Second tunnel Pike River option

The agency charged with overseeing the Pike River Mine re-entry is considering creating a new tunnel into the drift to act as a second escape route and help with ventilation.

Pike River Recovery Agency chief executive Dave Gawn said creating a new tunnel was one of three re-entry scenarios being considered by technical experts in Greymouth who had met over the past two days.

The tunnel would have a 2m diameter and be about 200 metres long. The other two options included drilling a large borehole or re-entering the main drift as it is with no second exit point.

Gawn said if the tunnel was possible it would provide ventilation, a second means of egress and quicker access to areas of interest.

Drilling a large borehole would assist ventilation and possibly act as a means of escape. The proposals were being worked on further.

Gawn said the agency would continue its planning while it waited for the Minister Responsible for the Pike River Re-Entry, Andrew Little, to decide whether to give the go-ahead.

“The Pike River families have been waiting for more than seven years now and it’s important that we keep the pace up, while not sacrificing any finer details around health and safety,” Gawn said.

Family Reference Group representatives Bernie Monk and Anna Osborne were optimistic about the plan. “It’s been fascinating and positive to hear the details of how they’re planning to expel the methane, introduce the nitrogen and then bring in fresh air,” Osborne says.