The approved modification application to expand Ulan coal mine will allow changes to the layout of Ulan Main West area to extract a further 13 million tonnes of coal -- increasing the project area by 275 hectares and adding two years to the operation of the project, up until 2033.

Also, changes to some mine infrastructure to allow the expansion to occur were approved.

There were seven submissions received by the Department including one public objection, five submissions from Government agencies and one submission from the Wellington Valley Wiradjuri Aboriginal Corporation.

There were no objections received from Government agencies on this proposal.

The key assessment issues included potential subsidence impacts, groundwater and surface water impacts, and effects on Aboriginal heritage sites and biodiversity values.

“The Department has closely assessed all issues raised during consultation and addressed these concerns in its assessment and conditions of approval,” it said in a statement.

The Department’s assessment has found potential subsidence levels would not substantially increase at the mine.

The company is required to meet strict subsidence performance measures and update all approved management plans to reflect the changes to the mine, including the Water, Biodiversity, and Heritage Management Plans.

In addition to the strict protection for Aboriginal heritage sites in the mine’s Heritage Management Plan, the Department has imposed conditions requiring the company to prepare a Salvage Research and Impact Mitigation Strategy in consultation with the local Aboriginal community for a number of cultural heritage sites.

The mine’s approved Biodiversity Offset strategy has also been strengthened through increasing the size of the offset areas.

The proposal would also reduce expected impacts to native vegetation by changing the location of some of the mine’s infrastructure. The amount of White Box Woodland trees affected by mine infrastructure would decrease from 22 hectares to 8.5 hectares.

The proposal is unlikely to increase the noise impacts of the mine and strict noise levels would continue to apply to the project. All other impacts of the mine would not materially change under the modification.