JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The New South Wales Planning and Assessment Commission (NSWPAC) has approved ASX-listed Yancoal Australia’s Stratford extension application, the company reported on Monday.
The extension project would result in Yancoal extracting up to 21.5-million tonnes of run-of-mine (RoM) coal over 11 years, at a rate of up to 2.6-million tonnes a year.
The extension involved three mining areas, with coal to be processed on-site, using existing facilities and transported by rail to the Port of Newcastle for shipping overseas. The project also held potential to create about 250 new jobs in the area, 100 km north of Newcastle and 10 km south of Gloucester.
“The commission supports the project, as it allows for the rational and efficient extraction of a coal resource within an existing mine, and ensures the continuation of its strong association with the nearby Duralie mine,” the NSWPAC stated.
The proposed Stratford extension was yet to secure approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act from the Commonwealth Department of the Environment.