While it can be hard to forecast such events, Malabar is expecting to receive mining lease approvals in the first half of 2016.

The New South Wales explorer, which notably has billionaire coal baron Hans Mende on its board, aims to submit its environmental impact statement in early 2015.

While the project was once envisioned to house two longwalls producing a total of 10 million tonnes per annum, prefeasibility work whittled down the plans to a single longwall operation targeting 6-8Mtpa for an average of 6.4Mtpa for at least two decades.

The proposed longwall panels are 300m wide with mining losses to be 3% of the seam, coal left on the floor.

Malabar aims to start mine construction in the second half of 2016, is targeting first coal exports in the first half of 2018 and expects first longwall coal production in the second half of 2018.

Unlike the planning issues facing Anglo American’s Drayton South project to the immediate east, the Spur Hill project has no horse studs and the only small-scale vineyard in the permit is already owned by Malabar.