PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Diversified major Rio Tinto on Wednesday released its new planning application for the extension of its Mt Thorley Warkworth coal mine, in New South Wales, for public exhibition.

The miner was forced to lodge new planning applications for the Mt Thorley Warkworth operation after the New South Wales Court of Appeal refused an appeal against the New South Wales Land and Environment Court’s decision to overturn a 2012 development consent for the extension of the project.

The current approvals would only allow the project to remain operational until the end of 2015, with production already being reduced to around 11-million tonnes during 2014.

Rio Tinto Coal Australia MD Chris Salisbury on Wednesday said that it was critical for the future of Mt Thorley Warkworth mine, and the 1 300 people who work there, that these planning approvals were processed without further delay.

"We have been working for close to five years to secure a long-term future for this mine and the people who rely on it for their jobs. We're now running out of time in what is an extremely challenging environment for the coal industry, where mines without a strong future are being shut down.”

An independent assessment of the Warkworth continuation proposal, which forms part of the new planning application, indicated that some A$1.5-billion in benefits would be lost to the state’s economy over the next 20 years, if the mine did not proceed.

“If the Warkworth continuation is not approved the impacts to the region will include increased unemployment, a reduction in average wages and even a negative impact on the value of property in the Singleton area," economist Brian Fisher said.

Rio pointed out that during 2013, the Mt Thorley Warkworth operation spent $335-million with more than 600 North South Wales suppliers and $188-million with more than 230 suppliers in the Upper Hunter region.

Meanwhile, the miner said that commitments and mitigation measures addressed in the new planning application included an offer to provide more than 1 800 ha of land towards a national park, a range of comprehensive training and employment programmes, a partnership with Newcastle University to support two Aboriginal students a year with their scholarship programmes, continuous environmental monitoring, and some A$4-million over five years towards a regeneration programme at the Warkworth Sands Woodlands and ironbark ecological communities.

The new planning applications and environmental-impact statement would be on public exhibition for the next six weeks.