The project has one more hurdle – approval from federal Sustainability and Environment Minister Tony Burke.
Whitehaven Coal managing director Tony Haggarty said the approval process included extensive community and stakeholder consultation, specialist expert assessments of environmental impacts and the project was subject to a series of firm conditions.
“We welcome the determination by the Planning Assessment Commission and are committed to working within the stringent conditions that have been placed on the project,” he said.
“We also welcome the PAC’s approach to the management of cumulative impacts with the nearby Boggabri and Maules Creek mines.”
The Tarrawonga mine has consent to extract 16.4 million tonnes of coal at a rate of up to 2 million tonnes per annum until 2017.
Under the expansion project Whitehaven is seeking to expand the mine to the east of the approved mining area, increase the production rate from 2Mtpa to 3Mtpa of coal and extend the project life to 2030.
In May 2011, Whitehaven entered into a heads of agreement with Idemitsu in relation to the extension of the Tarrawonga Joint Venture.
The expansion arrangements were formalised between the parties in August 2011 and included the development of a rail spur and the Boggabri coal handling and preparation plant to service the coal processing and transport needs of the JV participants, including tolling arrangements for both parties.
It also includes a restructuring of the tenement ownership within the expanded JV area to ensure Whitehaven and Idemitsu continue to have a 70% and 30% interest respectively in each tenement within the project area.
With Idemitsu sourcing port capacity for its 30% share of tonnage from the Tarrawonga mine, it will free up port capacity of up to 800,000tpa for Whitehaven in the future.
Production at Tarrawonga started in June 2006.
The mine produces a mix of low ash, low sulphur, low phosphorus, medium to high volatile pulverised coal injection/semi-soft coking coal and export thermal coal.
The long-term average coal mix is expected to be approximately 80% PCI/semi-soft coking coal.
