The Independent Commission Against Corruption has said Operation Acacia concerns the circumstances surrounding the issue of an invitation to NuCoal Resources subsidiary Doyles Creek Pty Ltd to apply for, and the allocation of, a coal mining exploration licence.

ICAC was responding to allegations to the corruption watchdog that a mine training school project at Doyles Creek was a pretext to gain approval by then minister for resources Ian Macdonald.

The training school was proposed by former Construction Forestry Mining and Energy union leader John Maitland, who made a windfall profit of $15 million when the project was sold to NuCoal in February 2010.

ICAC heard that Macdonald granted the licence to interests associated with Maitland without a competitive tender because of his friendship with the former union leader.

NuCoal managing director Glen Lewis told ILN that the company had fully complied with the conditions of its exploration, which included the development of the Hunter Valley training school.

“I can’t comment on the previous proponents of the training school other than to say that since NuCoal has owned the project in February 2010 we have complied fully with all requirements of the licence and constructed the stage 1 facility, which is an addition to any requirement the EL placed upon the tenement,” he said.

Meanwhile, ICAC’s report on Operation Jasper will be released on Wednesday.

Operation Jasper concerns, among other issues, the circumstances surrounding a decision made in 2008 by Macdonald to open a mining area in the Bylong Valley for coal exploration, including whether the decision was influenced by his alleged political ally Edward Obeid.