Some protesters at the $767m Maules Creek coal project have been arrested on charges of hindering the work of mining equipment, and entering and remaining on enclosed lands.
The final approval was received by Whitehaven Coal to commence the construction in July 2013 of the Maules Creek coal project, located in Gunnedah Basin in the north-west part of NSW, while the production is expected to start in the second half of the year.
Considered to be one of the few remaining tier one undeveloped coal assets in Australia, Maules Creek has an estimated 320 million tons of semi-soft coking coal and thermal coal.
About 340 full-time employees and contractors are expected to be employed by the company during the construction phase of the project while an additional 470 people will be hired during on-going operations.
Whitehaven Coal operates a portfolio of mines including the Narrabri North mine project in Australia.
The Federal Minister for the Environment’s final approval was challenged by the Northern Inland Council for the Environment under the Federal Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act), but the court ruled that the approval was valid.
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