The approvals come after the O’Farrell government’s post-election announcement that it would scrap Part 3A of the state’s planning laws.

On the ventilation shaft project approval, the NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure said it was satisfied the proposal would increase safety for the workforce and allow for future development of coal resources in the Appin and Appin West mining areas.

“The project alone would also generate $45 million in capital investment and create 10 full time construction jobs for around 36 months,” the department said.

“The department is confident that these benefits can be achieved without significant impacts to the environment or to nearby residents.”

While the planning minister typically signs off Part 3A approvals, the project approval was instead signed off by the deputy director-general of development assessments and systems performance on Wednesday last week.

This person was designated as the planning minister’s “delegate”, while the approval documentation also showed signatures by two other department officials at earlier dates.

Illawarra Coal also received approval for its surface goaf gas drainage project, a planning modification to the West Cliff longwall mine in the region.

DPI was satisfied the project would have negligible changes to the environmental impacts from the existing approvals for the mine.

This project modification approval was last signed off by DPI director-general Sam Haddard back on April 7 but the documentation was only recently released on the department’s website.

There were three other signatures from DPI officials for this approval.

ILN is seeking details from the DPI on the government’s “transitional arrangements” for scrapping Part 3A.