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$509M coal mine approved for development

Malabar Resources
Malabar Resources

An independent resources company has received the nod to proceed with a new $509 million underground coal operation in New South Wales’ Hunter Valley.

The NSW Independent Planning Commission (NSW IPC) recently granted planning approval for Malabar Coal’s Maxwell Underground Coal Project in Jerrys Plains, 117km northwest of Newcastle.

‘Public interest’

“The potential impacts associated with the project are manageable, and the risks of adverse impacts on the environment are low,” NSW IPC said in a public statement.

“The likely benefits of the project warrant the conclusion that an appropriately conditioned approval is in the public interest.”

The decision means Malabar subsidiary Maxwell Ventures is free to begin transforming Anglo American’s former Drayton Open Cut Coal Mine into an underground operation before Christmas. QMEB can reveal the new project could potentially use a combination of underground bord, pillar mining and long wall mining methods.

600 jobs

The project is promised to create 600 new jobs. Positions will be advertised here.

“The Maxwell Underground Project represents immense potential for the communities of the Upper Hunter,” Malabar chairman Wayne Seabrook said in a public statement.

“It will deliver about 250 construction jobs and 350 jobs during operation into the region, generating $55 million in annual wages once the project is up and running.”

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