Whitehaven currently has three operating opencut mines - Canyon, Tarrawonga and Werris Creek - in the Gunnedah Basin, with plans for three new mines including an underground project in the pipeline.

During the year, the Canyon and Tarrawonga opencut mines produced 1.4Mt of coal, while Werris Creek produced 1.3Mt.

When Whitehaven made its Australian Securities Exchange debut in June this year, the company said it was actively seeking to develop its other projects, including the proposed Narrabri North longwall mine and the Belmont and Sunnyside opencut proposals.

Planning approval for the Narrabri North project is expected to allow construction to begin by the end of this year, while the Belmont and Sunnyside projects are now projected to ramp up in financial year 2009 due to processing delays in the approval process.