PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Junior coal miner Cockatoo Coal was advancing the expansion of its Baralaba coal project, in Queensland, with the miner announcing on Tuesday that it had signed a coal haulage and road infrastructure agreement with the local shire council, and had received construction approval for its train load-out (TLO) facility.

Cockatoo recently completed the first phase of the Baralaba expansion project, which saw coal production increase to one-million tonnes a year at its Baralaba North operation, and was now pushing to increase production to 3.5-million tonnes a year.

The expansion project would require a capital investment of some A$311-million.

Cockatoo said that the coal haulage and road infrastructure agreement would see the company upgrade the council-controlled roads to improve safety and access of the road for all users, while also allowing for the scheduled increase in road haulage activities by Cockatoo to the TLO facility.

Additionally, Cockatoo had also received final construction approvals for the TLO.

Cockatoo MD Andrew Lawson pointed out that the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage had also informed the company that it would proceed with the expansion project’s environmental-impact statement (EIS), without Cockatoo having to submit a supplementary report.

Lawson said the notice from the Queensland government allowed the company to proceed into the final phase of the approvals process for the expansion.

“The EIS is a very important component of our ambitions to expand Baralaba to 3.5-million tonnes a year, and receiving the response is another step to achieving these aims. The execution of the coal haulage and road infrastructure agreement and the TLO approval are also significant achievements to enable the transportation of 3.5-million tonnes of coal for export.”