonomy removes operator error but introduces unique wear patterns.

3. Infrastructure matters – Autonomy is as much about digital networks as it is about mining fleets.

4. Safety outcomes can be transformative – Autonomous haulage can drastically reduce equipment interaction risks.

5. Resilience under pressure – Resetting cost bases in lean times is critical for long-term positioning.

Looking ahead

As Whitehaven continues to harmonise its New South Wales and Queensland operations, embed cost-out programs, and ramp up projects like Vickery, autonomy will remain central to its operating model.

“The productivity and safety gains we’re achieving at Daunia show what’s possible when you get the culture, systems, and people aligned,” Matt said. “There’s still a long way to go, but we’re committed to extracting full value from the system.”

For an industry that often hears about autonomy in terms of hype and future promise, Matt’s reflections provide a grounded perspective: the wins are real, the challenges are ongoing, and the work is as much cultural as it is technical.